A post on news 'hyperdistribution' from News Innovation (the blog of the Cuny Graduate School of Journalism in NY) reminded me of something that analyst group Jupiter talked about as long ago as January 2008 - the idea of 'website deconstruction.'
Most of us who work in digital marketing wouldn't question the notion that as David Wigder of The Future Lab then put it, we need to "uncouple content from specific websites and distribute directly to users or through intermediary sites...encourage consumers to share content with their peers and across social networks."
Yet, a lot of news organisations do not work this way. Yes, the Guardian and the New York Times have an API programme allowing developers to use headlines and (in the case of the Guardian) full content.
But at the same time, The Associated Press is cracking down again on the use of content externally and here in the UK, the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA), wants to charge PR agencies for the right to send links pointing people to their site, via email.
Meanwhile as recently as March of this year, Malcolm Coles found that a lot of UK newspapers have site T&Cs expressly forbidding external links into them.
News Innovation suggests a radically different approach, working from the standpoint that the biggest challenge faced by newspapers online is one of relevancy, rather than one of charging (or not) for content.
In particular - and I think the principles are of interest to brand communicators too - News Innovation talks about:
1 - Reverse Syndication, so targeted content that anyone can use (the example given is of State assembly voting guides, which are made freely available to local bloggers)
2 - The embeddable paper. Basically much as you do with a You Tube video, just allow anyone to copy and paste the content code. Indeed, tech publication Silicon Alley Insider allows you to do exactly that. So for that matter does trend site Trend Hunter, though in Trend Hunter's case you actually have to stick a widget on your blog.
3 - API (or 'application programming interface') - as mentioned above, you make your content available for outside developers.
4 - Specialization, or in simple terms know who you are trying to reach rather than 'everyone.' According to News Innovation, "specialism becomes a way to grow", something that I think is particularly important when you look at the very different ways we read print and online newspapers.
Again, something that Malcolm Coles demonstrated, rather than reading a print newspaper from cover to cover, 6/10 of us read only one page of an online paper. In other words, we find what interests us, and we leave as opposed to hanging around and checking out everything else that's on there. Specialization could reverse that trend.
5 - Social engagement. What would Google, Facebook, Twitter and craigslist do? "They would define themselves as platforms more than content creators and controllers. they would act as networks rather than destinations."
Last year a media focus group produced the following quote from a college student that's since been quoted endlessly: "If the news is that important, it will find me."
But as News Innovation correctly points out, it's not going to find her if she's directed to a newspaper site by another website she reads...and promptly finds the equivalent of an online tool booth.
It's a lesson that both brands and the media need to bear in mind - there's plenty to occupy consumers these days without having to look at our content. If we put up barriers, 9/10 of them will just go elsewhere.
- paidContent.org: How are newspaper sites that charge faring? (blogs.journalism.co.uk)
- Journalism Daily: Digital magazine store launch, MSN Local and new editor for the Sun (blogs.journalism.co.uk)
- Future of Newspapers: Profitless? Go Wireless (wired.com)
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