17 Killer Mashups for Taking Control of Your Government

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Type “newspaper industry” into Google News and there’s nothing but bad news. Everything from falling profits and job losses to trying to figure out their footing in the new media world.

It has become an interesting industry to follow in terms of Marketing, Communication, Advertising and Media. In late October I published this Blog posting: New Media Might Not Be Able To Save The Newspaper Industry after the Newspaper Association of America issued a press release that newspaper Websites attracted over 41% of all Internet users and served over 3.5 billion pageviews per month, but were still struggling with how to monetize their properties.

10 Things Every Newspaper And Magazine Website Must Do

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It’s all the rage these days. Story comments. Aren’t they neat? Joeblow2938 said the story is great! JaneinOmaha said the story sucks. BlueFriend found a way to tie the story to George W. Bush and the downfall of society. Righwnger2323 things BlueFriend is an idiot and that Obama is going to ruin the world.

Just like embedded home page video players and Flash content flippers, comments are the latest rage. Just about every news site has added this functionality. In my little micro-bubble of Boise, no news site had story comments a year ago – but now all but one (the site I oversee – KTVB.COM, natch) have them. The two other TV-news sites get very few comments, while the newspaper gets tons.

But in so many cases, the comments devolve into nastiness or worse. I honestly cant figure out what they add. I run a blog and think comments have a place – mostly because the content is a niche and you an build a community. But on sites that have huge legions of users and a broad scope, they add almost nothing.

Why story comments are destructive

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Pat Thornton x3

The real challenge that journalism needs

We were never in the newspaper business

Interview with Sennott about upcoming GlobalPost.com

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Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. Yuck – the power of the word is evident in just looking at this infamous list.

The forces of good and evil are universal principles both online and offline. We all come into the real world (and the virtual one) as innocent babes. But once we arrive, our actions can bring us glory or shame.

In the world of social media, are you going to be a force for good? Or are you going to turn to the dark side – ruining your chances and infuriating those who cross your path?

The 7 Deadly Sins of Social Media

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Our journalism is now fully embracing the experiences of our audiences, sharing their stories, using their knowledge and hosting their opinions; we’re acting as a conduit between different parts of our audience; and we’re being more open and transparent than we have ever been.

And these things are not on the fringes of what we do: they are fundamental.

If you’re in any doubt, let me take you on a tour of some recent stories.

I’ll start with the London bombings. It was of course a terrible tragedy and a profoundly shocking event. But for Newsgathering, what happened on 7 July three years ago marked a watershed: the point at which the BBC knew that newsgathering had changed forever. In one sense it was just an example of what might be called “accidental journalism”.

No one who set off for work that fateful morning had any idea that their mobile phones would capture such dramatic images.

The role of citizen journalism in modern democracy