Websites Want to Be More Like Magazines

Robert Scoble looks at whether Web 2.0 is a bubble like Web 1.0 was, with an interesting conclusion:

“One thing, though. Web 2.0 is largely funded by advertising. Advertising is an AUDIENCE business. So, when Paul Graham is telling his companies to worry about building audience first, that’s actually a good point of view to take. It’s like building a magazine. If you don’t have any readers you won’t get any advertisers.”

To build that audience, some intriguing journalism is moving online. Here are two examples:

  • Chris Anderson explains ‘networked journalism‘:
    “One of the most referenced examples of networked journalism was this week’s successful campaign by TPM Muckraker to uncover the anonymous Senator who blocked a bipartisan bill that would have established a a public, searchable database of all federal grants and contracts. You can see the network in action below the main article, as one by one, individual Senators are eliminated, until the culprit, Ted Stevens, was uncovered. In this case, the network accomplished in matter of days– contacted every Senator or their spokesperson– something that would have taken a regular reporter weeks, probably.”

  • 2006 Online Journalism Awards – Finalists

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