Jeremy Wagstaff looks at MSNBC’s purchase of Newsvine, an online news sharing and citizen journalism community. His focus is that as “old media” companies buy social networking communities, that their is inherent risk that the community will leave: “How do you reward those who make a website like Newsvine what it is? Or at least,… Continue reading How Cashing Out Affects Online Communities
Category: citizen journalism
Are Journalists Killing Journalism?
Don’t you just love when CNN sends you a breaking news email, and it is about Britney Spears and her baby, or Paris Hilton entering or exiting jail? Author Jake Halpern takes a look at our growing obsession with celebrity gossip, often at the expense of reporting on more serious topics: “A word-count analysis of… Continue reading Are Journalists Killing Journalism?
Social News Sites Digg and Propeller Add Features
Two social news sites are adding features to further engage their audiences: Digg: They are adding more social networking features to allow users to find ‘like-minded friends.’ Propeller: Rebranded and relaunched (formerly known as Netscape), and is working on a site that gives readers more ‘personal relevance.’
Live Reporting with Interactive Data & Maps
TechCrunch pointed to a really simple, and really amazing thing that happened last week. This guy took a drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles. In doing so, he also displayed it online via webcam, and kept an updated Google map of his progress. Imagine how much more data and interaction will soon be built… Continue reading Live Reporting with Interactive Data & Maps
Google News Adds Unique Commenting Feature; No Fabio
Google is adding an already controversial new feature to Google News: allowing people to comment on news items, but only those who are actually featured in the news story. Plenty of people are thinking about Google’s reasoning for this, the competitive advantage it could give them, and trying to figure out how Google will verify… Continue reading Google News Adds Unique Commenting Feature; No Fabio
Are Blog Networks the Future of Newspapers?
Scott Karp asks: Should Newspapers Become Local Blog Networks? “What’s becoming clear is that blogs are now the organizing principle for newspapers’ original online content. And these are “real” blogs, i.e. driven by one or two individual bloggers, with (often active) comments, RSS feeds, the whole nine yards.” “…maybe what newspapers should become in the… Continue reading Are Blog Networks the Future of Newspapers?
Pro-Am Journalism Experiment Learns Hard Lessons
Wired’s experiment with pro-am journalism, Assignment Zero, has come to an end. They share some lessons. “Although Assignment Zero produced a strong body of work, consisting of seven original essays and some 80 Q&As, the real value of the exercise was discovery. We learned a lot about how crowds come together, and what’s required to… Continue reading Pro-Am Journalism Experiment Learns Hard Lessons
The Future of Citizen Media
Dan Gillmor shares a progress report on citizen media. “We need much more experimentation in journalism and community information projects. The business models are, at best, uncertain — and some notable failures are discouraging. Dealing with the issues of trust, credibility and ethics is essential; as are more tools and training, including a dramatically updated… Continue reading The Future of Citizen Media
Zillow Launches Hyperlocal & Citizen Journalism Functionality
If you have never played with the real-estate website Zillow, you can kiss the rest of your afternoon goodbye. You will soon find yourself scrolling down your virtual block, seeing what all your neighbors paid for their homes. Zillow just announced some interesting new functionality to their site, centered around Neighborhood pages. John Cook is… Continue reading Zillow Launches Hyperlocal & Citizen Journalism Functionality
The Rise of the Little People
Is social media the ultimate tool that gives voice to the masses? At what point does professional journalism become a wall that prevents all but a few voices to be broadcast to the citizens of the world? A recent yard sale purchase – ahem, Transformers and Fisher Price Little People – had me thinking about… Continue reading The Rise of the Little People