Publishing 2.0 has a sensational report arguing why aggregation is a winning strategy. Based on numbers from the Drudge Report, aggregation revs up both user visits and time on site. Those are good metrics to rev up. So it's too bad virtually all news sites are so caught up in their own not-invented-here walled gardens that they don't dare provide their readers with comprehensive lists of links to other sites–yes, even competitors. Duh!
It's a great read–here, natch, is the link.
Aggregation works. But we still need original news source and commentary. It's just that different people view links differently.
Posted by: Alan | September 16, 2008 at 12:15 AM
Content, Links, Informations, discover, learn…
Ok it’s the web.
People wants more than just a PDF…
Posted by: Fotografo | September 16, 2008 at 07:01 AM
They will pay for that strategy, and a high price. I still maintain that if you show your audience that you will send them to the good stuff, they will come back for more. The newspaper industry should understand the concept of building trust, and that is why this escapes me. Come on! You cannot own the web and I know you want to own your news but a new mindset is way overdue. I swear this makes my blood pressure go up ten notches.
Posted by: Angela Connor | September 16, 2008 at 01:22 PM
Yep, couldn't agree more, Mark. It's about the "2.0 mindshift" that I talk about a lot: from broadcast to collaboration. Thanks for sharing the Publishing 2.0 post -- should be read and really absorbed by more news orgs.
Posted by: Maxine Teller | September 17, 2008 at 08:50 PM
It's something we're very keen on at MyFootballWriter here in the UK; newspapers still have the whole high-horse thing going on... that they are the only news show in town. No, no, no... not any more. Might be a bit like old King Canute asking for a towel, but the link economy is where we're all head...IMHO.
http://outwithabang.rickwaghorn.co.uk/?p=132
Posted by: Rick Waghorn | September 19, 2008 at 07:17 AM