Archive for May, 2007
Bloggers encourage transparent media interview techniques
May 14th, 2007
Jeff Jarvis’ piece in the Guardian today raises the issue of evolving traditional media interviews for the blogosphere, or more accurately – evolving interview techniques for a media landscape influenced by the blogosphere.
The piece cites a recent example of a Wired magazine journalist, Fred Vogelstein, who, while writing a piece on a well known blogger, requested telephone interviews with two other bloggers – Jason Calacanis and Dave Winer.
It seems both refused to begin with, Calacanis requesting the interview via email, so it could be published online, and Winer confirming he’d answer questions in public on his blog.
This sparked further debate, and it was opened up to the blogosphere culminating in Jarvis’ piece in the Guardian, after his earlier posts on Buzzmachine.
According to the Guardian piece, Calacanis did agree to a phone interview in the end, so long as it was recorded and Calacanis could put it up on his blog as a podcast.
The debate is an interesting one from a PR perspective. In my experience most journalists do prefer to do such interviews over the phone, or face-to-face, with email becoming a gradually increasing alternative.
The reasons for this are varied, but in principle direct contact with the interviewee is essential, as the story/comment comes directly from the individual, rather than a watered down version that has the distinct whiff of corporate messaging.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying every commentator would do this, but it is certainly a consideration.
However, the idea of an open forum interview, perhaps through a blog, with the conversation continuing beyond the initial interview via external comments is a real winner. It’s not a new idea, but taking it mainstream would be a giant leap forward, and another example of the blogosphere positively influencing mainstream media.
I would certainly support this approach for our clients, and it would be interesting to hear the opinions of any journalists reading this post.
Technology thinkers are influencing the world
May 11th, 2007
The Time 100 was published this week, offering a US-take on the world’s most influential people.
It was of no surprise to see technology gurus such as Paul Allen and Steve Jobs in list, along with recent entrants such as Chad Hurley and Steve Chen (founders of YouTube), Philip Rosedale (builder of Second Life) and Shigeru Miyamoto (head of the Wii design team).
However, a closer look at “why” they have been selected sheds new light on how technology thinkers are being perceived globally, and how this is a far cry from the “geek” of a few years ago.
In reference to Shigeru Miyamoto’s nomination, high-profile gamer FATAL1TY comments: “he [sic] has opened the world I live in every day to people who never even wanted to visit it before. He showed us that video games are for everyone, something social and active that brings people together.”
Similarly, the creator of Lonelygirl15 (a well-known personality on YouTube), celebrates “the magic of YouTube” that has enabled him to create the most popular serial drama on the web.
All over the world, technology innovators are changing the way we live our lives and perceive the world. Sure the predictable Hollywood film stars and US politicans are also on the Time 100 list, but in my world it’s the technology innovators named above that I now have the greatest affiliation with.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way, and this is certainly a trend that has a lot more life in it yet.
Telegraph launches new blogging forum
May 10th, 2007
The Telegraph has launched new functionality on My Telegraph, as explained by Shane Richmond, and announced by Jemima Kiss on Media Guardian yesterday evening.
Apparently it took 17 working days to complete, which is impressive, and is designed to appeal to bloggers, enabling registered users to collate their own comments, in a similar way to Guardian Unlimited’s ‘Comment is free‘.
First look shows a political slant to the serious content, not surprising considering Tony Blair’s resignation announcement today.
However, no open forum would be complete without those that like to use such opportunities to publish their idiotic rants, and a few odd ones as well. For example, Patrick who asks for help identifying the bird outside his window as a Crow or Jackdaw, and an interesting debate about which is the hardest – Pirates or Ninjas…well I guess it takes all sorts.
Once the idiots have moved on, My Telegraph could be an excellent addition to The Telegraph’s online offering. Let’s hope they move on soon.
Did someone say progress?
You may have also noticed that Guardian Unlimited has introduced its new home page today. Emily Bell offers a full overview and confirms part of the redesign was focused on accessibility, achieved in partnership with disability consultants the Shaw Trust. Not all of the sections have been switched over as yet.
May 8th, 2007
While hunting around for any shred of evidence to substantiate the rumours that Microsoft plans to acquire Yahoo for £25bn, The New York Times has a good write up, I came across this list of U.S. laws for bloggers on Stuart Bruce’s blog – 12 Important U.S laws Every bloggers needs to know, originally taken from Aviva Directory.
As the title suggests, the laws don’t apply over here in Blighty, at least not yet, but it is still interesting reading.
And just to confirm the situation with User Generated Content, including blog comments in the U.S.: “It may come as a surprise to many bloggers, but you do not actually own the user-driven content on your site. Instead, it is actually the copyrighted property of the author. The analysis is pretty straightforward; copyright law only requires that an author create an original work and write it out in order to grant that person a copyright. The fact that you do not own the user-driven content on your site can create a number of headaches for bloggers, such as an obligation to remove a comment whenever the author requests.”
Taken from ‘Important U.S laws Every bloggers needs to know.’ Aviva directory.
Newscounter launches as ‘alternative’ to PCC
May 3rd, 2007
The blogosphere is buzzing with news of a service called Newscounter that launched today, claiming to offer an alternative right to reply to people and businesses affected by a controversial press story.
It aims to offer a different route to the Press Complaints Commission, helping organisations to manage their online reputation at social media speed. After publishing a full statement on its site, Newscounter users judge which side of the story is more persuasive.
But at £300 a go, the service has already run into criticism.
The service has been set-up by two PR professionals – Nigel Clarke and Matthew Cain.
In his launch statement, Matthew Cain comments: “Misrepresentation in the media can have a huge impact on an organisation’s brand and reputation. With the proliferation of online news outlets, the potential for damage as a result of misrepresentation is increasing. Newscounter is an effective means of using new media to secure a right of reply. It addresses the challenges and opportunities of the changing media landscape.”
It’s a brave step by Clarke and Cain. Certainly businesses need to be contributing in a useful way to their online network, but is this the place and way to do it? Surely organisations should be doing this as a matter of course, and not just when things go wrong.
May 1st, 2007
Rupert Murdoch has put his money where his mouth is today, and made a bid for Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal.
Murdoch has long been an admirer of the WSJ, and the FT for that matter, but it seems today’s move paves the way for News Corp to take a real strangle hold on financial news.
Dow Jones confirmed it had received a £2.5bn ($5bn) takeover bid from News Corp, which would involve offering $60 a share for all of Dow Jones’ stock, either fully in cash or as a combination of cash and News Corp shares.
If Murdoch is successful with the bid, News Corp is expected to launch a business cable TV news channel to rival CNBC, which takes much of its financial data from the WSJ.
Also expect to see changes to the WSJ’s online presence and reporting function, considering News Corp’s online investment with its current titles.
The WSJ, the world’s leading financial newspaper with a daily circulation of more than 2m, would be an impressive addition to News Corp’s press stable, which already includes the Times and the Sun in the UK, the New York Post and the Australian.
Reuters and MediaGuardian have the full story.