Comments on: Newspapers Need to Be Of the Web, Not Just On the Web

By: Mark D.

Mark D. — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:14:57 +0000

I really appreciate this interview with Emily Bell. Her perspective is so insightful. The importance of a ‘digital mindset’ is underestimated by many traditional media outlets moving to the web. Traditional newsrooms have a different mandate than those folks tasked with delivering the content and creating the online space to attract readers and advertisers. That’s not a bad thing. They are focused on hard content and always have been. New digital teams are focused on the experience. I agree with Bell, the “jury is still out” on the blending of traditional newsrooms with digital operations.” I am not surprised “the print guys won.” Successfully balancing the two sides is probably a rare occurrence. The Guardian can boast some, but I wonder if the whole online environment needs more maturation before we see this divide dissolve completely.

By: David H. Deans

David H. Deans — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 16:19:24 +0000

Using descriptions like “user-generated content” and “non-journalists” seem to be missing the key point about this disruptive transformation — the high-cost traditional news media publisher business model is obsolete. Ignore the change and you must face the consequences.

Case in point: some airline industry leaders misread their disruptive trend. TWA and PanAm Airways became insolvent because they didn’t understand that Southwest and Jet Blue used a different (inherently low-cost) business model to serve a significant segment of the marketplace.

Some legacy big media companies will likely follow the same path, “different” is deemed unprofessional or amateurish. It’s being used as an excuse to mask their own longstanding inefficiency problems that they refuse to acknowledge and change.

By: Mathew Ingram

Mathew Ingram — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 14:50:21 +0000

You’re right, Andrew — Wired is a great example as well. Thanks for the comment.

By: Andrew Ferris

Andrew Ferris — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 03:27:39 +0000

Wired is an even better example of the print types “winning” over the online folks with the result that the entire brand is diminished. That said, there are bright sides to big companies shooting themselves in the foot as more nimble people jump up such as Felix Salmon. Anyhow great article Mathew.

By: Ben Acheson

Ben Acheson — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:33:35 +0000

Thanks Mathew, for an excellent and timely article. Marketers need to trust their markets enough to hand control over to them. That means letting customers have their say. It also means removing the barriers of bureaucracy and authorisation that slow down communication and render our messages inhuman, out of date and out of touch. Digital business is a human-to-human phenomenon and communication is its lifeblood. Let it flow.