Bloggers are here to stay. Get over it.
Written by: Paul Anthony | October 15, 2009
I read another narcisitic article from the newspaper industry locally (offline) talking about the new media age, and debating back and forth on whether independant online publishers (i.e. bloggers) will be good or bad for media as a whole. Yada yada ya.
The argument suggested that their superiority lies in the fact that online sources of information are often misleading at best, whereas traditional printed media check their sources more thoroughly – giving them much more trust. Its not the first time I’ve heard the war cry, and frankly its starting to get a bit old.
A resonating theme within the article described how there is still a need and requirement for high quality authoritive journalism, (as opposed to the so-called talentless hacks like you and me) and by definition how this will somehow manage to keep it afloat. Bullshit.
Finding Trustworthy Sources
Whilst I understand where this is coming from, and the importance of trustworthy sources in journalism, essentially a large section the web has survived without accurate or decent sources for some time. Not because we no longer need them – but because we crowdsource it.
Firstly – News Bloggers on the whole, don’t get headache’s over their sources before posting - its much more important to publish something quickly before other sites get a hold of it, and get it picked up by Google before they do. Case in point, Techcrunch’s embargo stance. Google’s algorithm as it stands at the minute, rewards breaking news, and isn’t likely to change anytime soon. Speed is of the essence with information today – everyone wants it faster, and in bite sized chunks – and ultimately newspapers in their traditional format simply can’t provide for that need. The faster you can publish a breaking story, the more traffic you receive. Simple.
I don’t need to elaborate on the growth of Twitter, but forcing us to communicate in such easily digestable chunks of information which facilitates sharing has made it the best place on the web for hearing about a story first, and indeed in finding reliable sources of information.
As has already been proved with sites like Wikipedia – opening information sources up for community edits leads to greater depth of content, and greater accuracy. For example – studies have shown that Wikipedia is every bit as accurate as the Encyclopedia Britania. Blogs present the perfect platform for collaborative journalism and are here to stay.
Secondly, the open nature of the web allows readers to either correct details of the story, or tear it to shreds elsewhere on the web. Live by the sword; Die by the sword mentality means the web polices itself.
Google controls Brand
According to astudy from iProspect, three-quarters of internet users use search engines. However, 16 percent of internet users only look at the first few search results, while 32 percent will read through to the bottom of the first page.
Only 23 percent of searchers go beyond the second page, and the numbers drop for every page thereafter. Basically, the laws of the web state that we trust, what Google trusts. Google’s entire algorithm is based around the concept of counting “votes” i.e. links to authoritive pages which people trust. So well; we’ve kinda got that angle of the argument covered as well. Brand recognition no-longer matters. Brands in the age of the social web are dead, and that includes the media moguls – the crowd decides who to trust, and where to get information.
So where am I going with this?
Traditional media is much slower – and for good reason. A mistake with a source stays in print forever; or at best, stays a week in the public domain until an apology can be printed. The luxury of the web is that we can print first; edit second. As more details about a story breaks, the holes in the report get filled in. Commentors add value to the existing article, taking the story from a solo effort to a global crowdsourced scenario.
Now I appreciate quality journalism as much as the next guy, but crying that the web of free, and how Google stole your pocket money – isn’t doing you any favours.
The game is up. Its already over. Stop bitching about the change and adapt. We aren’t going anywhere.
Topics: Social Media | View Comments
Posted on 15 October 2009 by Paul Anthony
Paul is a multi-disciplined individual, although he currently works as a software developer for an independant e-commerce provider in Northern Ireland.
Over the past fifteen or so years he's taught himself the fundamentals of at least two programming languages, the jedi art of SEO and web marketing - and showcases these skills in a personal capacity on his own website - Webdistortion.
During the little spare time that he has - Paul has taught himself to play guitar and occasionally enjoys rocking out with his proverbial out. He's also currently trying to master the Saxophone.
You can connect with Paul on Twitter - or via his own blog on Webdistortion.
Paul Anthony has written 5 articles for Cloud Mixer
