Reinventing the wheel
Too many news groups, it seems to me, are bent on creating their own version of free-to-use technology our of some misguided ‘keep-it-inhouse’ policy.
It’s an example of the battle between the proponents of the link economy and the companies that still think using other people’s software or linking to external content is a bad thing.
We’re doing our first live blog this weekend, from AFC Bournemouth’s away game. The sports desk is very excited at the prospect. I’ve shown them how the Liverpool Daily Post does it and some Portsmouth News examples.
The only minor snag is that we’re not supposed to use Cover it Live, the program both those papers rely on.
Instead we’re supposed to use the group’s recently released version.
But, as is so often the case in these scenarios, the company’s version isn’t as good.
I can only assume the group version has been created to try and emulate some of the success of CIL. But why bother? CIL has much more functionality. You can embed comments, videos and polls – all of which enhances the community aspect of the live blog. Your readers see it as a conversation, not a story they can comment on.
Here’s a comparison.
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/everton-fc/live-blog/
Now tell me, what would you do?
(We’re using CIL.)
Tags: cover it live, link economy, linking, liveblogging, Liverpool Daily Post, newspapers, Portsmouth NEws
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November 8, 2008 at 10:06 am
All very interesting.
And, to my mind, you’re quite right; there is a very large pride/prestige element to the thinking of regional newspaper groups that inhibits their thinking… in part, I suspect, it may be a hang-over from their local monopoly ways… ways that the web has smashed into so many tiny pieces.
But, as I mentioned, in these current economic times, dire financial necessity might have to prove the mother of all re-inventions and at some stage in the none-too distant future, everyone is going to have to take a radical re-assessment of what they do reporting-wise and why.
Part of the answer, again IMHO, will come in the form of networks which is why TrinityMirror started to go down the right lines with their Banter proposition as in http://www.norwichcitybanter.co.uk and http://www.portsmouthbanter.co.uk – the question then (and again it’s back to the constrictions of their local monopoly ways…) is how they source and monetise content derived/supplied by the Archant/Newsquests of this world.
Alas, we’re hunkering down for a long hard winter but that was always the proposition behind MFW … http://www.myfootballwriter.com/portsmouth http://www.myfootballwriter.com/bournemouth – new networked solutions for this new landscape…