Nickname: kj

Review: First of all the author seems just as willing to fall for hype as people did during the dot com boom. See http://www.alistapart.com/articles/web3point0/ as a critical look at Web 2.0 by some knowledgeable people. Second, what's going to differentiate one aggregator from another? Does a great newspaper want to devote its resource to news aggregation or to what it does best and what has been its core business: finding news and writing about it in an informative and enjoyable manner. That still has to be the main part of any newspaper online presence. The problem is that no one has figured out how to do this and no one will take a chance. Most online newspapers look the same. Most search engines did until Google. At some point, perhaps at the Mercury News, someone will realize that a newspaper's online presence has to be different. But it doesn't have to follow any Web 2.0 bandwagon. It needs to think for itself just as newspapers did in the glory days. Creativity is all that's needed.

Date reviewed: Mar 21, 2006 5:10 PM

Nickname: uniquemeson

Review: All this is true, but what about quality control and the continuing homogenization of news through aggregate sources? As newspapers expand their role on the Web, they will need more than ever to provide quality content, regardless of the media. That means remaining competitive in the marketplace for talented writers and producers, as solid journalistic prospects turn away to marketing and PR, leaving hack bloggers and spinmeisters as "authoritative sources."

Date reviewed: Mar 21, 2006 1:46 AM

Nickname: sc

Review: I think newspapers will be around for a long time. I enjoy the computer but I like reading the paper more. As long as the older people in their 60s and older are still living, newspapers will be sold. They are not big fans of the computer age.

Date reviewed: Mar 21, 2006 1:16 AM

Nickname: Janet

Review: "People still want and need news." The difference today is, "people still want and need news--but they want and need it now." What holds newspapers back is their reluctance to set aside time-honored traditions of verified sources, award-winning journalists, process based on production deadlines--for such things as citizen journalism, blogging, aggregated content and breaking headlines all hours of the day. This is why the transition to the Web is so difficult. It's like asking the tiger to change its stripes when the stripes are what has defined him for generations. I am Director of Marketing for HarvestINFO, a privately held company that provides online search and revenue solutions for newspapers in the form of self-provisioned online classifieds, search advertising (keyword ads), and commission-based shopping portals. Most of our clients see opportunity on the Web in the form of shopping channels apart from their news offering. In this way they capitalize w/o insulting tradition.

Date reviewed: Mar 21, 2006 12:07 AM

Nickname: Frymaster

Review: What's the one thing local papers have that the news aggregators don't? Local content. What are publishers cutting? Local news. Typical.

Date reviewed: Mar 20, 2006 2:22 PM