MediaVidea

To be really web 2.0-savvy, mainstream media must use Web 2.0 tools, not just buttons

Richard Macmanus writes about more mainstream media sites using popular web 2.0 services. Actually, he is talking about buttons: Digg this, add this to del.icio.us and so on. These buttons are common on many blogs.

Merely using some buttons does not make these mainstream sites Web 2.0 – savvy.
The Big idea behind Web 2.0 is two-way conversation.
Do you see 3-4 buttons making that happen?

You read a story on NYT, digg it; then, someone browsing Digg notices it, he diggs it as well, or, he may choose to add a comment on Digg itself. If he goes to NYT site to read the article, will he comment, if he indeed can? Apart from the Guardian, and the Washington Post, commenting is still heavy weather on many news sites.

To be really Web savvy, mainstream media must use Web 2.0 tools in a way that nurtures community.

1. They have to use Forums,
2. Have Digg style rating, voting & commenting.
3. The Guardian’s Comment is free service is a nice idea that other sites must look into. Even the venerable Economist is integrating blogs with its web offering, here and here.
4. Daily Live sessions on the topic–of-the-day may also be considered.

Let the conversation flow.

Labels: social news

posted by Pramit Singh @ 10:58 AM