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The tail wagging the dog

The adoption of the new media distribution channels offer newsrooms tremendous information previously unavailable in the form of a “two-way street” where the reader is engaging the organization. By providing the reader a sense of ownership though highly interactive, conversational or participatory elements, a sense of ownership, confidence and trust in the brand is fostered further enticing them to increased visits and engagement. Those readers that are engaged should be recognized not only on the new media channels, but also in traditional.

Take all feedback, whether from email, comments, discussion forums, or statistics as cues for newsroom “follows.” Allow the reader to become the newsroom’s ombudsman.

Sites without adequate participatory elements to allow for the free flow of conversation with the newsroom will force the reader to competitors, both local and global, or to simply build their own “soapbox” in the form of a blog or website. To those already lost, the newsroom should reach out by investing the time and the proper tools to provide them the means of voicing their opinion.

Tuesday: Newsroom Staffing

Looks like the next great thing for print publications offerings of off-beat advertising opportunities may be animated.

Last week, Rolling Stone featured characters from the Sunday night line-up on Fox TV.  When the advertisement was tilted the images changed.  Entertainment Weekly has also featured an animated ad with a character from the new television series Bionic Woman winking and lighting up at readers as they turned pages.

Media Week is reporting that Time Inc., is significantly upping the game by developing special electronic paper powered by a miniature battery.   These ads would feature more robust animation projected onto the paper.  The initial run would be in black and white with color possibly coming later.

Hopefully, if adoption becomes more universal, print has learn from the mistakes of online.  Leveraged in a limited, visually compelling way, the return for both the publishing house and advertiser could be monumental.  If adoption following the early (and for many present) strategy of more-is-better with dozens of blinking ads competing for the reader’s attention,  it could mean a quick end to a great opportunity.

Constant Contact, a service provider for creating and managing newsletters, successfully made its Nasdaq debute today. Microsoft is musing a drop of $500 million for Facebook. And the signature publication of the dotCom era, the Industry Standard, is being resuscitated by IDG.

This will be second attempt at life after death for the once definitive voice of the internet economy (having managed a few short breathes back in 2004). According to Brad Stone at Bits, InfoWorld CTO Derek Butcher and strategy consultant Garrick Hileman are leading the effort, so expectations are high.

Eric Savitz at Barron’s found the placeholder by chance. And for a walk down memory lane, the Standard’s article and blog archives are still available.