Digital News Could Learn A Thing Or Two From Other Online Industries
Tumbler office. Photo Credit: Marco Arment at Creative Commons
Online news publications should examine social networks and implement the techniques that help them produce and offer relevant and engaging content.
If online news publishing were a person, it would be interesting to think about what stage in life it would be. Digital news is no longer in its adolescence; it is at the point where it has developed into a stable industry, but like a college graduate, hasn’t fully matured. To figure out which path in life it should follow, it might want to learn from other similar, successful online industries.
Take a look around
The social giants out there are on-point when it comes to engaging users. They start trends, follow them, and experience a steady growth in users and revenue. This is a great role model for our college grad, online news, and it might want to watch, learn, and take notes.
Social media knows you best. It knows who you are, what you want, and where you want it, and that’s why it manages to keep you around. Online news publications should examine social networks and implement the techniques that help them produce and offer relevant and engaging content.
Make everything personal
Facebook says that the web is better with friends. And how exactly does it tailor the web more for you and your friends? Special algorithms are used to detect who your friends are so that the posts presented on your news feed are only ones published by people that you care about.
Additionally, when searching for a movie to watch or a book to read, the first reviews you’ll see are always ones by your friends. Facebook assumes that you and your friends are likely to share similar taste in culture and recreational activities, and doesn’t want to waste your time with reviews by others with different taste.
Publications could operate the same way. Sites could learn about users and what they opt to read, what their interests are, where they are located, and what their occupations are. All of this data can be gathered through social media and users’ browsing history.
Once publications know each and every individual they are targeting, not only can they create better, more relevant content, but they can also organize the homepage according to each reader’s interests and preferences. Moreover, each article read by a user can give publishers a better idea of what the next article they’d like to read is, and offer it to them.
Size it down
Twitter, which uses algorithms for personalization like Facebook does, was founded based on the simple understanding that our attention spans are shortening. This is apparent across many walks of life: speed dating, 60-second news, and now, social media. If you want to keep your audience engaged and interested, you must get to the point, and fast.
Vine is another platform established with this notion in mind. Content shared on this network are six-second video and status updates limited to 140 characters (respectively). This constriction forces users to get to point quickly so that other users can enjoy a friendly, digestible, snack-sized message.
Publications might similarly want to take peoples’ shortening attention spans into consideration. The standard length for content is shortening as people are losing their patience for long news pieces. There is still a demand for long form journalism, but it is becoming a niche market. Most users want their quick news fix. Once they get the gist of what they need to know, they’ll move on to the next story.
Sharing is caring
News sites allow readers to leave comments on articles, but that’s no longer enough. Social media users love sharing news stories and providing their followers with added value. The social feedback they trigger and the discussions they spark turn the whole thing into an interactive experience.
What can online publications do to encourage the sharing of news stories? What can they do to spark interactive discussions? Maybe what readers are seeking is just a little more guidance. Publications could offer readers articles to share for increased social engagement, or point out stories that are most talked about on social media. Features of that kind could make news less passive and more interactive for readers.
The online news publishing industry is bound to develop and progress. Much like a college grad that doesn’t know what they want to do in life, at some point it’ll find the courage to get out there. All we have to do is wait and see if the industry will follow the path of social media.
Disclosure: None.