Repurposing Content

One of the common strategies that comes up in regards to newspapers on the internet is that of re purposing content. The notion is the content currently produced for the newspaper can easily be placed into the new channel of the internet and it is all upside. This is an idea which I believe to be quite false and misguided.

The notion they should strive for is channel appropriate. The idioms and expectations of the various media are quite different. No one would take a TV news report's script and reprint it verbatim in the newspaper, but we just get the newspaper reprinted on the web.

There's a tone to a newspaper article. It is that of a definitive source. It will include all of the basics: Who, What, Where, How and Why. There is no reason to engage in a conversation about it, since most everything is right there. Loose ends are very bad, and opinion and bias are strongly discouraged.

Most good internet publishing is very different. It often uses one or more definitive sources. Links are often provided to the original source. It may not be complete. It may not pretend to know everything, so it invites conversation and comments. Loose ends are fine, since someone else may come along and tie them up. Opinion and bias rule the day. Personality is very important. Snark and sarcasm is frequent.

Certainly there are plenty of serious news sources out there on the internet, but I'll argue that the best "brands" in the space use a lot of what's in the previous paragraph.

To write for the internet "properly" takes resources. Like many of the commuter papers, it might be possible to edit the main news into the proper voice, but it takes people to do that.

There are signs of life here. CNN has tried posting bullet points for its stories to increase the speed of information and utility. Numerous newspapers have tried getting columnists and others to blog so they can take part in this. One of the most interesting recent endeavors is McClatchy's Star-Telegram in Fort Worth's effort at producing a young and humorous video called dafowo show (Short for Dallas-Fort Worth).

It's my opinion that the best efforts will have brands of their own. This may best emanate from commuter papers like Red Eye, or in entertainment portals. The url alone (http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/) of red eye should show that most papers don't agree. I believe that the best will use the resources of the paper to promote, but won't be too closely tied to the old guard's brand.