Does Newser really have all the news You need?
Media aggregation web sites are popping up everywhere, from those that promise to give you everything cool in Chicago to sites like Newser.com who say they have everything you need to know about news.
Newser’s motto is read less and know more. Its founder, Michael Wolff says the purpose of the site is to be a one-stop shop for news, and even better in “2 paragraphs or less.”
I like the idea, but I don’t know if I like Wolff. I think people are more likely to follow news aggregation sites, whose creators are like them. I doubt Wolff and I have the same interests or idea of what a good news story is.
Although some may find the main page confusing or unusual, I think its pictures and block-style format make for an easier and quicker read.
I think Wolff is really doing a disservice by saying he only has about 2 paragraphs for each story, when really each story has a lot of information.
Take for example Obama’s state of the union address, Newser has more than 12 stories on the speech and each story leads you to several other stories. Each story is very easy to navigate to, and really has me convinced to at least try using Newser for a few weeks.
For me, it is more about habit. Every morning I turn on the TV and use my news aggregator … NBC. I half way listen to what NBC thinks are the most relevant stories for me to know about while I am getting ready or working out. I like that I don’t have to click, search and best of all I don’t have to sit still and the TV just keeps on going.
Publications are going after news/media aggregators and Wolff addresses this in a CNBC interview, and I think he’s right.
The consumer wins and it is going to be difficult for publications like the N.Y. Times to charge for online subscriptions. It may simply be too late after several years of free service.
Although publications may not be able to charge, Daniel Lyons hopes at least they can find a way to stop aggregators from copying their stories or linking to them. His idea is to create some sort of software that blocks aggregators.
I think we are all too used to getting information for free online, we pay for the internet and everything online is at “our fingertips.” Not at our fingertips only if we pay for a subscription.
Filed under: Homework | Leave a Comment
Tags: aggregator, Daniel Lyons, michael wolff, N.Y. Times, New York Times, news aggregator, newser, newser.com, subscription
No Responses Yet to “Does Newser really have all the news You need?”