1. New Media Technologies: Social Media and News
COM 300
Kathy E. Gill
11 February 2008

2. Agenda More On Open Source Online News, Blogs, Podcasts
Discussion Leaders & Small Group Discussion

3. EC: GNU Project (1/3) Start of open source philosophy (1985)
“The word `free’ in `free software’ pertains to freedom, not price” … think free speech, not free beer!
Four principles … Freedom to:
Use the program as you wish
Adapt the program
Distribute copies to help your neighbor
Improve the program and share it with the public to benefit the entire community

4. EC: GNU Project (2/3)
Technologists used their social networks to develop new software … by using communication (technology) networks
Subsequently … Linux, Apache, TCP/IP, SMTP …
Important: this internet infrastructure was not mandated by a “government”

5. EC: GNU Project (3/3)
Arguably provided foundational philosophy of the web (and TBL actively arguing against a patent for HTML)
Mid 90s battle between open & proprietary software; Microsoft won the battle but lost the war

6. Online News : Overview
Repurposing electrons from print to new media is a business decision
Fewer papers have adopted blogs than RSS
Social system disconnect?
Not enough time?
Syndication is an integral part of social system

7. What Is RSS?
Rich Site Summary, Really Simple Syndication, RDF Site Summary
XML (10 years old yesterday!) document that facilitates content syndication
This “feed” contains structured data
Transformed to information by RSS reader
Ease of syndication, low cost

8. RSS Development Timeline
March 1999
Netscape
RSS 0.90
July 1999
RSS 0.91
June 2000
Userland
Late 2002
RSS-Dev Working Group
RSS 1.0
January 2003
RSS 2.0.1

9. Online News RSS Adoption
Apr 2002
New York Times (limited to Userland)
RSS 0.91
Oct 2002
Christian Science Monitor
25, RSS 1.0
Mar 2004
Washington Post
125, RSS 2.0
Apr 2006
150, RSS 2.0
Seattle Times
47, RSS 2.0
Apr 2007
54, RSS 2.0
New York Times
101, RSS 2.0

10. Editorial Decision
2005 research: not a technological decision -> in 3 of 15 markets, papers are co-managed, yet RSS feeds differed
Philadelphia Inquirer (16); Daily News (2)
Detroit News (35); Free Press (1)
Seattle Times (45); P-I (27)

11. Why Rapid Adoption? Syndication in line with culture
Business model is evolving
How to reverse loss in readers?
How to generate online revenue?
Lots of RSS Sub Options (WaPo)
Recognition of growth of blogosphere, driving readers
“Pay to read” barriers (WSJ v CSM v NYT)

12. Other Techniques … … to reverse loss of eyeballs
“Digg This” (Michelle Malkin)
“Newsvine” link (SeaTimes)
“Facebook” link (NYT)
Most ed/read (BBC)
How to bypass log in requirements
BugMeNot
Search GoogleNews

13. What is Journalism?
Journalism is “our day book, our collective diary, which records our common life. That which goes unrecorded goes unpreserved … The creation and preservation of collective memory…” is the practice of journalism.
- James W. Carey, Columbia University
In practice this has been mediated by editors … and has functioned in a one-to-many communication model for centuries.

14. What Is Citizen Journalism?
Why not just call journalism “journalism” — a word the citizens, amateurs, networks, distributors and professionals can understand? Journalism can be “practiced” in all sorts of ways, and by virtually anyone. You don’t even have to be a citizen or a professional; you could be a foreigner, or even an alien from outer space…journalism is not some exclusive club; it’s something that takes many forms… Max Kalehoff, Nielsen BuzzMetrics

15. Participatory Journalism
Characterized by expanded two-way communication between media and readers.
With blogging, reader becomes author and author (journalist) becomes reader, ending the one-to-many model of communication.
Talk radio was the first modern medium to move towards interactive or participatory journalism.

16. Shaping the News Hole Trent Lott story (2002) LA Times (2004)
Covered by only one reporter following event
Kept alive by bloggers - liberal and conservative
LA Times (2004)
Supreme Justices Scalia v Ginsburg
Dan Rather (2004)
Colbert’s monologue Press Club Dinner (2006)
Josh Marshall – AttorneyGate (2007)
Trent Lott -- see Harvard - JFK School of Government Case Study
Slashdot reader spotted Getty Images photo on ad for XP on MSFT site - AP reporter followed up, got the scoop. MSFT abandoned the proposed campaign.
Patterico, anonymous blogger critiques the LA Times. Scalia - front page about conflict of interest a la Cheney. Patterico -> Ginsburg/NOW. LA Times printed Page One story. Dan Gillmore, Ch 6

17. Other Examples Microsoft “switch” campaign (2002)
LonelyGirl15 actress outed through collaborative action (2006)
VT Shooting (2007)
Obama 1984 Ad (2007)

18. Podcasts Audio file + RSS = Podcast
Not just iPod, it’s just that iPod created a broad audience
Incredibly fast adoption
Entered Oxford English Dictionary in 2005
Started in 2004 by Adam Curry (see Wikipedia on trademark challenge)

19. Videocasts & YouTube Robert Murdoch buys MySpace Google buys YouTube
Music distribution
Google buys YouTube
Army launched YouTube Channel, “cracks down on” soldier blogs (E&P, 2 May 2007)

20. Two BIG Points Bottom Line Impact - Classifieds
Craigs List
eBay
Bottom Line Impact - TV Ads
Hence the commercial before watching a TV clip on line
Hence the angst over YouTube (et al)
Copyright
The ease of the remix

21. Summary
Blogging (and social networks) technology is having a profound impact on Web content and established media business models
Neither news nor politics will be the same
Next week: spotlight on politics

22. Resources
Gill, KE (2004). How can we measure the influence of the blogosphere. WWW2004, New York, NY USA.
Gill, KE (2005). Blogging, RSS and the information landscape, a look at online news. WWW2006, Chiba Japan.