Buckland

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[ Blogging ] A publisher’s perspective Matthew Buckland | Publisher: M&G Online E-mail: matt@mg.co.za Blog: http://blogspot.mg.co.za/?q=blog/2 Column: http://www.mg.co.za/netsavvy

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Revenues via paid content and online advertising As a commercial publisher we instinctively want to guard our content All M&G Online blogging content under Creative Commons licence ;-)

[ Blogs the phenomenon ]: 

[ Blogs the phenomenon ] -- SOURCE: Perseus, US web consultants via AFP

[ South Africa blogs ]: 

[ South Africa blogs ]

[ Our blog service ]: 

[ Our blog service ]

Our blog service: 

Our blog service Simple & clean design Offers very basic content management Hybrid of a forum & blog: community feel of a forum, but ownership of a blog (Still trying to work out what that means) Looks like a forum, but the essential difference is users own the threads (forum, there is no ownership of thread) It’s a work in progress…

[ Blogging phenomenon ]: 

[ Blogging phenomenon ] The blog phenomenon is blurring boundaries and shaking up online publishing environment. Caused us as publishers to ask many questions about role of online publisher… FOR PUBLISHERS:

[ Key issues ]: 

[ Key issues ] Editorial & legal issues Is blogging journalism? Same status? Is blogging a threat to “traditional” publishing? Should we be blogging? (Service similar to an ISP) M&G Online columnists who blog - how do we approach this? Should there be moderation of the blog? (EG:) What is my legal liability? The publisher or the blogger? What are the copyright implications? Who owns what? What if blogs compete with my stories? Should our brand be on the blogs or not? How do you ensure quality? ???? Unfortunately, I have more questions than answers ???? ????

[ Journalism & blogging ]: 

[ Journalism & blogging ] …so is blogging journalism? “Blogs are a revolution, the revenge of the amateurs.” --- Loic Le Meur, vice president of California-based web editor Six Apart

[ Journalism & blogging ]: 

[ Journalism & blogging ] Raised questions about “What is Journalism?” Narrow definition of journalism: skeptical - blogging mostly NOT journalism Similarity to “The New Journalism” Blogs do resemble columns and opinion writing; but not reporting It CAN be journalism, but mostly isn’t journalism Blogging something different: different discipline & information form, providing different experience WHY? Different rules and standards: Balance, objectivity, multiple sources, motivation of sources, fair comment, accuracy checks, goes through editor Too informal: No standardised ethics; professional body/codes; lack of consequences No training (formal or informal) for bloggers Informal attempts by bloggers to create codes (cyberjournalist.net), but blogging still young so maybe this will change? US court case: Blogger refused same protection as journalist to protect source Overlap: Some bloggers act as journalists, some don’t. Some see themselves as journalists, some don’t

[ Blogging a threat? ]: 

[ Blogging a threat? ] Some say blogging will replace “traditional” media… unlikely Not a threat in fact it is popularising the internet and online publishing Blogs enhance online publishing and influence way journalists write and vice versa Serves an important watchdog function on traditional media (eg: Dan Rather incident) It’s a good source of stories (eg: amateur tsunami footage on blog networks) Journalists can learn from bloggers: Get news out faster News a conversation between readers & journalist; readers & other readers More personality in news (bloggers personality shines through writing and there is closer relationship with the reader) Blogs have a more direct and spontaneous tone Publishers should embrace the blogging revolution

[ Should we be blogging? ]: 

[ Should we be blogging? ] Why should a publisher get involved in blogging? Young people "want their news on demand, when it works for them. They want control over their media, instead of being controlled by it. They want to question, to probe, to offer a different angle…" “…unless we awaken to these changes, and adapt quickly, we will as an industry, be relegated to the status of also-rans, or worse, many of us will disappear altogether.“ -- Rupert Murdoch to the American Society of Newspaper Editors

[ Should we be blogging? ]: 

[ Should we be blogging? ] Why do we, a publisher, like blogging? Empower users: add voice to M&G Online news & editorial: Bloggers have pointed out mistakes in articles Intelligent debate and better writing (compared to discussion forums) Ensure diversity of challenging opinion and views Publishing accessible to all -– probably the most accessible form of publishing on the net Encourage loyalty and community Extra content, virtually for free Quite simply we, as publishers, want a slice of the action

[ Legal issues ]: 

[ Legal issues ] Blog service is a legal headache; held back many publishers from doing this Many issues have been untested in law and will likely still undergo a test in court Via the blog service we are theoretically transferring power and responsibility from publisher to individual users: User must take responsibility for defamation and copyright. After all it is their blog As a publisher we have a duty to educate users/bloggers on rules of publishing such as defamation and copyright Copyright: Bloggers regularly post articles from competing sites in their blogs, but under our brand -- who is really responsible here? Same with Defamation/libel. ISP or publisher? In the blog space, we are acting more like an ISP than a publisher We are facilitators of content in the blog space rather than publishers of edited content Will we get the same legal protection as an ISP as content facilitators via the ECT Act? (Our lawyers are looking into this) BUT Unlike ISP, we still brand our content we are facilitating and we are not a registered ISP brave, mad or stupid?

[ The future ]: 

[ The future ] “Like every revolution, 'blogging' is overhyped on the way up, overscorned on the way down, and settles into the middle realm of reality.“ -- USA Today columnist Walter Shapiro

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Thank you

[ Sources & reading ]: 

[ Sources & reading ] Rupert Murdoch, the full speech on Newscorp: http://www.newscorp.com/news/news_247.html Poynter Online (http://www.poynter.org) What journalists can learn from bloggers http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=75383 What bloggers can learn from journalists: http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=75383 We the Media, Grassroots journalism for by the people, for the people. By Dan Gillmor (O’Reilly) Fools Rush In. The AOL Time Warner Saga. By Nina Munk Cyberjournalist.net http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/000215.php Wired.com (selected articles) The Blogging Revolution: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.05/mustread.html?pg=2 Blah, blah blog: http://wired-vig.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,50443,00.html Blogging goes Legit, sort of: http://wired-vig.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,52992,00.html The New Old Journalism: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,67366,00.html