Stuffy Economist Magazine Experiments With Social Media
from the Sir, dept
One of the mistakes many companies make when trying to embrace social networking or social media is to think that they should just build their own version of MySpace, or clone of some other popular site. For various reasons, these attempts almost always end up as failures. Jane Galt, who writes for The Economist, points to a nice example of how her magazine is turning letters to the editor into a form of social media that makes sense for the publication. Basically, they've decided to publish, in the form of a blog, all of the letters they receive (excluding ones that are patently offensive). There's also a comments section for each one, so that the letters they receive don't just serve as static items, but as conversation starters. Already, within a few days of launching, plenty of people are commenting on each other's letters. It helps, of course, that The Economist has a rather intelligent readership, so there are plenty of good letters that they don't have space to publish in the print version. It's obviously not a radical step, but it's an interesting experiment that shows how publications should be thinking about social media.
Reader Comments (rss)
(Flattened / Threaded)
Brilliant idea... by The Cell Geek on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 5:06am
but shouldn't The Economist go further to service their stuffy audience?
They should have a search engine that matches readers to people with similar bow ties or turtle necks. Or dating service that matches people by their Mutual Funds.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Brilliant idea... by Dan on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 5:37am
That is not as brilliant as it sounds. The Economist is, in my opinion, one of the best publications around. I don't know of a better magazine to get global political news. There is a lot more there that high-brow articles and mutual fund stats. I wonder if you ever really read it? Maybe you enjoy your ignorance?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Old Media by Matt on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 6:59am
The Economist's site is pretty good by "old media" standards. In addition to the new letters to the editor section they have several blogs (although they're difficult to navigate to from the homepage) with open comment sections and a del.icio.us style tagging feature.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
stuff?!? by Deirdre' Straughan on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 7:16am
I've been reading The Economist for 15 years. "Stuffy" is not the word. The magazine is written with a wry and very British sense of humor. I suppose it requires a certain degree of intelligence to appreciate this.
It does seem to have an image problem, though. I once very happily bought a copy at Miami airport (it can be hard to find in the US) while on my way to somewhere else. As I was standing in line to pay for it, the woman behind me looked over my shoulder and gasped: "You actually read that?!?"
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: stuff?!? by Anonymous Coward on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 7:31am
The economist is neat. Even as they constantly reveal their unique worldview through their wit, the reporters have an old guard feel that makes me feel like they can offhandedly toss out articles with more journalistic integrity and objectivity than anyone else without even having to try. A novice is distracted by the surface level sarcasm. Beneath it is guys telling it like they see it.
Thats how I see it, anyway. It is a refreshing publication.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: stuff?!? by Vincent Clement on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 7:55am
It is one of the best publications. My wife got me a gift subscription as a Christmas present a few years back. One of the best presents I ever got.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Alert! by The Dukeman on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 8:29am
Note to any and all media companies out there: This is an example of using your web site properly. It enhances the user experience and gives your site real value. Pay attention!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
The Colonist by dorpus on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 8:48am
I don't know, I find many of their articles about the US and Japan to be misinformed. It reads like the perspective of a European who thinks he's smart.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
by doubledoh on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 9:03am
The economist is, and probably always will be my favourite magazine. It's nice to see that they are keeping with the times by including more readers in the presentation, but I suspect that its chief successes will always lie with its sharp team of staff writers.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
A Good Idea by Erik on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 11:06am
The Economist is very well written and incredibly info-dense. I always get some unique and usable perspective when I find the time to read an issue or part of one.
The idea of converting letters to the editor into the foundation for a community is inspired.
I would, however, be interested in reading a blog of the offensive letters to the editor by the moonbat nutters. I need more comedy blogs to enjoy.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Thanks Joe! by Bumbling old fool on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 12:45pm
I just ordered my 4 trial copies.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
iMPROVE PARTICIPATION by |333173|3|_||3 on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 6:30pm
using a blog-like structure would improve participation, since readers can follow complex threads more easily. Also, it allows people to post quick comments and add-ons more easily than using a print-only letters page.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
What do the Economist's journalists read? by Thoughtful on Feb 12th, 2007 @ 8:41pm
I like the Economist; the writing is terse, funny, pithy and accurate.
They identify trends years before others notice.
They select the important numbers and create wonderful graphs and tables
to show complex ideas clearly.
My own quote is:-
"Other journalists read the Economist.
What do the Economist's journalists read?"
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Reading behind The Economist by andrea on Feb 13th, 2007 @ 5:50am
"Other journalists read the Economist.
What do the Economist's journalists read?"
They read news articles from other sources!
If I'd known the newspaper's website was going to get all bloggy on me, I would have kept my online research notes when I worked there (not a writer, a research assistant) to show you!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Add Your Comment