Allison's Blog
Ta Kala DiokomenArchive for April, 2010
Distribution: From Past to Present
Long ago, there was a time when a hardcopy newspaper was one’s only way to get the news. This lone distribution channel has grown exponentially through the addition of the radio, television, and finally, the Internet.
The contribution that the Internet has made to the distribution of news is not limited to websites. Rather, it has created a seemingly endless amount of outlets when it comes to how people consume news. This gives Internet users the ability to take their publication of choice, and receive their news from it, in a countless number of ways.
Take, for example, the New York Times. One of the most widely read news publications in the country, the NYT owes at least some of its success to the sheer number of distribution channels it offers.
The publication’s website is constantly updated to offer the bulk of the content of each day’s National paper. Like many other publications, the NYT is also available via RSS feed, Podcasts, Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. But this is only the beginning.
The rise of email is just one example. The NYT online offers a mailing list, in which users receive emails with “Today’s Headlines” each morning. The content of these is made available in either a text only or graphics (HTML) format.
With smart phones all the rage, the NYT has responded with the NYTimes mobile Web site, which can be accessed through a smart phone’s Web browser. In addition, programs have been developed for certain specific devices, like the Blackberry, Android, and Palm Pre. These are advertised to optimize content viewing, even more so than the mobile site.
Times Reader 2.0
About a year ago, the NYT introduced Times Reader 2.0, which they describe as “a downloadable software application offering a digital experience of The Times that’s very much like reading the printed newspaper.” The software, powered by Adobe AIR, is available to those using Windows, Mac OS, or even Linux and “…gives you everything you’d expect from the New York Times in print, delivered to your computer in less than a minute.”
Another application, specially made for newspaper lovers, is Times Skimmer. Unlike Times Reader, this is browser based, and “provides the experience of spreading out a newspaper and paging through it.”
Times Skimmer
Most recently, they have come out with the NYTimes Editors’ Choice application, specifically designed for Apple’s new Ipad.
Users can choose to use any…or even all of these channels. Personally, I access the NYT from my Blackberry, on Twitter, via RSS, and by picking up a good, old fashioned paper. In the end, times change and preferences vary, but whether you choose a paper or an Ipad, the advancement of the internet, coupled with publications like the New York Times, will continue moving us forward into the future.
The NYT: What it’s Done and Where it’s Going
The New York Times has recently been the subject of scrutiny, after it was announced that a metered pay plan would soon be applied to its online content. As of right now, registration to the NYT online is still free of charge, giving users access to most areas of the website. However, fees are required for the site’s Premium Archive, Premium Crosswords, and Times Reader features.
The website, like those of most online news publications, is constantly being updated, keeping readers aware of the very latest breaking news. Much of the site’s content is drawn from its printed publication. Each night, the national edition of the next morning’s newspaper is uploaded. This content will later be accessible online via article archives, which contain stories dating back to 1851 (those dating back to 1987 are free…older articles require fees). However, in a disclaimer, the NYT explains that they “cannot guarantee that every article from every edition will appear on the Web site. Features that are unavailable via the website include the auction sales and merchandise offerings from the Classified section and the business opportunities portion of the Sunday Business Section.
In addition to this content, the NYT boasts of many other “web exclusives.” These can be as simple as daily emails of major headlines, or as interactive as their newest feature, the publication’s own social network. Known as TimesPeople, it is described as “a great way to discover things on NYTimes.com that you might not otherwise have found and to share your discoveries with other NYTimes.com readers.” Essentially, the network is an outlet for users to exchange NYT content, ranging anywhere from articles to videos to blog posts to movie ratings.
Finally for those of us hoping to carry the newspaper format into the future, the NYT has introduced (in addition to its electronic edition) Times Skimmer, a browser based application that “provides the experience of spreading out a newspaper and paging through it.”
It is clear that in its “web exclusives” the NYT is ahead of the game…but what remains to be seen is whether this will be enough to keep users coming back, even when they have to pay to do so.
NYT and Photography
Before I even set out to explore the New York Times’ use of photography, I was already well aware of how important this particular element was to the publication. Growing up in New York and witnessing how the NYT photographers captured the news there was enough to ensure this, at least for me.
When navigating through the photo content of the NYT Online, it becomes clear that the creators of the website sought to remind viewers of this fact. The photographs are specifically organized among assorted slideshows and categories. These vary in size and specifics, from photo-essays, to slideshows of The Day in Photos. Beyond this, there are overall annual slideshows (like 2009: The Year in Pictures- a collection of the most gripping and poignant photographs of 2009, as selected by the editors of the New York Times) There is even an option to go further beyond this, through, Documenting the Decade in which, “readers submitted photos and their recollections of important moments from the last 10 years, documenting events including the Sept. 11 attacks, the space shuttle Columbia disaster, the war in Iraq, the Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 and 2008 elections and the recession.”
NYT photography is also available via Lens, the website’s photography blog. According to its description, the blog presents “…the finest and most interesting visual and multimedia reporting.” Users who have a particular interest in the subject can subscribe to Lens via RSS feed or even follow the blog on Facebook and Twitter. In its short time in existence, features like these have attracted a great deal of participation to the blog. Its founders thank readers for this, saying, “To say that we are gratefully astonished by your participation and your enthusiasm and your patience would be an understatement. Thank you.”
The presentation of photography in this way is not without its faults though, and readers work to make sure the people at the NYT are aware of that. Common complaints have included illegible photo comments, the animated gallery display, lack of a mailing list, and general navigating. However, perhaps the greatest accomplishment of the NYT is the speed at which they have responded to their feedback, both positive and negative. It is that, in itself, that reminds us why online journalism in general, has grown so much.
