Navigating a new world needs a new map

Back in December the Bivings Group published a fantastic survey on “The Use of the Internet by American Newspapers”. The report surveyed the top 100 Newspapers, based on circulation, to determine how the industry was adapting to the shift from the printed word to the interactive delivery of news. T

On particular conclusion of the report struck a chord:

“…newspapers are trying to improve their web programs and experimenting with a variety of new features. However, having actually reviewed all these newspaper websites it is hard not to be left with the impression that the sites are being improved incrementally on the margins. Newspapers are focused on improving what they already have, when reinvention may be what is necessary in order for the industry to come out of the current crisis on the other side.” 

And there it is, the tires a spinning. The Newspaper industry knows it needs to change but for whatever reason they are having a difficult time affecting the change that will being about the revolution of thought that will allow them to maintain their deserved place at the forefront of the dissemination of information racket.

When you look at the changes that the Papers are making they all have to do with maintaining the a monopoly on their product, news/information content. In the survey we find that the 95% of the top 100 papers have RSS feeds, 92% offer social book marking, 93% provide their reporters with a blogging opportunities. On the flip side they have done little to enrich their user’s experience. 9% use a tagging taxonomy, 10% provide some form of social networking, 20% have Chat Options, and while 75% provide article comments most heavily regulate those comments.

The truth is the Newspaper industry is full of intelligent men and women and they are fully aware the print circulation has been on the downslope for the past fourteen years and that they need to embrace the world of social media but the question is can a mind steeped in the traditions of the Newspaper industry develop a strategy that can fully leverage everything the internet has to offer? Yes and No. The newspaper industry in just that an industry, made up of companies with share holders and boards full of directors, and what is needed right now is an entrepreneurial mindset. Through no fault of their own newspaper’s leadership navigating instincts are hard wired into traditional thoughts on circulation, advertising and distribution. They keep looking for ways to enhance their current offerings. They look to transfer the tangible success of print into the interactive world, often time simply mimicking the philosophies of USA Today in the interactive plane.

In adopting an entrepreneurial mindset communication companies will be able to rapidly, efficiently and cost effectively adapt to the needs of the new millennium information seeker. Newspapers will begin to understand that their success is dependent on the level of user engagement they offer their readers and the quality of thought in which they present content. Now is the time to become an aggregator of information that impacts your readers life, providing them with control over the information they receive and the opportunity to see, hear and read what they want, when they want, where they want.

Ultimately successful navigation of  the world of social media isn’t about social networking, blogging, or tweets its a mind set. Its about embracing the democratizing nature underlying the philosophies that lead to the rise of social media and allowing those ideas to permeate the entirety of your corporate culture.