Welcome to the Escape Blog

One of the key arguments in the whole blogger v journalist debate is the role of investigative journalism.  The key viewpoint is that whilst ‘anyone’ can report news or give their personal opinions (read: bloggers), upholding traditional media is vital because of the investigative story gathering that goes on. We need journalists to ask the questions on behalf of the public. To expose corruption and root out deception.

So it was interesting today to read that America’s best-known political (professional) blog, The Huffington Post, is to launch “The Huffington Post Investigative Fund”:

“The Huffington Post Investigative Fund, headquartered in Washington, DC, will produce a broad range of investigative journalism created by both staff reporters and freelance writers, with a focus on working with the many experienced reporters and writers impacted by the economic contraction. The pieces will range from long-form investigations to short breaking news stories and will be presented in a variety of media — including text, audio and video — and will be free for any media outlet to publish simultaneously. The Huffington Post Investigative Fund will have an initial budget of $1.75 million.”

It’s a noble effort and, in my mind, further blurs the boundaries between professional journalists or media organisations and (professional) bloggers or blogs.

At the same time, in an article in the Observer on Sunday, Nick Cohen has argued that the BBC is neglecting aspects of its output that in the past has made it great and has the potential to for many years to come. He argues that the BBC needs to rely on producing content that no one else can, rather than merely pandering to the news agenda set by the (tabloid) press:

“The corporation should be becoming the most important news institution not merely in Britain but the world… The paradox of the BBC’s strategy is that the more it spends on expanding into cyberspace the less it has to say… No rival can fill the gaps if the BBC pulls back from comprehensive reliable reporting. Soon, if its camera crews do not go to Nigeria, no one else’s will.”

I’m not really qualified to judge whether his comments on the BBC are justified (and Richard Sambrook has issued a rebuttal piece on his own personal blog).

But the comments are interesting nonetheless. We all know that content is key. Get the content right and you have something valuable. This was the case in the offline world, and it is the same online.

Newspapers or newspaper organisations know this better than most. No surprise then that the Guardian has opened its content up to the Web (with advertising attached, of course). The Guardian has realised the inherent value its content has and has realised that the value is not just limited to its own website. It’s a bold, but clever move.

I agree with Cohen that the BBC should be best placed to tackle the ‘online challenge’. And surely investigative journalism lies at the heart of this. The old adage rings true – this isn’t something that bloggers can easily replicate on a regular basis. And yet, traditional media does miss things. Social media in 2009 is coming into its own.

It’s easy for news organisations to panic. But the solution is clear; stick to what you are good at. Retain value and keep producing great content. it might not be enough, but it’s a start.

The Sun website has leapfrogged both Guardian.co.uk and Telegraph.co.uk to top the monthly ABCe figures for the first time.  The Sun received 27.3 million unique users during February, up about 25 per cent on January 09. Two million more than the Guardian.

The Guardian has put this down to a number of big stories for the outlet including the diagnosis of Jade Goody and the Alfie Patten exclusive.

The Sun’s editor Pete Picton argues that a combination of social media (using Digg buttons for example) combined with the site’s December redesign has improved usabilty and the popularity of the site.

As everyone knows, traffic isn’t everything online, but it certainly helps!

picture credit

Today O2 has boldy proclaimed that Twitter is being increasingly used by SMEs and is becoming an incredibly beneficial tool for them.

And (somehow) through a survey of only 500 businesses, O2 managed to (guess?) estimate that 700,000 small businesses are using Twitter for commercial purposes.

These numbers are as hard to refute as they are to create, but I guess it shows (again) that Twitter, and it use in business, is here to stay.

Twitter gives brands and businesses unparalleled visibility into what their clients or customers are thinking. But how should it be used? There are no rules or conventions; the technology is too young.

Whilst I am all for businesses trying to experiement and engage through social media, it has to be approached with caution.

And this is the main problem I have with O2’s ‘research’. The businesses who are saving £5,000 using Twitter will have well thought-out social media strategies.

Twitter has great potential for brands (Dell claims to have made $1M through the service), but using it for financial gain takes time, thought and care.

One of great things about technology is that it never stands still. There is always something new, something different to try out. Some make it, others don’t.

One new shiny piece of tech that seems set to become the new darling of the industry is music service Spotify.

If you have tried it already here is a brief catch-up:

- Spotify is an application that you download to either Mac or PC (iPhone et. al. rumoured to be along soon)

- It allows you to instantly stream specific tracks or albums (a bit like Last.fm) for free, from its fairly big (and growing) library

- You can’t download the music but you can set up playlists and share these (and/or individual tracks) with friends, family and colleagues

Its like the iTunes store, but free (and without the ability to transfer to portable devices, yet). The only catch? Every 20 minutes it plays you a short advert. It’s like radio but with less ads and only with the tracks you want/choose.

A Swedish startup, the service is only available in western Europe (which is probably why publicity has been slightly slower), but expect other countries to be included soon (although royalty deals etc. make this process complicated).

Spotify makes money through the adverts and through it premium, no-ad version at £9.99 per month.

A new music model

Spotify heralds in a new way for consumption of music and media (in an interview on Channel 4 this weekend, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, suggested that streaming films in the same way was not out of the question). This advertising-supported model is obviously not new, and Ek has been quick to say that he feels the service is complementary rather than competitive with services like iTunes.

Time will tell.

For me, Spotify’s success is down to the fact that it is so easy to use. Peer-to-peer services have always been available, but they have been cumbersome (and illegal) and this has limited adoption.

It just goes to show, when technology is easy-to-use and fulfils a need or desire, you have a winning formula.

picture credit