Networking Sites and the Media

Facebook, Twitter, and even the less popular MySpace are not only social networks, but tools that media outlets are using to reach larger audiences and expand demographics. The American Journalism Review featured an article entitled Networking News by Arielle Emmett in the Dec 2008/Jan 2009 issue. Media companies are not only using the sites to spread stories and gain audiences, but also to get users to join their "fan communities" (such as groups and the use of fan pages). This allows more interaction between users and the companies, and friends of the users to see their activity and possibly start following that media company as well. Traditional media such as the newspaper or broadcast news only allow one way communication from the paper or station to the audience. With the exception of letters to the editor or calls to the news desk, there usually isn't a way for the audience to have a say in the disseminated news. But the influx of online interaction is causing a boom for traditional news. The New York Times online traffic grew from 14.6 million visitors in September 2007 to 20 million one year later according to Nielson Online. In what other medium with the current state of news would you see such growth?
One concern brought up in the article was the possibility of fragmenting the news industry even further with these networking/social sites. Although traditional news outlets can reach more people with the sites, how much loyalty is built with them? Brady of the washingtonpost.com suggests that columnists start their own social pages and fan communities to build loyalty and readership in the online communities. If users become attached to the writer or reporter as a person, then he/she might be more likely to follow their work and expand with more work with the entire company. I use Facebook for social purposes, but this article brought to my attention a completely different side of the networking sites. It seems that everyday a different aspect of the Internet changes the way we get our news. Channeling these sites to work for traditional outlets and maximizing advertising will be the next step in changing the news process as a whole.
In my own newsgathering process, I completed my first VO Patrol shift at KOMU last week. I came in with ideas for reporters but didn't have anything I thought would be good for myself. That was a mistake I hope to never make again. Having your own idea that interests you will make your writing and newsgathering process better. I drove to the capitol to cover a house bill that would take away the power of the governor to appoint certain positions, but would give the voting power to the people. At first I was very dubious of going to cover what seemed to me like a pretty complex topic for a very small time slot. I was also nervous about using the new cameras and making it back in time. I surprised myself by both adapting well to the new camera and being organized with my both my gathering and production processes. The thing I learned most from this experience is the importance of having your own story idea, regardless of how small your story is.