The op ep piece, Web putting readers in editor’s chair, on page 27 of the Australian Financial Review today (Apr. 30) is a half hearted catch up on the issues of blogging, citizen journalism, pressure from advertisers and disaggregation in mainstream media.
I’d provide a link to the story but as with pretty much everything on the AFR website you have to pay to access it. That alone says something about their connect with media changes.
Now isn’t that a bit hypocritical Mark complaining about the AFR forcing the public to pay to view articles. Every newsagent’s forum i.e VANA, ANF, NANA is closed to the general public & available only to members. I wonder why that is are you afraid that the public will be turned off by the constant whinging of newsagents or is that some postings could be defamatory.
Hi Bokke
My criticism of AFR would only be hypocritical if I was a participant in creating the closed forums to which you refer. I was not. The one discussion forum I created – newsagents@yahoogroups.com – is open to all.
It’s a stretch though to compare an association member forum to a newspaper. It could be argued that association members can have private discussions if they wish. That a newspaper locks away content on the topic of its future is ironic to me.
Mark
Mark,
You were a long term director of the ANF were you not, so you must bear some responsibility for that forum surely. Will the united newsagents forum be open to the public or closed to the public Mark?
The information on AFR is available to suscribers only it is not locked away they just charge a fee similar to what crikey.com.au does.
Once again what is the fear of the forums being opened to the public is it that the postings could be deemed defamtory / slanderous, is it that the postings are not factually correct or are you & your fellow newsagents afraid of having your postings viewed by the general public.
My point here is your blogs talk about the environment that newsagents operate in yet the public has no access to their thoughts only your views & opinions in your blogs. As your blogs seem to attract little or no comment I wanted to see the thoughts of newsagents but I am unable to do so.
Anyone can suscribe to AFR but as far as i am aware only a newsagent who pay his / her fees can access these members areas / newsagents forums.
Bokke you’re making the claim of forums being places of defamatory and slanderous comment. I’d say lose the paranoia. The forum modt widely used by newsagents is the newsagents group at yahoogroups and that’s open. The only organisation to take legal steps on postings there is the ANF – the newsagents own association. You’re welcome to join the newsagents group by emailing newsagents-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You’ll read diverse opinion there.
You need to consider the forums as a private place – like a company’s private intranet.