Newspapers versus Software - a parallel for the Creative World to study
Jonathan Schwartz is at it again. Good thoughtful piece comparing the (old) print newspaper business with the online community-based user-generated-content world of information.
How does a print media company grapple with the threat of on-line media? If they’re not acquiring new media
properties, they’re attempting to add community engagement to the
on-line analogs of their printed publications (eg, opening comments on articles or newsfeeds). This isn’t always smooth,
but rather than fight the trend, most recognize that readers find
community content as or more interesting than corporate content (I, for
one, find the comments on my blog far more interesting than my blog).
Put simply, letters to the editor have become as valuable as the articles inspiring them.
And then he asks what this has to do with his industry, software?
And I would say the same. What has this to do with the creative services industry?
But the best way for us to do so is to embrace community content, not
litigate against it. Those that resist the transition to free media are
valuing their patent portfolios more highly than their customers. And
that’s not Sun’s business model.
And what has this to do with the industry that helps companies to sell their product? How can open, collaborative development of communications programmes help Mars, Unilever, Andrex, Kelloggs….
And what about the way you create your creative ideas…. more on this in the next post from a conversation with Dan Dimmock
Easy - take a look at the powerful arguments he makes for the Open Office programme and work it out for yourself.
[aside…. I love Dorset Cereals and entered a competition online just now on their site. No effort or energy yet put into building opportunities for DIALOGUE with customers. That is key to the application of Jonathan’s thesis to our industry.]