Web 2.0 meets USA Today: Citizen journalism for the masses
UPDATE: Web 2.0: Are Cisco, News Corp., Viacom, Gannett really clueless?
From the editors of USA Today: "We have redesigned USAToday.com, but more important, we are expanding our editorial mission."
HOW? By asking YOU to “Add YOUR voice to our coverage.”
USAToday.com solicits “engage our website in whole new ways”:
What’s everyone talking about?
Interested in what your fellow readers are following? When scanning headlines, you can quickly flip the stories to see which are the most popular. It’s a great way to keep up with the latest water cooler chatter.
Join the conversation
We’re strong believers that our stories are the beginnings of a conversation, not the last word. That’s why we’re excited to add comments to every story page. Now when you read an article on USAToday.com, you can see what others are thinking and join the conversation yourself. We feature the most interesting comments at the top of our main pages.
Recommended
Sometimes you’ll come across a story that you want others to know about. That’s what our new “Recommend” button is for. A quick click and you can vote for a story you think others should pay attention to. Then as you surf the site, you’ll see which other stories your fellow readers want you to check out. It’s never been easier to see what everyone is reading.
Shutter speed
You’re not just a reader of news. You’re also a news observer and a news maker. So we’re going to be asking you to send us your photos. Whether its photos of dazzling thunderstorms or the latest breaking news, you can be part of covering the story.
Community center
As you contribute to USAToday.com, you’ll also want to know more about how others are contributing. Our new community blog, “Community Center,” will keep you informed of the latest and greatest comments, user-submitted photos, requests for help with stories, and more. Think of it as gossip that won’t get you into trouble.
Why is USA Today doing all in its power to “connect” readers with other readers “who can contribute to their understanding of events”?
It is a mission recast for an era in which readers are inundated with information, have little allegiance to a single news source, struggle to assess the credibility of what they read and have the capacity to share their own insights with a wide audience.
In other Web 2.0 words, if YOU (feel like) YOU are in control at USAToday.com, YOU may pledge YOUR allegiance to the USA (Today).
ALSO: Andreessen vs. Cisco: Web 2.0 platform competition heats up and Web 2.0 one minute Social Network: Does size matter? and Web 2.0 Social Networks: Cool but marginal and unprofitable?