For some absurd reason, I’ve come to root for them lately.. I actually think they might make it.

cheers
d. :-)

I appreciate their attitude (although they _have_ used WA before to do some of the things on their list – at least in my part of the world).
But they fail on creating KPIs and a consistent incentives system (see the last two points of their list).

so long
nic

It’s fun you bring that up (the definition of ‘News’), as I’ve had a ton of constructive discussion about this lately. I do agree that the most common understanding of ‘News’ (especially for a publication called BusinessWeek) is a report of recent events. We can then debate the interpretation of ‘recent’, but for a lot of publications that might actually be e.g. 24 hours. Correspondingly, I believe it is fair to think of ‘News’ as a presentation of previously unknown events or even an event which impact or influence the status quo. So I am actually ‘OK’ with the article in BW.

However; I think you indirectly bring up a valid question, which is, whether Aol is a News or Content creation organization and whether those two differ today?

I most certainly agree that you CANT run a news organization on Web Analytics alone! I do think though, that it could be a tad more data driven.

This is an exciting debate – and I really appreciate you expert input. Thanks.

Cheers
d. :-)

I think any organisation should be datadriven, but that does not mean you should drive business just on what the system tells you. In the end it should be the customer you want to please. Webanalytics is an excellent way to discover something about the needs of your customer, but definitely not the only way.

And I will have to remember to take you up on that mojito idea ;)

-Jen

There is nothing better than a rant, I see it as input from people who actually give a damn! I certainly agree that there is a dilemma in presenting current news and optimize for a better business output. But I find it inconceivable that a set human driven decisions should drive the most relevant educated niche content that Jen likes – at all times. There MUST be room in that previous statement for optimization. :-)

I don’t think Tim (and BusinessWeek) necessarily articulated the data driven news room the best possible way, as you are absolutely right about optimization on traffic influx without constraints is suboptimal, to the point of being damaging. I still applaud them for coming out the closet and say DATA (because to most journalist’s that translates to boogieman)

AND as I really care about this subject as well, we should probably upgrade that Turkish coffee to a Mojito at nearest Emetrics, and talk about how wonderful a life we have without Cable.

Great input Jen. Thanks!!

Cheers
d. :-)

PLUS I don’t care about the stuff I don’t know about yet. How am I going to find out about the things I don’t already know about? I guess I don’t go to the internet looking for that? Because I go to a search engine and I darn well better know what term I’m going to type in that box? Hmm. I don’t know. (I am totally with you on being interested in the future of publishing – can you tell? ;) )

Another thing – right now, I am relying on this guy Dennis Mortensen to point me to things that I should read. But there has to be a way for me to get information that is curated by someone not in my social network, right? Maybe? And that doesn’t require me to have 1200 feeds in my RSS reader and follow 500 people on Twitter? Maybe I am asking too much? Is that not the role of news as well?

Oh, full disclosure – I don’t read the news, nor do I watch television news. Because separating the wheat from the chaff from the sensationalist drivel is just far too much for me. At least in my social networks I have only wheat and chaff.

Wow, that was maybe too ranty – sorry! I really am passionate about this stuff. Thanks for the post! No more Turkish coffee at lunch for me! ;)

-Jen