WSJ’s Kara Swisher joins the conversation, how will traditional media adopt the live web?
I’m becoming a fan of Kara Swisher, who writes Boomtown. She’s a case study of how traditional newspapers (Wall Street Journal) have embraced social media. I see a lot of other newspapers who use blogs and podcasts and rss, yet they don’t really engage and be part of the experience of social media –they just report on it. It’s more than being an embedded reporter, she’s interacting with the ecosystem, I’ve been noticing this more and more.
Kara’s blog posts are punchy and stir up the issues, her videos irreverent, she keeps them fast, brings us the experience and pushes her interviewers with challenging, and sometimes almost leading questions. In many ways she’s picking up on Scoble’s beat, by bringing a first person human look to the industry.
I’d be interesting to see how other large newspapers (who are having a hard time staying relevant from the internet and the changes it’s brought) adopt and try to learn from her. Likely there will be some Kara copy cats, but I think she’ll innovate.
8 Comments so far
Leave a reply
Welcome to the Kara Swisher fan club. My question: Kara’s beat gives her a natural affinity to live web and social media. She covers it. She should be using it. But how easily will Journalists on non-tech subjects adopt these tools?
First question is: Should they?
Kara may be a special case, assigned not only to be ‘embedded’ but to also use the tools and be part of the experience.
Either way, she’s doing it right and others will copy.
Part 2: I wonder how ‘engaged’ she really is, let’s see how long it takes her to respond and leave a comment
Engaged? I am committed!
How long? Give me a real challenge, boys!
BTW, no one “assigned” me! I assigned myself!
That’s how we innovators operate.
And Scoble is my anti-hero! (See my videos; in the last episode, he was very naughty to BoomTown.)
Nice, Kara
I knew you’d be here. Robert naughty? now I need to see that video.
Good stuff.
Kara fits right in — look how well — Scoble-like– she pats herself on the back ; >
[…] all pushing new changes that will have ripple effects in the new media communication and culture. The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers like the Washington Post and the Politico (YouTube) have been making steady […]