Who are ‘they’?

Is the news media ready for web 2.0? In a perfect Web 2.0 world we should be able to get word from the proverbial horse’s mouth. It’s a grand concept, that we can have the latests news as it happens from the people that were involved, but there are also some issues with content aggregated like this.

There is a large group of users among the general public that argues some thing must be true (or factually correct) since they read it on the Internet. I’ve had long debates with people saying something like ‘They said this, and they said that.” It’s something that’s been happening long before the Internet, but with the ease of publishing to the Net, it’s a great cloud out there (as my lecturer first explained it to me) and for the leeks among us sometimes low, foggy clouds.

Who are they?

Are they experts? Are they the advertising media (conceptually glorifying their portfolio of brands). Have they got an E-Book (does that automatically qualify then as an expert)? The point I’m trying to make is that I’m not sure whether the news media is ready to go Web 2.0 with regards to user generated content. I do however think that there could be some synergy around the concept. The problem is how valid the information is. With a proper moderation process, who knows?

In the end, usable content will prevail. If readers find it interesting and captive, they will reward it with good review. If it’s a controversial topic, the advantages of interactivity online will help people to voice their opinion and in the end, users can make their own conclusions. There I think lays the advantage. Should it be governed? Probably, if a news channel wants to claim it as ‘official news or content’. Or if they label it as off-beat news (like Ananova likes to do), it could well be a great drawing card for readers.

It will be interesting to see where this goes in the future and how content on the web will be rated as fact or fiction.

I say tomatoe, you say tomatoe

Is real butter good for us? Is ritalin a good solution for ADHD / ADD? The opinions keep on changing. Research is a fickle thing. Like law, it sometimes comes down to interpretation or personal taste. I guess sometimes you have to take things with a pinch of salt?

Please feel free to comment with your opinion on this!