I received a press release today from The Washington Post which announces that the newspaper has partnered with Technorati to provide links to blogs covering its stories. WaPo articles will now be accompanied by small boxes with the header “Who’s Blogging?” Each box will highlight selected blogs and will link to the article’s full link cosmos on Technorati.
Here is the WaPo press release:
The service will search millions of blogs for postings and feature links to the most blogged about articles and the liveliest web discussions on washingtonpost.com content.
“This partnership is part of our ongoing initiative to embrace and respond to the many dynamic ways that users consume and participate in news and information over the Internet,” said Caroline Little, publisher and CEO of washingtonpost.com.
washingtonpost.com executive editor, Jim Brady, said. “News is not static. With the help of the web, interesting stories immediately become part of a broader national conversation. This partnership with Technorati lets the users in on that conversation by delivering the most interesting and lively discussions about washingtonpost.com content from some of the best and most popular blogs on the web.”
David L. Sifry, founder and CEO of Technorati, said “ We’re pleased to be working with washingtonpost.com in leading the way toward expanding the interaction between the public and those who make and report the news. We salute them for recognizing the potential of blogs as a valuable contribution to the public discourse.”
Here is an example of how the box looks (from this article):
In an email exchange with Eric Easter, Senior Manager of Communications at washingtonpost.com, I asked whether The Washington Post had reservations about linking so prominently to blogs that — given the fact that many blogs critique the MSM — might criticize the newspaper’s articles. Eric responded:
Great answer. I’m very happy to see that the WaPo gets it. In contrast to The New York Times, which is pushing some its best content behind a subscriber wall with its new TimesSelect service, WaPo is engaging the blog community and steering traffic to the blogs that steer so much traffic to it.
I also asked Eric about how the links in the “Who’s Blogging?” box are to be chosen. He responded that those decisions will be made by Technorati, and that the links will change frequently.
11 Comments on "The Washington Post Partners With Technorati to Provide Blog Links"
albert:
wow, that’s some pretty cool news. i wonder if the nyt will sheepishly and quietly cancel times select.
howard:
Wow, that really does sound like an in-your-face to the NYT. Or maybe, as you suggest, the Post simply gets it.
Chris:
I noticed this earlier today when a few people clicked over to my site from a story on the Post I had linked to. It seems like a great idea and shows that they really do get it. I like the randomness of relying on technorati as well, because that could lead somebody browsing the Post to very well known blog or to one known only to the author and a few friends - both might have something provacative to say.
Matt:
Either way, I applaud the move, Howard.
Chris, I like the randomness, too. It seems like they’ve chosen a very democratic way to do this.
Just out of curiosity, does this make any bloggers out there more likely to write about a Washington Post story than a story from another newspaper?
I think that that might end up being one of the overall effects of this new system.
albert beaufort:
The road to Baton Rouge (NOT Baghdad) is strewn with bodies and living: all frail elderly. Waveland and Bat St. Louis, Miss. have no water: HELLO !!! (I am a former resident of La. and the French Quarter: when it was completely despoiled: and know that a helicopter drop of flats of water (Sudan Style) might be all that stands between death of thousands and thousands of TOTALLY isolcated, who with no radio, and no cars (the poor) have no ability ro know when to expect help: and are rightdully asking:
“Has my government forgotten something so simple as W A T E R !!!!!????)”
I cannot take another FEMA-bureaucrat or politician telling us that all is positioned and all that can be done is….on its way: drop the fdriggin water or you will KILL (wanton neglect) all the frail elderly in Miss. and New Orleans East.
Friggin water: HELLO !~!!!!!
And as far as Cruise ships?
Why not: they are going brke, as is every other hotel chain in the country: Call is Section 8 Housing: as an atty, I can tell you these people (ALL) qualify many times over:
How long must we await Washington?
To fo what?
JUST DROP WAYER/Sudan-style: before the young rit and the old leave us for good.
JMJ: Pary for us sinners NOW !!!
Karl:
Great post Matt.
Lets not get ahead of ourselves however…
Its only folks linking to that Washington Post article. In a way it is a clever form of encouragement for bloggers to link to them more often. Which…ummm… I’m gonna do :)
Also, Newsweek debuted this earlier in the month.
Other then that…. spot on.
jimmy:
I am glad to see that the relationship with this particular arm of the “MSM” is beneficial, but does that mean that this is a “good” “MSM” versus all the bad “MSM”s that don’t recognize bloggers?
My question is not so much about traffic spikes for the WaPo, but how such a “break in”to the national/corporate stage will effect (and affect) the bloggers who have predominantly positioned themselves as anathema to these news monopolies…
The Tattered Coat » Blog Archive » Sunday Gems:
[…] Frank Rich: Falluja Floods the Superdome. Just read it all. And remember that because of TimesSelect, most of us won’t have Frank Rich, Paul Krugman, Maureen Dowd, and Bob Herbert around for much longer, unless the New York Times comes to its senses and follows the example of The Washington Post. […]
dom:
the evil times select - write and complain -
restricting the audience for these writers is short-sighted, and harmful - with our monopolistic media, we need all the inormation we can get -
public@nytimes.com is a good start
WMET Talk Back Blog » Blog Archive » Times Select Update:
[…] One option is to follow the Washington Post’s lead, as describe at The Tattered Coat which has partnered with Technorati. He provides a copy of the press release: […]
Casey:
Wish I would of seen this post last year! Better late than never. Its great that they are not hiding their content. I will never understand that theory. Newspapers sell ads and more readers means more ad visibility and $$$. Instead of making thier customers happy they are charging them and hurting themselves. Nice to see someone going the other way.
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