We’re currently researching and reviewing how people use news sites for a client – so we thought we might ask some questions here too to see if we can get some further insight from our blog readers.
The basic question is this:
How do you use the articles you read on news sites?
We’re interested in the questions from both a practical and conceptual angle. Some practical examples: do you bookmark articles (your browser bookmarks, delicious etc.), share them via social networking sites(Digg, seed to Newsvine etc.), print, email to friend or save copies? And conceptually, do you use news articles with your work, study or as talking points at the pub or “over the watercooler” at work?
While we’re on the topic, have you come across any news sites recently that really raise the bar? Or even news sites that just have a cool feature or two that you find useful/fun/interesting?
If so, leave a comment and let us know what you think…
4 Comments...
I read ‘news’ with an dedicated RSS reader my preferred way to trawl, email subscriptions and occasional directly on a traditional news site like SMH or via Google news (to me any interesting info that updates regularly is news). My personal favourite is http://www.weekinreview.org which is not only a fun approach, but perhaps the most meaningful and provocative in terms of the questions around what really constitutes news and for that matter ‘truth’ at a local, personal level (and if I had time, Id start a local chapter). Im a lefty, so I find it hard not to see commercial news just another manipulation of information for profit where truth, integrity and credibility are manufactured for ‘news consumers’ and tend to side with Noam Chomsky in that sense.
Cool – thanks Andrew – that Week in review site is great! Thanks for the tip…
My browser homepage is Google Reader, it aggregates all my news in one location. I structure categories around creativity, art, phunk, useful etc. RSS is extremely universal so it allows me to either add a dedicated feed from a news source or make custom feeds through Google News (i.e. I track news on clients), Technorati (blogs), Ebay (items I’m after) etc.
Google Reader is great in the sense that I can share articles I’m reading with my blog, or email direct from the reader to colleagues or friends.
On top of that I use Twitter to track bloggers and news services through IM updates. Sometimes I use the SMS update, but that can get a bit overwhelming – tend to publish rather than receive.
Also use Google Alerts on specific clients to track news on them.
What else…. I guess I do visit websites, but only if Twitter and or Google Reader has directed me there…
Note: RSS feeds should provide all content, not a summary – its really dull to read and in all honesty I prefer the richer posts – more engaging.
I do receive email newsletters, they can be helpful… but if i’m busy they get deleted or left unread.
Hope that helps…
Thanks Ben, you’re obviously a sophisticated news muncher.