4 ms·

What would a newspaper look like if it were invented today?

10 points by davidedicillo 16y ago

garyrichardson 16y ago
Inspiring video. I doubt it will catch on though. I'm a 29 year old that still reads the paper ever morning. If I could get my local paper on my iPad in this format, I'd be quite happy.. especially with the ability to feed back to the writers -- I thought that was particularly cool. I read the newspaper because it isn't google reader -- there is an editor filtering the crap for me. I can't help but feel that if local newspapers use this technology there will be too many internet memes slipping in. Sometimes, less is more.
x0ner 16y ago
I like the concept behind the app itself, but I wonder how customized you can make the news itself. If it aims to replicate that of a newspaper then it seems fair to assume that it will contain mainstream news. I personally enjoy the freedom of finding my own sources by using the Internet. I know the writers can't create a news paper for me, but I wonder how if I could add my own content based on my interest without breaking the feel.
pedalpete 16y ago
Maybe I'm missing the really innovative stuff here. The save for later is nice, but the recommendations, comments and UI aren't groundbreaking. The reason I read a physical paper or watch the news on TV is because unlike most digital formats, I end up getting introduced to issues that aren't normally on my radar. This is the I have problem with much of the digital news where I would just click on what interests me. With a regular newspaper, multiple articles sharing a single page, and the effort of changing a page (let's face it, it isn't like flipping through a magazine) there is enough resistance that I find myself spending a few extra seconds at least scanning the first few lines of every article on the page and sometimes I get sucked in and end up learning some amazing things. For me, this is one thing that digital just can't do. Clicking and swiping is just too easy and too fast.
zeeone 16y ago
Lost me at the moment he said "You can connect to your social networks ... "
- zwentz 16y ago
  Agreed. The narrator just got finished saying, "...over the din of the internet.", and then in the very next sentence they show little notifications with "connect to your social networks"? I don't see anything new or innovative about this interface at all. Their classified UI looked pretty sharp though.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
jhickner 16y ago
This concept doesn't do the question justice. It's just a digital repackaging of the standard once-daily newspaper. The problem with newspapers isn't the packaging. The periodical arose because of printing costs and distribution time. You need to run the presses all night to print a morning edition, so at most there's going to be one issue per day. If the newspaper were reinvented today it wouldn't have those constraints. It certainly wouldn't be a once-daily edition.
- bradleyland 16y ago
  Flip that perspective on its head. Why are websites updated continuously? Because we can, and because it would actually require more work/thinking to do so on the more traditional newspaper release approach. However, I do think there are merits of the edited "digest" format inherent to a print release cycle. My RSS reader is a great example of the shortcomings of a continuous release cycle. It's a fire hose of information because there is no editorial intermediary. Social aggregator sites like Hacker News, Reddit, and once upon a time, Digg, provide a distributed method of determining the value of content, but I find they lack consistently. The dynamic of the community changes over time. Just look at what happened to Digg. Look at the changes and cycles that Reddit and Hacker News go through. As I drown in the stream from the fire hose on a daily basis, I am increasingly willing to pay for the benefits of browsing a curated view of the news. A skilled editor acts as a filter and adds value by providing commentary. They represent a layer that is missing in todays internet. We are all our own editors. Consider how inefficient that is. Think of websites that consist mainly of links to other news/content. Jason Kottke's blog is a great example. He doesn't focus on one particular topic, but most of the things he posts are interesting to people who are "in to" the internet. John Gruber is an example of a more focused approach. He covers Apple almost exclusively. His blog is a stream of links with short editorial content, punctuated by long, well thought-out opinion pieces. Not everyone agrees with him, but if you're an Apple fan, his site is a must-read. Imagine building a team of Jason Kottkes and John Grubers, all focused on their specialty, along with an editorial hierarchy to consolidate and filter the information. What have you got? You've got a newspaper. The answer isn't more content, it's less.
sandaru1 16y ago
I'm not particularly sold on the news+ concept, but Smoking Apples blog looks pretty sharp and nicely written. Adding to the RSS reader.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
DjDarkman 16y ago
This is just a web app.

10 points by davidedicillo 16y ago

Inspiring video. I doubt it will catch on though. I'm a 29 year old that still reads the paper ever morning. If I could get my local paper on my iPad in this format, I'd be quite happy.. especially with the ability to feed back to the writers -- I thought that was particularly cool. I read the newspaper because it isn't google reader -- there is an editor filtering the crap for me. I can't help but feel that if local newspapers use this technology there will be too many internet memes slipping in. Sometimes, less is more.

x0ner 16y ago

I like the concept behind the app itself, but I wonder how customized you can make the news itself. If it aims to replicate that of a newspaper then it seems fair to assume that it will contain mainstream news. I personally enjoy the freedom of finding my own sources by using the Internet. I know the writers can't create a news paper for me, but I wonder how if I could add my own content based on my interest without breaking the feel.

pedalpete 16y ago

Maybe I'm missing the really innovative stuff here. The save for later is nice, but the recommendations, comments and UI aren't groundbreaking. The reason I read a physical paper or watch the news on TV is because unlike most digital formats, I end up getting introduced to issues that aren't normally on my radar. This is the I have problem with much of the digital news where I would just click on what interests me. With a regular newspaper, multiple articles sharing a single page, and the effort of changing a page (let's face it, it isn't like flipping through a magazine) there is enough resistance that I find myself spending a few extra seconds at least scanning the first few lines of every article on the page and sometimes I get sucked in and end up learning some amazing things. For me, this is one thing that digital just can't do. Clicking and swiping is just too easy and too fast.

zeeone 16y ago

Lost me at the moment he said "You can connect to your social networks ... "

zwentz 16y ago
Agreed. The narrator just got finished saying, "...over the din of the internet.", and then in the very next sentence they show little notifications with "connect to your social networks"? I don't see anything new or innovative about this interface at all. Their classified UI looked pretty sharp though.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

jhickner 16y ago

This concept doesn't do the question justice. It's just a digital repackaging of the standard once-daily newspaper. The problem with newspapers isn't the packaging. The periodical arose because of printing costs and distribution time. You need to run the presses all night to print a morning edition, so at most there's going to be one issue per day. If the newspaper were reinvented today it wouldn't have those constraints. It certainly wouldn't be a once-daily edition.

bradleyland 16y ago
Flip that perspective on its head. Why are websites updated continuously? Because we can, and because it would actually require more work/thinking to do so on the more traditional newspaper release approach. However, I do think there are merits of the edited "digest" format inherent to a print release cycle. My RSS reader is a great example of the shortcomings of a continuous release cycle. It's a fire hose of information because there is no editorial intermediary. Social aggregator sites like Hacker News, Reddit, and once upon a time, Digg, provide a distributed method of determining the value of content, but I find they lack consistently. The dynamic of the community changes over time. Just look at what happened to Digg. Look at the changes and cycles that Reddit and Hacker News go through. As I drown in the stream from the fire hose on a daily basis, I am increasingly willing to pay for the benefits of browsing a curated view of the news. A skilled editor acts as a filter and adds value by providing commentary. They represent a layer that is missing in todays internet. We are all our own editors. Consider how inefficient that is. Think of websites that consist mainly of links to other news/content. Jason Kottke's blog is a great example. He doesn't focus on one particular topic, but most of the things he posts are interesting to people who are "in to" the internet. John Gruber is an example of a more focused approach. He covers Apple almost exclusively. His blog is a stream of links with short editorial content, punctuated by long, well thought-out opinion pieces. Not everyone agrees with him, but if you're an Apple fan, his site is a must-read. Imagine building a team of Jason Kottkes and John Grubers, all focused on their specialty, along with an editorial hierarchy to consolidate and filter the information. What have you got? You've got a newspaper. The answer isn't more content, it's less.

sandaru1 16y ago

I'm not particularly sold on the news+ concept, but Smoking Apples blog looks pretty sharp and nicely written. Adding to the RSS reader.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

DjDarkman 16y ago

This is just a web app.