Sunday, October 19, 2008

If the value is still content, then what content and how should we package the content?

As Picard said, 

A business model involves the conception of how the business operates, its underlying foundations, and the exchange activities and financial flows upon which it can be successful.

Different media need different model. What fits one medium might not fit another. Right after reading Gao’s Participation Business Model, I started thinking if we could use a participation business model for online news. Many newspapers’ online sites indeed have participatory features, such as blog, comment, rating, or allowing users to submit photos and videos. These do not seem to be very innovative or popular features if we compare these features to MyShow, Super Girl, or American Idol. 

Probably participation is not a major “value” users expect from a newspaper web site, as both Picard and Gao emphasized value is the center of a business model. So if we go back to wheat Picard said that content is the core business of publishing industry, then now in the digital and online environment, what “kind” of content? Instead of telling people what to do or what to read, why not say: how may I help you today? In addition to what kind of content a user would value from a local newspaper site, a different kind of navigation maybe? Something like google's front page or iPone's main page that there are several preset icons and users can modify those icons. 


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