Website 2.0 Network of the Week

The News Is Now Public ^ | 11/10/06 | nuke gingrich

[grandpa jones]

The political left owns the internet like the right owns talk radio. You may not agree with that statement, and the fact is, most of the right blogosphere doesn't even realize it, much less have a clue as to why or how it happened. My own trip down the 2.0 rabbit hole began in earnest a few weeks ago after reading an excellent article from Robert Cox, and came to fruition after a post from this blog was picked up by BBC's "The Reporters." How could a small political blog in the right blogosphere be picked up by an international news organization (which generated some staggering hit counts, btw)? The answer to that question illuminated the theme of Cox's article for me. It was truly a "Eureka" moment.

With this tiny button you can change the news.

I don't know if the right blogosphere can get their collective heads around this concept in time for the next election cycle. We seem stuck in the talk-radio>A-List-blog business concept that can drive about 20% of the news cycle. The other 80% is user-driven content, and it is controlled by the left. If the right will embrace the new business model, it will be because small bloggers,commenters, [and FReepers] begin to understand the concept of user-driven news content. Unless there is a sea-change in the fundamental business model, the right blogosphere will find itself consigned to relative insignificance.

With this tiny button you can change the news.

This week's selection for Nuke's Website of the Week is not really a website. It is a 2.0 network called NowPublic. I invite you to look at this network with an open mind and a willingness to entertain new concepts, while you're relaxing this weekend. Enjoy

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

Bump for later -- when I'm awake.

[CyberAnt]

"The political left owns the internet ..."

Sorry - this is a false premise and I don't accept it.

MoveOn is not the be all end all of the internet. And .. FR has been here longer and has more sane members.

[grandpa jones]

A few months ago, I agreed with your assessment.

What has changed, in my mind, is not my opinion of FR, the quality of its membership, or the right blogosphere as a whole, but instead the platform on which our side is based, and how that affects the stories which drive the daily news cycle.

User-driven news content accounts for the majority of the news stories which get the attention of the daily cycle. And those user-driven networks are dominated by the left.

The right is dominated by talk radio and a few A-list blogs, like FR. We are very good at focusing the attention of the news cycle on a specific story of interest. The premise of Cox's article, as well as my post, was that we on the right have conceded the vast user-driven platforms to the left. The result has been that 3 or 4 out of the top 5 news stories each day are lefty-oriented. We can either blame that on the "Liberal Media", or look at the underlying causes for the placement of those news stories to begin with.

Thanks for your comment

[Zetman]

So, what are we supposed to do?? I work about 5 miles away from YouTube's corporate offices in San Bruno. Am I supposed to drive up there on my lunch hour, demand to see "those in charge", and then further demand that they restore all Makin video's to their site, and furthermore stop supressing Conservative/Christian thought?? I don't know how much good that would do (actually, I do!!). It might get me arrested, even if I remain peaceful and reasonable the entire time.

Or, perhaps I could drive a few miles south to Moutain View, march into google's HQ and demand similar even-handed treatment for consevatives. It would do about as much good as trying to stop a hurricane by waving a bedsheet at it.

I appreciate your warnings, but even if we buy into what you are saying 100%, what can we do to stop it??

Z

[grandpa jones]

We don't stop it. We can't stop it. But, we must recognize it for what it is: manipulation by the left.

I'm of the opinion that our side has to engage web 2.0. In a frontal assault against lefty strongholds like Youtube, google, digg, or boing-boing, we would get creamed. I think an attack on the flank would have more impact. I posted a link to a relatively new and small 2.0 network called NowPublic, that just might be that exposed flank, so to speak, that the Right can use to get in the game

Think about this: Let's say you find a great news article that you want your fellow FReepers to read and comment on. You post your article, and respond to the comments, and learn more about the subject as other members add their expertise on the subject at hand, right?

NowPublic is similar, except that it interacts with other readers, and other networks. You asked me "what can we do?" I'm saying this: continue to post your articles on FR. But take an extra 45 seconds to also post the news article to NowPublic Web 2.0. The goal is not to beat the libs at what is essentially their own game. Nope. I'm just saying we can steal 1 of the top 5 daily news stories from the lefties and put it in our column. We will continue to have another of the top 5 stories from our present talk radio/A-list blogger model. But, that small change in the daily news cycle will have a significant impact on public opinion, I think. And, if it is only a small impact, well let me ask you, how close were the races in last week's election? Wouldn't a 1 or 2 point swing in the vote made a dramatic difference?

And, that's all I'm trying to get my fellow right bloggers to do, just think about it, and be willing to entertain a new concept.
regards,
>nuke

[grandpa jones]

A quick addendum.

HERE is a link to the premiere Web 2.0 Mashup site, called popurls. Scroll down to the section on "Now Public". If you see an article called "Ten Things I Hate About Democrats", that is my article. I didn't do anything with this post that I haven't done in my blogging career with the one exception of posting it to Now Public. This post is now going out to networks all over the world.

I hope this illustrates what I've been trying to say. And the beauty of it is that anyone can post to NowPublic, and increase the impact of a specific newstory exponentially.

[Zetman]

I hope this illustrates what I've been trying to say. And the beauty of it is that anyone can post to NowPublic, and increase the impact of a specific newstory exponentially.

Yes, but I am willing to bet that once "they" begin to notice excessive Conservative posts on NowPublic (read as: more than 2), "they" will take steps to put an end to it, just like "they" did on YouTube, Google, and the rest. However, I hope you are right!!

[grandpa jones]

I received a very cordial email from the editor at NowPublic, who offered encouragement and support. He also asked me to invite others to join, and asked me if the email that I had sent to him could b used as a referral by their marketing department.
You're right, though. They are not a conservative outfit, but they might just be capitalistic enough to niche market their services to an under-served part of the marketplace.

[grandpa jones]

Zetman, HERE is an example of what you and I were talking about last week regarding posting articles on web 2.0. I cross-posted this story about Dodd on my blog, and on NowPublic. It has made page 1 at NowPublic, and will now make its way up the food chain of news stories. Readership will, or should increase exponentially. This is how we on the right can influence the news cycle beyond our normal websites and reading habits. >nuke

[grandpa jones]

oops, Here is the Dodd story
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1740694/posts

(should have used the preview button)

[grandpa jones]

Now Public cached shot
http://snapshot.jkn.com/761681.700238091533