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Communication

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Neil Thurman

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Library and Information Science

Live Blogging – Digital Journalism's Pivotal Platform? A Case Study Of The Production, Consumption, And Form Of Live Blogs At Guardian.Co.Uk, Neil J. Thurman, Anna Walters Oct 2012

Live Blogging – Digital Journalism's Pivotal Platform? A Case Study Of The Production, Consumption, And Form Of Live Blogs At Guardian.Co.Uk, Neil J. Thurman, Anna Walters

Neil Thurman

This article describes and analyses the production, consumption, and form of Live Blogs at a popular UK newspaper website and contributes to related debates in journalism studies. Qualitative research interviews with journalists and editors, a reader survey, content analysis, and web metrics were used to obtain data about production practices, product outcomes, and the consumption stage of the product lifecycle. The study finds that Live Blogs are a popular daily component of the news site, used increasingly to cover serious breaking news. Although rarely authored exclusively on location, they may utilise more original sources than traditional online hard news formats. …

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The Future Of Personalization At News Websites: Lessons From A Longitudinal Study, Neil Thurman, Steve Schifferes Jan 2012

The Future Of Personalization At News Websites: Lessons From A Longitudinal Study, Neil Thurman, Steve Schifferes

Neil Thurman

This paper tracks the recent history of personalization at national news websites in the United Kingdom and United States, allowing an analysis to be made of the reasons for and implications of the adoption of this form of adaptive interactivity. Using three content surveys conducted over three and a half years, the study records—at an unprecedented level of detail—the range of personalization features offered by contemporary news websites, and demonstrates how news organizations increasingly rely on software algorithms to predict readers’ content preferences. The results also detail how news organizations’ deployment of personalization on mobile devices, and in conjunction with …

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Making 'The Daily Me': Technology, Economics And Habit In The Mainstream Assimilation Of Personalized News, Neil Thurman May 2011

Making 'The Daily Me': Technology, Economics And Habit In The Mainstream Assimilation Of Personalized News, Neil Thurman

Neil Thurman

The mechanisms of personalization deployed by news websites are resulting in an increasing number of editorial decisions being taken by computer algorithms—many of which are under the control of external companies—and by end users. Despite its prevalence, personalization has yet to be addressed fully by the journalism studies literature (Zelizer, 2009). This study defines personalization as a distinct form of interactivity and classifies its explicit and implicit forms. Using this taxonomy, it surveys the use of personalization at eleven national news websites in the UK and US. Research interviews bring a qualitative dimension to the analysis, acknowledging the influence that …

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Taking The Paper Out Of News: A Case Study Of Taloussanomat, Europe's First Online-Only Newspaper, Neil J. Thurman, Merja Myllylahti Jan 2009

Taking The Paper Out Of News: A Case Study Of Taloussanomat, Europe's First Online-Only Newspaper, Neil J. Thurman, Merja Myllylahti

Neil Thurman

Using in-depth interviews, newsroom observation, and internal documents, this case study presents and analyses changes that have taken place at Finnish financial daily Taloussanomat since it stopped printing on 28 December 2007 to focus exclusively on digital delivery via the Web, email, and mobile. It reveals the savings that can be achieved when a newspaper no longer prints and distributes a physical product; but also the revenue lost from subscriptions and print advertising. The consequences of a newspaper's decision to go online-only are examined as they relate to its business model, website traffic, and editorial practice. The findings illustrate the …

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A Clash Of Cultures: The Integration Of User-Generated Content Within Professional Journalistic Frameworks At British Newspaper Websites, Alfred Hermida, Neil J. Thurman Aug 2008

A Clash Of Cultures: The Integration Of User-Generated Content Within Professional Journalistic Frameworks At British Newspaper Websites, Alfred Hermida, Neil J. Thurman

Neil Thurman

This study examines how national UK newspaper websites are integrating user-generated content (UGC). A survey quantifying the adoption of UGC by mainstream news organisations showed a dramatic increase in the opportunities for contributions from readers. In-depth interviews with senior news executives revealed this expansion is taking place despite residual doubts about the editorial and commercial value of material from the public. The study identified a shift towards the use of moderation due to editors' persistent concerns about reputation, trust, and legal liabilities, indicating that UK newspaper websites are adopting a traditional gate-keeping role towards UGC. The findings suggest a gate-keeping …

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Forums For Citizen Journalists? Adoption Of User Generated Content Initiatives By Online News Media, Neil J. Thurman Feb 2008

Forums For Citizen Journalists? Adoption Of User Generated Content Initiatives By Online News Media, Neil J. Thurman

Neil Thurman

The mainstream online news media face accusations of being slow to respond to so-called 'grassroots' or 'citizen journalism', which uses the world wide web, and in particular blogs and wikis, to publish and promote independent news-related content. This article argues that the adaptation of established news websites to the increasing demand from readers for space to express their views is driven as much by local organizational and technical conditions as it is by any attachment to traditional editorial practices. The article uses qualitative research interviews with the editors and managing editors of nine major British news websites to reveal the …

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The Globalization Of Journalism Online: A Transatlantic Study Of News Websites And Their International Readers, Neil J. Thurman Jun 2007

The Globalization Of Journalism Online: A Transatlantic Study Of News Websites And Their International Readers, Neil J. Thurman

Neil Thurman

Some British news websites are attracting larger audiences than their American competitors in US regional and national markets. At the British news websites studied, Americans made up an average of 36 per cent of the total audience with up to another 39 per cent of readers from countries other than the USA. Visibility on portals like the Drudge Report and on indexes such as Google News brings considerable international traffic but is partly dependent on particular genres of story and fast publication times. Few news websites are willing to disclose breakdowns of their large numbers of international readers fearing a …

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Paid Content Strategies For News Websites: An Empirical Study Of British Newspapers' Online Business Models, Neil J. Thurman, Jack Herbert Jun 2007

Paid Content Strategies For News Websites: An Empirical Study Of British Newspapers' Online Business Models, Neil J. Thurman, Jack Herbert

Neil Thurman

Qualitative interviews with editors and executives at UK national and regional newspapers revealed experimentation with online business models. All of the selected web publications offered their most popular news content for free in an attempt to maximize traffic. Although advertising was the principal source of revenue, each charged for some content—usually that which was unique to the newspaper brand. Online content charging generated extra revenue, but there was evidence it was also being implemented in an attempt to protect print circulations. The study revealed widespread optimism about future revenue streams including the provision of content to mobile devices, and the …

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