DISQUS

DISQUS Hello! Mathew's comments is using DISQUS, a powerful comment system, to manage its comments. Learn more.

Community Page

Mathew's comments

Jump to original thread »
Author

Personal note: A job change for yours truly

Started by mathewi · 8 months ago

As many people who have been reading this blog for awhile probably know, I work for the Globe and Mail, a daily newspaper based in Toronto, where I’ve been working since 1994 or so. I’ve written about the stock market, the rise of the Internet, moved out West to wri ... Continue reading »

170 comments

  • Louis Gray

    8 months ago

    Congratulations on the promotion, Matthew. Looking forward to see if the position changes your writing here over time. Keep plugging away.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Louis.
    reply
  • Colin Henderson

    8 months ago

    Congrats on this Matthew. No easy task you have taken on, and it will require challenging the establishment in many ways no doubt, so you will be the right guy. Good luck.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Colin.
    reply
  • Matt

    8 months ago

    Congratulations, Mathew. Sounds exciting.

    I agree. Communities are not built. The passions that hold them together already exists. It will be your job not to bring people together so much as to remove the barriers that keep people apart.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Matt. That's a great way of putting it -- I may have to borrow that :-)
    reply
  • seemsArtless

    8 months ago

    This IS a great way of looking at "community building"... finding and enhancing the existing passions.
    reply
  • Eden Spodek

    8 months ago

    Congratulations Mathew! This sounds very exciting and as a Globe reader (print and online) and a social media junkie, I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Eden. Me too :-)
    reply
  • Saleem Khan

    8 months ago

    Congratulations, Mathew. I can't think of anyone who would be better for the job.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks a lot, Saleem. That is all :-)
    reply
  • Kimberly

    8 months ago

    Congats Matthew! I look forward to see what you have planned for the Globe online.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Kimberly.
    reply
  • Chris Clarke

    8 months ago

    Congrats Mat, all the best in your new role. I'll be looking forward to seeing further examples of social media put into action at the G&M in the future, and using these examples to show colleagues the shift taking place in Canada's media landscape. I can't think of a better person to take the lead on this. Best of luck!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks a lot, Chris. I appreciate that.
    reply
  • sarahintampa

    8 months ago

    Congratulations - that sounds like a great new job!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Sarah.
    reply
  • Igniter

    8 months ago

    Congrats! Sounds like an excellent adventure is ahead and I'm looking forward to seeing where you take it particularly with the focus on 'communities'.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Michael.
    reply
  • Julie Wright

    8 months ago

    Exciting to watch our media universe evolving, and lucky you who gets to be in the middle of that change.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Julie -- that's a great way of looking at it.
    reply
  • liza

    8 months ago

    Congratulations! It sounds like G&M "gets it". Buiding stuff is so counter to journos, I hope you have tons of fun.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Liza -- you are right on that score :-)
    reply
  • StevenHodson

    8 months ago

    RIGHT ON!!! a big congradulations Mathew. If anyone deserves such an opportunity to pull a Canadian old media giant into the future it is you. Hopefully you will keep us all informated of the progress here on this blog - or any new blogs that get started.

    I may have my grumbling points about social media but this is a really good move - again congradulations and the very best of luck.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Steven.
    reply
  • Paul Laberge

    8 months ago

    Congrats, Matthew. You'll do well in that role. All the best.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Paul.
    reply
  • Joel

    8 months ago

    Excellent. Can't wait to see what this ends up meaning.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Joel -- I'm kind of looking forward to finding out too :-)
    reply
  • Karoli

    8 months ago

    Congratulations, Matthew! I can't think of anyone more qualified or deserving.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Karoli -- that's very kind of you to say.
    reply
  • howardlindzon

    8 months ago

    can you get paid in US dollars at this level?

    all the best you corporate dude you
    reply
  • howardlindzon

    8 months ago

    At least now you can bring disqus to the masses across canada :)

    I will have daniel call you
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Easy there, big fella :-)
    reply
  • calamityjake

    8 months ago

    Very cool, Mathew. Congratulations on the new gig. I look forward to seeing what you do with it.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Jake.
    reply
  • Martin Buckland

    8 months ago

    Congratulations Mathew.

    This is very exciting news, the Globe & Mail recognizing the future of Web 2.0 and your intimate knowledge of this intriguing media.

    Looking forward to you reaching out to the 'new' community!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Martin.
    reply
  • David Jones

    8 months ago

    I'll believe when Christie Blatchford does ;)
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Damn you, Jones -- I knew someone would bring that up. That is my Mount Everest :-)
    reply
  • Michael Cayley

    8 months ago

    Congrats matthew & good luck! I hope that your work at the Globe rubs off on the rest of corporate Canada!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Michael -- I hope so too.
    reply
  • gregorylent

    8 months ago

    great ... move the art-form forward .. a good mind and an innate understanding of what the heck a community really is ... it is heart and sharing and being valuable to each other in ways both economic and loving ...

    fly with it
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Gregory.
    reply
  • MG Siegler

    8 months ago

    Congrats Mathew and good luck with the new position!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks a lot, MG
    reply
  • Dino

    8 months ago

    fantastic news mathew. look forward to seeing how things evolve. you are as qualified and deserving as anyone to guide the ship!

    d
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dino.
    reply
  • Martin Hofmann

    8 months ago

    Congratulations, Mathew! Looking forward to seeing what "strange and contentious" ways will look like. This can only be good. All the best in your new role.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Martin
    reply
  • dbarefoot

    8 months ago

    Congrats on the move! If you ever, you know, need a Western Canadian correspondent, let me know.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Darren -- I'll keep that in mind :-)
    reply
  • seemsArtless

    8 months ago

    Um, isn't the point that we ALL are going to be Globe and Mail correspondents now?!

    It will be fascinating to see how the new online community impacts the content of the print version of the Globe.

    ( And congratulations Matt! Lets hope the Globe finds the resources to do this right. )
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, David.
    reply
  • antje wilsch

    8 months ago

    Congrats & good luck. You already do a good job of being inclusive, and trust me, this goes a long way building good will, which eventually turns into loyalty. Building community takes work and sometimes your'e the only one putting in effort it seems, and sometimes the only glue keeping it all together. But eventually the ties bind....

    PS that image was on a "team building" seminar workshop (I was forced to) attend... lol
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Antje.
    reply
  • Scott Karp

    8 months ago

    Congrats, Mathew! Welcome to the ranks of the practicing-what-you-preachers. It's a big challenge but also the most fun. I know you will make a lot of awesome innovation happen.
    reply
  • geoperdis

    8 months ago

    And here I was wondering recently why you are so criminally underused at the Globe. Not wondering now.

    Congrats,

    geo
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Geo.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Scott. I'll do my best :-)
    reply
  • Michael Masnick

    8 months ago

    Adding to the loooong list of well-deserved congrats. Can't think of a better person for the job, and can't wait to see what you enable...
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Michael -- that means a lot.
    reply
  • markb

    8 months ago

    Congratulations Mathew. And to make this different than all the comments above I will add this: Can you please please please do something about the book section at the Globe? The community is there, but it is just killing me that G&M is letting it slip away by neglecting social media -- no RSS, no photos, lockeddown reviews (imagine if you had to pay for movie reviews!). This is such a tired rant amongst my friends, we have collectively offered to pitch in. Don't hold me to that because we were drinking at the time. You get the idea and I just wanted to mix it up in the comments. It is awesome that you have this opportunity. A sincere congratulations once again.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks a lot, Mark -- and I will definitely keep your comments in mind. The books section is just one of the many projects we're planning to tackle, so feel free to get in touch with more suggestions any time -- mathew (at) mathewingram.com
    reply
  • centernetworks

    8 months ago

    Congrats!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Allen.
    reply
  • Dave Hyndman

    8 months ago

    Mathew, congrats on the great news. As a friend, I'm really happy for you. As a long-time Globe subscriber I'm happy for me.

    You'll be great. Don't underestimate the potential impact you can make with this. As I just read in Seth Godin's new Tribes, never use the word "opportunity" ... "It's not an opportunity, it's an obligation."

    Most importantly: have fun!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Dave -- a great point.
    reply
  • Simon Billing

    8 months ago

    Congratulations to you Mathew on what looks like a pretty unique opportunity and congratulations to The Globe's management for investing in this crucial area for the future of the organisation.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Simon.
    reply
  • Mark Evans

    8 months ago

    Good luck on the new gig! It's going to be an exciting and educational experience!

    Mark
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Mark.
    reply
  • Duncan Riley

    8 months ago

    Congrats, although I'll trust you'll still not disclose previous relationships in your writing, still, always nice to see an old media hack survive the downturn, some of you have a clue :-)
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Not quite sure what that means exactly, but thanks anyway Duncan :-)
    reply
  • charlieanzman

    8 months ago

    Best of luck in the new position Matthew
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Charlie.
    reply
  • Guy

    8 months ago

    Congratulations and good luck.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Guy.
    reply
  • AGORACOM - George

    8 months ago

    Congratulations, Mathew. Kudos to Globe for recognizing your achievements in this space and putting you at the the helm.

    Though I follow a number of bloggers, you are one of my "must read" bloggers due to the great info and insight you provide into the world of Web 2.0. As such, I'm excited about watching you implement many of those technologies at the Globe.

    The key to community? Given our success, I hope I'm qualified enough to offer you my key ingredient - close interaction between the provider and its members. You need to really get involved with your contributors and give them that personal connection that keeps them coming back.

    If you'd ever like to pick my brain, give me a buzz anytime. If you'd like to sit down and think about partnerships, I'd love that too.

    Go get 'em. You are going to do great things.

    Regards,
    George
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks a lot, George. Good advice -- and I would love to sit down sometime.
    reply
  • Gilliebee

    8 months ago

    Wow. Congratulations. Great news, for the Globe, for readers, for the whole community!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Gilliebee.
    reply
  • Andy Plesser

    8 months ago

    congrats mathew -- all the best and continued success with your blogging, glad you are sticking with it!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks a lot, Andy.
    reply
  • Scott

    8 months ago

    I think you're just the man for the job, Mathew. There's no guarantees that a smart, qualified person will automatically make things a success as history shows, but I think you improve the odds significantly.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Scott.
    reply
  • newmediamike

    8 months ago

    Congratulations Matthew. If anyone is best suited for this task it is you.

    Also kudos to your superiors for realizing the potential that communities and social media have for the future of their business.

    Good luck in this new position.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Mike.
    reply
  • Ben Lucier

    8 months ago

    Mathew, congratulations! The Globe has the perfect man for the job and it will be fun to see where things go from here.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks a lot, Ben.
    reply
  • xfreemarko

    8 months ago

    Having been a reader of your blog and a follower on twitter for quite some time, I believe this is a great choice by the Globe to actually put someone in a position like this who understands the space. Good luck and don't lay off the tweets.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Mark. If anything, the tweets will probably increase :-)
    reply
  • Francis Burdett

    8 months ago

    Congratulations Mr Ingram,

    I am sure that all within your readership wish you well and recognize the serious (and seriously complex) task you have been handed.

    As someone in the US, it had been several years since I visited the Globe and Mail online. I was pleased to find that the restrictions, registrations and paywalls that had always hampered my read have apparently been set aside. One wonders if you might have been some influence in this regard on CTVglobemedia.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Francis -- I will certainly try.
    reply
  • Don Dodge

    8 months ago

    Congrats Mathew. I have always enjoyed your blog, and look forward to reading your new stuff.
    BTW, I will be in Toronto November 12/13 for the Startup Empire Conference. It would be great t meet you in person.

    Cheers,

    Don Dodge
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Don. Love to meet in person -- drop me a note at mathew (at) mathewingram.com
    reply
  • Stuart MacDonald

    8 months ago

    I'm having a bit of trouble getting past the "Climbing Christie Blatchford" challenge, but other than that, I'm happy for you ;)

    Wishing you much success, 'thewie.

    - Stu
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Stuie :-)
    reply
  • shafqat

    8 months ago

    Congratulations Mathew - sounds like a fascinating new challenge! You've always stood out when it came to the online discourse and your commentary has always been excellent. But the small things count as well - the fact that you've individually thanked almost every commenter on this thread speaks a lot about your character. Keep up the great work.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Shafqat -- gotta walk the walk :-)
    reply
  • Mark Hamilton

    8 months ago

    Wow. Proving once again that the Globe is leading the way online in Canada. And I don't know a better candidate for the position. Congratulations.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks a lot, Mark.
    reply
  • Rob Lane

    8 months ago

    Congrats Mathew. I'm sure you will be as successful in this new venture as you have been in the past. Best wishes
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Rob.
    reply
  • Parker

    8 months ago

    "Some attempts will fail," you wrote.
    That's great - if you weren't trying new and innovative things for the paper, everything would pass. You can't experiment without some chance of failure.

    Good luck with this, Mathew. I know you're the man for the job,a nd I look forward to continuing to read the Globe and Mail.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Parker.
    reply
  • leigh

    8 months ago

    Does this mean you will have more power or less power to get the horrorscopes back onto the crossword puzzle page?

    Very exciting though M...if they are truly committed to doing it and it happens, the Globe could be more than just a powerhouse content provider in Canada but Globally. Looking foward to seeing what you end up doing over there.

    (but really, can you get the horrorscopes back on the crossword puzzle page?)
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    I don't think I can do anything about the horrorscopes, Leigh -- those decisions are made far above my lowly station :-) but thanks for the best wishes.
    reply
  • Frederic

    8 months ago

    Congrats Mathew - sounds like you're the right man for the job!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Frederic.
    reply
  • thornley

    8 months ago

    Congratulations on the new job Mathew. The Globe is my most trusted Canadian news source. But I have to confess that I do not participate in the discussions at the Globe's site. Its seems like an isolated offshoot from the conversation. I much prefer to participate with comments on your site because you have placed yourself in the centre of the flow instead of asking me to detour down a side path to a separate place.

    I'm looking forward to following as you define your new job.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Joe -- that's an excellent point. We'll have to see what we can do about that.
    reply
  • Matt Cutts

    8 months ago

    Congrats! I hope it works out really well--keep us posted on how it goes. You've already shown the value of blogging as a way of creating a connection between people around the world and you + the Globe.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks Matt -- I appreciate that.
    reply
  • johnkoetsier

    8 months ago

    Very cool, Matthew. This is going to be tough but boy will it be exciting.

    1) I'm very impressed that the Globe has the gumption, guts, and insight to start this. Newspapers of the future won't be made of dead trees.

    2) You are definitely the right person for the job, as you've been deeply involved in this world for years.

    Congrats!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, John. Looking forward to the challenge :-)
    reply
  • John Furrier

    8 months ago

    Totally support your efforts Mathew. Your blog wasn't just content but a Fresh Voice!

    Let the link love begin.. you've got mine!

    I'll be watching and collaborating on the new voices that can come from the new community that you build.

    Big Congrats!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks a lot, John.
    reply
  • Brendan

    8 months ago

    Congrats Mathew. Go get em Kid!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Brendan
    reply
  • KatFrench

    8 months ago

    Congratulations, Mathew. You're clearly the right guy for a job that more newspapers need to add to their staff. Community management is really challenging, but equally rewarding. Good luck!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Kat.
    reply
  • JM

    8 months ago

    Congrats of course are in order and I agree you did seem to be underused by the Globe (not that you weren't busy, I am sure!). You mentioned the comments on the online Globe so I want to make a plea that they be, well, cleaned up to use a phrase with unfortunate connotations. The insulting rants and raves that appear almost instantaneously discourage anyone with a sane comment from weighing in. This doesn't happen on another paper I often read online that launched comments just recently (hint: just axed printing online comments in the paper edition) because they use a heavy hand in moderating everything.

    Can you really create community when people are being shut down and silenced? But I realize my plea with silence the ranters...maybe have comments sorted into two 'streams'...:-)
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, JM -- that's a big challenge for any site that has comments, and one we are still wrestling with. Thanks for your thoughts.
    reply
  • Albert Lai

    8 months ago

    Little late to the party but:

    Dude.

    Sweet.

    =)
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Albert.
    reply
  • GabeRivera

    8 months ago

    Cool. Congrats Mathew. Glad the blogging here will continue too.
    reply
  • GabeRivera

    8 months ago

    Thanks Gabe! (I'll handle this one Mathew...you seem busy with all the Thanking)
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Gabe -- for the congratulations and for the auto-thanking. I would have gotten to you eventually :-)
    reply
  • david usher

    8 months ago

    congrats mathew! change is good for the soul and im sure your going to shake it all up
    x
    david
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, David. I will do my best :-)
    reply
  • Aaron Brazell

    8 months ago

    Congratulations, Mat. Sounds like a great opportunity for you. Can we chat about options? :)
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Aaron -- sure. Happy to chat sometime.
    reply
  • davefleet

    8 months ago

    Congratulations Mathew! Looking forward to hearing about the results of your experiments.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Dave -- so am I :-)
    reply
  • James McNally

    8 months ago

    Congratulations, Mathew! Since my new job title is "Community Specialist" and I'm equally muddled, I'll be following your journey with great interest!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, James.
    reply
  • Connie Crosby

    8 months ago

    Seesmic video reply to Mathew Ingram
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks a lot, Connie -- and congrats on being the first to leave a video reply :-)
    reply
  • Amrita

    8 months ago

    Congrats Matthew - I am a long time reader of your articles. Looking forward to hearing what your new position is all about.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Amrita -- I'm looking forward to finding out what it's all about :-)
    reply
  • headlemur

    8 months ago

    Matt,
    Congratulation and Condolences!

    You must have sweat bullets over this decision, as it does represent a profound opportunity in terms of shaping the direction of a medium that has spent many years being in the proclamation business. I hope this works. Because this really is the future of reporting and journalism.

    On the congrats side is the management decision to create such a position and your acceptance. Some folks may get the idea that such a position is a no brainer, being an extension of what you are already doing here, but as your postings, comments, and replies have shown, even when we have been on opposite sides of an issue, you have always handled these exchanges with class. Here is hoping that continues.


    On the condolences side, I hope that you do not get turned into a list mom for some short sighted attempt to increase circulation, like having to moderate a debate between butter and margarine, or get stuck being a talking keyboard for editorial policies shaping debate rather than encouraging it.

    Congratulations!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Alan. I'm hoping the condolences won't be necessary :-)
    reply
  • Miranda McCurlie

    8 months ago

    Seesmic, Twitter, Community Editor - Whatever industry, where ever you are... jump in or move out of the way!

    Congrats Mathew!
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Miranda
    reply
  • Jodi Echakowitz

    8 months ago

    Congrats on the promotion! Your new role sounds like it may just be another first for a North American paper.
    reply
  • mathewi

    8 months ago

    Thanks, Jodi.
    reply
  • Leila Boujnane

    8 months ago

    This is very exciting. And about time? No? No doubt you will do awesome. Looking forward to it. Bonne chance (but you won't need it!).
    reply
  • mathewi

    7 months ago

    Thanks a lot, Leila.
    reply
  • Mike McDerment

    7 months ago

    Congrats again Mathew!
    reply
  • mathewi

    7 months ago

    Thanks, Mike.
    reply
  • pacificIT

    7 months ago

    Cool. Good luck Matthew. Go Canada!
    reply
  • mathewi

    7 months ago

    Thanks, Robert.
    reply
  • suthakamal

    7 months ago

    Congrats and best of luck on the new gig Mathew... they couldn't have picked a better guy for the job.
    reply
  • mathewi

    7 months ago

    Thanks, Sutha.
    reply
  • dcress

    7 months ago

    Belated congratulations Matthew. As a longtime fan of your analysis of all things web, I think you're ideally suited to the position.
    reply
  • mathewi

    7 months ago

    Thanks, Doug.
    reply
  • Michael Seaton

    7 months ago

    Well deserved Matthew. You have been a driving force within the changing face of journalism and this is great validation that The Globe gets it. May the force be with you in this new role.
    reply
  • mathewi

    7 months ago

    Thanks a lot, Michael. I'm going to need it :-)
    reply
  • Blaise Alleyne

    7 months ago

    Congrats! I'm excited to see what you'll be able to accomplish!
    reply
  • mathewi

    7 months ago

    Thanks, Blaise.
    reply
  • Jaafer Haidar

    6 months ago

    Congrats Mathew! It'll be a challenge and a great opportunity to make an impact! We've been talking to a few news clients about how to "get their content moving" and found that it works best to introduce easily integrated tools and build toward a totally engaging experience.

    Best of luck!
    reply
  • Jim Kelly

    6 months ago

    Matthew,

    Your new role sounds exciting, but also important to the discussions which take place so vigorously at the Globe.

    Tell me, is there any way to have email submissions checked for name and location? Some people make up ridiculous names and places, and even though their comments seem interesting and sincere, we have no way to know if they are being upfront.

    peace,

    Jim Kelly
    M'Chigeeng, ON
    reply
  • mathewi

    6 months ago

    Thanks, Jim. Unfortunately, we get so many submissions -- thousands every day -- that there's no real way to check names and addresses. That's why we rely on our readers to call the really egregious ones to our attention.
    reply
  • Tom

    6 months ago

    I watched Katherine Weymouth's panel presentation on media business, content, old and new technology etc. from The Aspen Institute. It might be a good things to watch if you haven't done so already. I watched it on a HD TV and received it through ITunes. The questions after her presentations seem equivalent to the G&M comments pages. Increasingly, I'm finding that both the presentation and the questions available to me from such forums have superior content to what I find in G&M stories, and certainly to the comments. It seems ironic is that I'm getting better news analysis content through ITunes than from a national newspaper.

    Through ITunes, I subscribe to CUNY lectures, FORATV, The Institute for Ideas and The Aspen Institute. I'm looking for other sources in and out of ITunes. I go to these forums, and each forum gives me direct access to analysis of topical issues from internationally recognized persons. Persons who pose questions also tend to have genuine credentials.

    Some problems with what you're trying to do that I see are:

    The newspaper isn't delivering the best content for either fast breaking news or analysis.
    Comments to news stories, especially with heavy anonymous moderating, is not an adequate basis for community (On other forums everybody knows when moderators have deleted a post or thread or banned a member).
    The moderation standards have the effect of dumbing-down comments. Quoting sources seems to trigger filters, while making obviously false or unsupported assertions is prohibited under the rules. It's a catch-22.
    Active comments sections to stories frequently are suspended with no explanation and restarted without the original comments. The site continues to accept comments during suspension, which do not subsequently posted.
    I'll stop here.

    Of course, it is often difficult to fit quality content into a space of 2,000 characters for a complex subject, However, the effect of comment management does seem to further reduce content and leave comments that are mainly sloganizing, ideological ranting and personal slagging. Myself, I don't write to interact or receive feedback. I mostly write to practice generating content--within my abilities and talents, for better or worse and I know my on-screen proofing is horrible. I don't expect my comments to be posted, but I do need to find interesting things to think about.

    Increasingly, I'm not finding many things of interest in either the stories or the comments, and the overall nature of the comments seem unattractive as a community. I'm coming to think of the comments as similar to the radio talk show buz (a variation on a carnival freak-show, according to a newsman friend). Cynically, I wonder if the comments work they way they do so as to maximize site traffic, and therefore advertising revenue. The fact that I could think of such a thing is perhaps more telling than the truth of it. Rightly or wrongly, seem to be feeling a bit manipulated and so I'm picking at things and in the process I found alternatives that seem more interesting.

    But really, it all goes back to content. If you start with a content empty story, such as Flaherty's Panic blurb in today's Business Section, how does anybody expect that comments to such as story will be anything but what they are. Taking such stories and comments together, there seems little content and little interest. thee also seems little community feeling except perhaps for ideologues and the socially bewildered. Unfortunately, I am describing how the G&M is coming to be branded for me.

    I don't know. Good luck with what you're trying to do.
    reply
  • mathewi

    6 months ago

    Thanks, Tom. Those are some good points, and many of the things you're suggesting are things we are already thinking hard about. I appreciate your input.
    reply
  • Tom

    6 months ago

    A follow-on to my recent comment:

    Today I posted a comment to the auto bail-out story as a test. I mainly wanted to pass along a link to a video of a panel of economists speaking on "What is Capitalism Good For." I believe that what I wrote is beyond any stretch of breaking the moderation rules and was relevant to the subject. My post has not appeared.

    It might be good to think of what kind of community exists if an anonymous force decides who gets to speak and decides what everybody else gets to read. Such things seem the roles of parents. If members of a group are deprived of their own adulthood of deciding what they wish to witness or ignore, what is the nature of community? It might also be good to think of the role of the media in supposedly free societies. Is there a watershed between role and entertainment, for example.

    Basically, the effect of how the forums work at present is aa a community of exchange bounded by anonymous censorship. Talk forums that have endured do not work like this. The moderation on these forums is visible and highly so. The forums take responsibility for their censorship. Something that is written is posted and then censored. A form of community seems possible. It might be good realize that no discussion is possible without censorship but community as we think of it may be compromised if Censorship is not visible. It might be good to think about what is the purpose of the Censorship here.

    But, in my comment I am again only practicing to generate my own version of content. Any change that might happen in the forum is now too late for me. There are too many places where I can practice within the bounds of civility, post my stuff and be left to be read or ignored by the other members at their discretions.

    My view is that we have in our culture an agonizing flood of information but a crisis of meaning. The writer, van der Post, wrote much the same over 30 years ago, and also said that we have kept the Descartes but thrown away the Pascal in our modern culture. Perhaps that is why meaning remains a scarce, precious and hoarded commodity today. Katherine Weymouth said much the same thing recently during an Aspen Institute forum.

    We drown in information. News events are information. Opinions and attitude are information. Most media communications and especially advertising, is information. Information is what we protect ourselves from in modern times. We talk directly to each other as peers in communities. Sometimes in communities we might find some meaning that goes a bit beyond ourselves. Such meaning could be called content. It is the stuff of community.

    As you can see, I am entirely self-indulgent and inclined toward the fruitcake, and now I am out of here. The business model performs admirably.

    You might think about trying to put some meat around this idea of community. Regards.
    reply
  • mathewi

    6 months ago

    Thanks, Tom. I am already thinking about trying to "put meat around this idea of community," as you put it. As for your comment not appearing, we don't manually moderate comments before they appear at all -- we simply don't have the manpower -- so there was likely some kind of glitch that prevented your comment from showing up. That occasionally happens.
    reply
  • bernieschmidt

    6 months ago

    Hi Matthew, how can we help you be successful, and how do you see "success" being defined at this stage?

    regards, bernie
    reply
  • mathewi

    6 months ago

    Those are both excellent questions, Bernie -- I am still in the process of finding answers :-)
    reply

Add New Comment

Returning? Login