Paper Proposal
Despite the fact that the Internet affects nearly everything we do these days, certain institutions have still not reconciled it with their traditional practices. For instance, many newspapers continue to use a typical front-page layout for their home page, many post stories directly to the Internet without altering the text at all and some offer original content on the Web. Some charge for archival content, while others offer all content free of charge. The newspaper industry does not seem to have determined a formula for how best to utilize the Internet.
With circulation numbers declining, many newspapers have looked at ways to gain readership among young people. Many young people use the Web as a primary source for information and entertainment. If newspapers could harness this power, instead of fearing it, they could avoid the death of newspapers. Some newspapers have embraced the Web as a tool, rather than viewing it as a threat, but it remains to be seen whether their efforts have paid off.
While I cannot tell whether newspapers’ strategies to use the Web will pay off in the long run (I am not a fortune teller), I can analyze the way different newspapers use the Web. Based on the readings for class, and future research, I will determine which tactics may work better than others.
I would like to look at newspapers of different sizes: a national paper, such as the New York Times or USA Today; a large metropolitan paper, such as the Atlanta Journal Constitution or the News and Observer; and a small local paper, such as The Roxboro Courier-Times or the Southern Pines Pilot. Since I worked at a small newspaper, I am personally interested to see how these smaller newspapers utilize the Web.
I am sure that, as I search for literature, I will find plenty of articles on how newspapers use the Web, but I am hoping that a comparison of large and small newspapers will offer something new to the body of literature.
My research questions are as follows:
How do newspapers use their Web sites?
Do large newspapers and small newspapers use their Web sites differently?
How?
I expect to find that smaller Web sites will have more free content available online, where larger newspapers (like the New York Times) will have more pay-as-you-go content. I also expect to find, however, that larger newspapers will be more Web-saavy and they will incorporate findings from usability studies to make their Web sites more accessible to potential readers. I would like to see if, based on Web site evaluations, larger newspapers have more user-friendly Web sites.
posted by Robin Roger @ 5:35 PM
1 Comments:
Robin,
I like the topic (what's not to like), and I think your method will work, provided you have some systematic way to evaluate the sites, a rubric you can evenly apply to all the sites you look at. The first part of your task, reflected in the first question, is pure description. That's fine, but don't spend too much time there and not enough in analysis >> the SO WHAT? part of your paper.
How papers use online differently is interesting, also very vague. So focus on a few parameters or categories and measure across your population, which i like for its diversity. Think much about WHY, as well. And allow the research already done inform this part of your project.
A big caution. The last graph of what you expect to find could get you into trouble, and for two reasons. First, assumptions can be dangerous in coloring or polluting evaluation of findings. I urge you to empty your head of expectations. Second, the kinds of things you expect to find will be hard to test or confirm or deny based on the approach you describe.
How will you know who is doing usability studies? How, for instance, will you be able to empirically say that the NYTimes.com web staff is more web savvy than, say, the Smalltown News.com staff? (the differences in what you see online, for example, would be better explained by sheer manpower [and womanpower] and financial resources than anything else. the nytimes has 120 people devoted to online editorial alone. smalltown news will likely have one or half of one. who is more web savvy? i don't know that that matters. so be really careful in this area.
shooot any followup questions across. you're cleared for takeoff.
Post a Comment
<< Home