Becoming a resource not just a source
The application of ‘best practices’ often means the elimination of habits based on outdated attitudes about reader behavior. The idea web sites should seldom provide links to content off their site - like the idea a newspaper is the only source of local opinion and news - has been a fundamental newsroom belief perpetuated by incorrect and illogical assumptions. The time of its elimination may be at hand.
As the Dallas Morning News online opinion section recently learned, readers not only appreciate the connection to other opinions, but also value the Dallasnews.com as an online resource of contrasting information. They concluded news consumption was a process and today’s reader constantly searches for new ideas and insights.
“That reader wants the most interesting and useful opinions he can find, wherever they come from,” said Rod Dreher editorial columnist editor for the Dallas Morning News. “We want the Opinion page of Dallasnews.com to be a trusted gateway to the best of opinion journalism on the Internet, no matter where it comes from.
It’s not easy to accept the idea readers wish to form their own opinions rather than accept those of a newspaper’s writers. The historic reason for having staff editorialists share their opinions has always been based on a belief the writer for a newspaper is well-informed, has more to say and better ways to say it.
But evidence continues to mount that readers purposely look to at many places for ideas and opinion before reaching their own conclusions. And the more net-savvy the reader, the more likely he or she is to look for information at a variety of times throughout the day.
News grazing, Integrators and Net-Newsers
In an August 2008 survey, the Pew Research Center found a slim majority of Americans (51 percent) now say they check in on the news periodically during the day, rather than at specific times. Using the term “news grazers” to describe this audience, Pew researchers noted it was the first time since this survey of Americans began in 2002 that they labeled themselves this way.
This fit well with the Dallas decision to offer varied off-site materials as it became available.
“We certainly want to give traditional readers a web version of the print product, and we do,” said Dreher. “But we also want to be aggressive about giving readers who are simply looking for the most interesting op-ed material on the web at any particular moment a reason to keep checking back with our page throughout the day.
In the same Pew study, a sizable and growing portion of the news-consuming audience was described as “Integrators” - information-hungry consumers who go to multiple forms of print and web media to get their news fix. When combined with the “Net-Newsers” Pew identified as those who rely primarily on the Internet for news, these two groups made up nearly 40 percent of the news audience.
Only the “Traditionalist” group - those who traditionally get their news from TV - made up a slightly higher percentage of the news audience at 46 percent.
The most interesting characteristic of the Integrator - Net-News group was its shared demographics of high education and high income versus the lower education and income characteristics of the Traditionalists.
Why it makes sense
Dallasnews.com decided to position their online opinion section as a resource populated with many ideas, not a destination containing just those of their opinion writers, because it recognized several important characteristics of its changing audience.
The growing information-seeking audience was in the groups who use the net and other media to collect information from a variety of sources so they can integrate that information while forming their own opinions.
Linking to information on other sites also has a positive affect on the search ranking results of your own site.
Providing links to other sites also produces positive returns on search optimization outcomes and if your readers learn your site is a trusted resource of relevant information, it will be visited with frequency and regularity.
A good example is the Drudge Report, . This site makes a business of engaging the reader with topical news then sends them away to news sites across the web. According to the Nielsen Online statistics for Top 30 news sites for May 2008, drudgereport.com was the top ranked destination with 21.2 sessions per person and 2,709,000 unique audience visits. In June 2008 Nielsen Online listed drudgereport.com on top with time spent on site per person of just less than 60 minutes (59:39 min.).
By helping readers find worthwhile, credible information we support our own position as an important part of their news and opinion consumption habit. The loss of a few page views on a day to day basis will be more than made up for with long term loyalty, frequent visits and longer stays as your readers come back to see what else you have found for them to use as they form their own opinions.
As the newspaper world evolves, so do the roles of the opinion section and its writers. Blogger 
