Liveblogging the UK AOP conference

Posted by Martin Stabe on 4 October 2006 at 09:59
Tags: Craigslist, Guardian, Journalism, Online, UK AOP

9:30 I’m at UK Association of Online Publishers’ conference in London, where outgoing chairman, Haymarket’s Bill Murray, has just welcomed Simon Waldman of Guardian Media Group as the new chairman.

Waldman says AOP has changed dramatically from its start four years ago, when, he says, it was little more than a group of shoulders for online publishers to cry on because nobody in our business cares about the Internet.

“These are exciting and frightening times for the media owners,” Waldman says, as “traditional business models begin to creak”.

“We are all beginners”, says Waldman. “Rarely has there been a time when so many have faced so much radical change.”

9:40 As an example of what Waldman said, the BBC’s Torin Douglas recaps two stories from the Today programme that underline Waldman’s points: the impending launch of online TV station 18 Doughty Street and Blair and Brown’s agreement not to increase the BBC licence fee above the rate of inflation, along with yesterday’s news from Nielson/Netratings about lack of consumer awareness about new media terms.

9:45 Carolyn McCall, chief executive of GMG, begins her keynote.

McCall says the Guardian’s online video offerings will consist of more than just video content from PA or Reuters. Instead, original video from the group’s production company Guardian Films will be edited for use on the web.

The Guardian is to be the leading liberal voice in the world, says McCall. It is both a creative and commercial goal. This is only possible because of the Internet. Inconcievable 5 years ago. Engement with users is essential to remaining relevant if puiblishers don’t want to be mere content providers for aggregators.

10:15: In the Q&A, McCall is asked how journalists have responded to the Guardian’s digitial strategy. “Journalists are curious peoplep and are curious about the new way of working, so they are not a monolithic or homog greoup,” she says. Some will always embrace new technology early and see it as another way get their content to a wider audience.

For the rest, journalists don’t like being told what to do. It’s best for publishers to engage with them and explain explain that there is an imperative to do this in order to be a player at all in the future.

“You can’t underestimate how much giving journalists the tools they need helps,” she says, citing the new newsroom for the Manchester Evening News.