The New York Times does not use Web metrics to determine how articles are presented, but it does use them to make strategic decisions about its online report, said Bill Keller, the executive editor. “We don’t let metrics dictate our assignments and play,” he said, “because we believe readers come to us for our judgment, not the judgment of the crowd. We’re not ‘American Idol.’
Some Newspapers Shift Coverage After Tracking Readers Online - NYTimes.com
This quote exemplifies the old thinking of the NY Times and many popular new outlets.
Executive Editor Bill Keller thinks that the readers come to them for their judgment, not the judgment of the crowd - wow. This sounds almost anti-customer. Given the huge range of competition for attention, the NY Times still thinks they can sit back and let the crowd come to them.
I understand the mission of newspapers, and the need to have an informed society. But one thing Rupert Murdoch gets, whether you agree with it or not, is that if you give the people what they want (however trashy, gossipy, smutty, etc. it is) they will keep coming back.
Readers don’t just want to be informed; they want to be entertained.
Online metrics give newspapers the extraordinary ability to better understand their customers. Whether they choose to listen or not is up to them.
Mass Web content companies like Demand Media and Associated Content may follow the metrics too blindly, but there is A LOT that mainstream media could learn from them.
