Fascinating. I had no idea the NYT engineering Dept was so huge.
Originally shared by Jeff Bates
The leaked New York Times digital innovation piece is really really interesting reading, in particular given my previous work. One of the most salient points that was pointed out was “Only one percent of readers write comments and only three percent of readers read comments. Our trusted-commenter system, which we hoped would increase engagement, includes just a few hundred readers.”
The thing about that is that that percentage of readers who write comments on NYT is really close to the percentage of Slashdot readers who would submit stories. Sure, back when I was still there much much higher percentages of people would read comments – or even post them. But the 1-3% of readers in most news publications are the ones who end up creating the vast vast amount of content.
Why does this matter to you? Because look at where you are reading, look around at Twitter. Remember when people said they were “netizens”?
Meh. I could also just be cranky and tired from being on this plane so late, and another hour to go.
There’s a LOT of information in this article. I feel like I have to go back and read it again.