Web natives need to lead Web operations
It’s important for people making decisions on the Web operations of journalism Web sites to be heavy Internet users, be on the cutting edge and be willing to try anything and everything out on their own.
Web native != young. Let’s get that straight. But it usually does, and if you don’t know what that first sentence means, you’re probably not a Web native.
No, people leading journalism Web sites don’t need to be master programmers or multimedia experts. Hardly. But they should at least try — and more importantly, understand — the features they purpose (or shoot down) for their Web sites.
For instance, a lot of people are talking about how we need to make journalism Web sites more social. But if you’re not a user of social networks, how would you ever know what that means? I’ve used a lot of social networks, and I can honestly say that the majority of them I have little use for — and I’m not alone.
Many social networking applications make little sense for journalism. And our users feel the same way. It’s important to be out on the Web and to try new things. It’s also important to see what other people think about new Web applications and services.
Our users are just like the general Web population. How can you really understand what they want in a Web product if our Web leaders aren’t out there among the people?
There are a lot of print holdouts in top Web positions at news organizations around the country. I’d want at least a few Web natives at the top of my organization. I’ve seen newspapers try and purpose a lot of features and changes that make little sense, because I think the people at the top don’t really understand the Web and what users want.
Obviously, it makes sense to have someone who is a good manager at the top of any organization. And as long as that person is in the business of managing — not in the business of trying to create things he may know little about — he’ll probably be an asset to his company.
This doesn’t just mean editorial people. We would be remiss to not remember who controls the purse strings. In fact, many Web operations at journalism organizations are under the business or marketing staffs’ control.
There are several kinds of Web managers that news organizations should be wary of.
- The print guy who wants to save his job - This is the guy who understands that he may not have a print job much longer (usually an editor on the print side, not a content producer). This person is probably not the greatest at what he does on the print side, but he realizes that the Web can be a life boat. So, he volunteers to help out on the Web site (or lead the editorial operations at a smaller newspaper), and his print superiors like the initiative. Unfortunately, he just knows a few HTML tags, thinks CSS is an STD and isn’t a Web native — just a Web opportunist. And he knows the people in charge don’t know any better.
- The Web purgatory guy - This is the guy who was stuck on the Web way back in the day as a form of punishment. He didn’t get along with some of the print higher ups, but he’s not a bad journalist. So, they decided the best way to deal with him was to stick him on the staff that nobody at a newspaper in 1997 wanted to be on — the Web staff. And he’s still there today.
- The marketing maestro - Because journalism companies didn’t take the Web seriously when it arrived, a lot of editors and publishers thought of the Web as more of a marketing tool. Thus a lot of journalism Web operations are controlled by the marketing staff. If your content site is headed up by a marketing person, your content probably sucks. Therefor, your Web site probably sucks. But boy does it ever have a lot of promotions and ads on it.
- The print guy who thought the job sounded like fun - He’s not an opportunist, but he’s just as clueless. Some high up editor asks this guy if he wants to work on the “new” online desk. And this guy thinks it will be fun. It’s not his fault, but this is what happens when you have the blind leading the blind.
I mean honestly would you stick a bunch of Web people with little print experience in charge of a print publication? I guess if you wanted to fail you might consider that a viable option.
Let’s be real here: Web operations can only thrive when they are staffed by people who get the Web and enjoy using the Web. These are people who categorically prefer the Web over print publications. If this doesn’t describe your journalism organization, then you are doing something wrong.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Every time I give my lectures, I make it a point to tell editors and such that they need to hire technologists to run their digital operations. It’s not enough to simply move a copy editor or a reporter and put them in charge of the web operation.
Otherwise…well, I think we know what the otherwise is.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:05 am
[...] I think the majority of online news managers I have met fit this description. There are a lot of print holdouts in top Web positions at news organizations around the country. I’d want at least a few Web natives at the top of my organization. I’ve seen newspapers try and purpose a lot of features and changes that make little sense, because I think the people at the top don’t really understand the Web and what users want. (Pat Thornton, May 5) [...]
May 6th, 2008 at 9:12 am
This is your best post ever, Pat. Well, close to it.
I love your list of four types — I have met ALL those guys! They have been ruining the Web sites of almost every newspaper in the entire U.S. for 10 years already — and they’re still there, doing the same terrible job!
May 6th, 2008 at 11:31 am
I’ve had the good fortune to work closely with three medium-to-large daily newspaper web operations and at two of the three *absolutly no one* in the web management chain has any prior web experience.
It is, I think, a major liability that these papers are submitting themselves to at a time when they just can’t afford it.
It’s not that these folks are stupid, far from it. In almost every case they are exceedingly bright, smart people who grasp web concepts quickly. This is good, but I can’t help but think that the Googles, the Craig’s Lists and the Everyblock’s all have bright, smart people who DON’T have to be “brought up to speed” to be competitive (i.e.: taught culture).
Other web operations are entering the race running while these newspapers are still struggling with walking.
Now, for my part, I recognize that standing up and fighting against some of these people’s ascension would be career suicide. There are a number of factors that go into choosing someone internal for a job that should require someone from outside the print sphere, and none of them are things I can change.
The approach I’m taking is to instead recognize and use the strengths of these folks who have 20 years newspaper experience — yes, 20 years of newspaper experience DOES in fact count for something even on the web — and even though they have never blogged, or have not logged in to their Facebook account since they created it and I’ve had to explain Twitter to them for the 12th time, I still try to find ways to see these folks as resources, not liabilities.
At least this is what I’m telling myself.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
“The approach I’m taking is to instead recognize and use the strengths of these folks who have 20 years newspaper experience — yes, 20 years of newspaper experience DOES in fact count for something even on the web.”
—
Thanks for not throwing us all overboard. Some of us former Dead Tree types actually do embrace this stuff.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Great post.
My 2c : The manager needs to have *some* knowledge, true, however it is much more important that the minions under that manager are knowledgeable.
I once worked on a tech/design team where the manager was almost completely clueless, but he was a great manager because:
1) He USED his employees’ knowledge to make decisions.
2) He gave us (the people with knowledge and skill in the field) the freedom to guide the decision making process.
May 7th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
@Mindy,
Thanks for the kind words. I find the Web purgatory guy to be the worst. I can’t believe people thought so little of the Web that they made working for it a punishment. I also can’t believe those people are now some of the top Web editors at many newspapers.
@Marc,
You are right. Newspapers biggest online competitors (which aren’t traditional journalism companies) don’t need to bring anyone up to speed. They are all led by Web natives. Brillant, Web natives. That’s why newspapers have to stop doing hand holding. If you don’t know what you’re doing, get out of the way.
I salute your ability to see dead weight as a resource.
But seriously, some people are great managers, and it is these people who can survive online, as long as they don’t try to be more than what they are. Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, doesn’t possess Brin or Page’s technological skills, but he is a very talented manager.
It’s when you get non-Web natives talking out of their ass about the Web when things go sour for newspapers. Far too many people at newspapers pretend to know what people want on the Web. These are people dragging down newspapers the most.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Too funny. You brightened an otherwise frustrating day.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I agree web natives should run the operations.
I disagree that only the young, non newspaper-types can be web natives. Don’t punish the curious for their bill-paying jobs.
I think a bigger problem are web sites restricted to corporate templates and approvals.
May 11th, 2008 at 5:48 am
[...] only have to look at Pat Thornton’s descriptions of the four states of newspaper turned digital leaders to realise that, amusing as they are, I [...]
May 11th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
[...] when I say “Web natives need to lead Web operations,” I don’t just mean people who were born with laptops in their cribs. Anyone can become [...]
May 11th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
[...] Web natives need to lead Web operations [...]
May 12th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
[...] I was really taken by Sarah Hartley’s post riffing off Pat Thornton and resenting having to be a digital immigrant. Don’t see us as immigrants, embrace us as [...]
May 17th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
[...] Now the tide is turning. People are beginning to realize that journalists need technology skills. But the tide can only fully turn when management begins to reflect demographics and when we Web staffs are filled with Web people. [...]
May 31st, 2008 at 1:53 pm
[...] Web natives need to lead Web operations: I mean honestly would you stick a bunch of Web people with little print experience in charge of a [...]