Slashdot Mirror
MySpace Takes on Google News and Digg
cyberianpan writes "According to a Times Online article, MySpace is going into the news business. They'll soon be premiering a service that will scour the internet for news stories and let users vote on which ones receive the most exposure. This approach blends elements of Google News and sites such as Digg and Netscape, which rely on readers to submit stories and determine their prominence. One could see where this might be the 'holy grail' of internet news. Not only will you be able to tap into the wisdom of the crowds, but ultimately your recommended stories could be influenced by the likes and dislikes of your friends/heroes."
Again, and again, and again...., American Idol a thousand weeks running. who cares?
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
I thought the basic demographic of heavy MySpace users were the same group that never talk about the news unless its sponsored by a cosmetics company or MTV?
Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
Wisdom of the crowds? When you get a crowd, wisdom is the opposite of what you have. To paraphrase an entertaining little movie, only because I'm too lazy go to look it up properly, a person is smart. People are dumb, panicky animals and you know it.
Here on slashdot, supposedly the site for "news for nerds", the only way we reach anything like wisdom (or even correct information) is for a bunch of people to spout off foolishly and then be corrected incorrectly by people who think they're smart, who are finally properly corrected by someone who knows what they're talking about - usually by which time the story has left the front page.
My first guess is that a myspace news will be far, far worse.
I do think that community-developed media is the future of basically all types of media. But the above quote just makes me snicker.
Do I really want the same news feed as my idol? I mean, since I'm a nerd, if I actually had an idol it would probably be someone whose news page would be interesting. But if I were a typical myspacecase, I'd be reading about basketball shoes and ferraris or something.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Call me a conspiracy theorist
Done and done.
And that's not "ignoring a nagging issue".
The allegations of a silent right wing conspiracy in media is just as ridiculous as the "liberal media" assertions.
For every "editor" somewhere in the machinations of News Corp that has some political leaning, there are plenty of others in News Corp and other large news organizations elsewhere who have the opposite slant, constant rips on FOX News aside.
But if it makes you feel better to think Rupert Murdoch is at the help of an unstoppable right wing conservative mediaopoly bent on getting Republicans into office, by all means, don't stop to think that reality is much more complicated - and usually not quite as simple - as fantasy.
As as for powerful people influencing things? Welcome to the real world.
You're quite right, usually both the left and the right take the same side in a conspiracy.
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
What worries me is the power one man is given without an election. Point me to a conglomerate of "liberal spouting news organizations" run by one man or even one company all spinning the news the same way and I'll be just as critical and upset.
Please do reply to this with an example of 175 editors all working under the same man all coming to the same conclusion about a partisan issue and I'll add them to my list.
Fine, you sit back and take it. I'll bitch about it on Slashdot because I love my free speech.
If you had read that Wikipedia link, you'd notice he has hosted fund raisers for Hillary Clinton. I don't give a rat's ass who the candidate is, if I like them or if I like their party. I just have a problem with him exerting influence through a news dominant stance.
In my eyes, MySpace is just another growth of that iron grasp but apparently you don't agree or care with me about that
My work here is dung.