
What would a newspaper look like if it were invented today? - davidedicillo
http://smokingapples.com/asides/what-would-a-newspaper-look-like-if-it-were-invented-today/
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pedalpete
Maybe I'm missing the really innovative stuff here. The save for later is
nice, but the recommendations, comments and UI aren't groundbreaking.

The reason I read a physical paper or watch the news on TV is because unlike
most digital formats, I end up getting introduced to issues that aren't
normally on my radar. This is the I have problem with much of the digital news
where I would just click on what interests me.

With a regular newspaper, multiple articles sharing a single page, and the
effort of changing a page (let's face it, it isn't like flipping through a
magazine) there is enough resistance that I find myself spending a few extra
seconds at least scanning the first few lines of every article on the page and
sometimes I get sucked in and end up learning some amazing things.

For me, this is one thing that digital just can't do. Clicking and swiping is
just too easy and too fast.

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jhickner
This concept doesn't do the question justice. It's just a digital repackaging
of the standard once-daily newspaper. The problem with newspapers isn't the
packaging.

The periodical arose because of printing costs and distribution time. You need
to run the presses all night to print a morning edition, so at most there's
going to be one issue per day.

If the newspaper were reinvented today it wouldn't have those constraints. It
certainly wouldn't be a once-daily edition.

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bradleyland
Flip that perspective on its head. Why are websites updated continuously?
Because we can, and because it would actually require more work/thinking to do
so on the more traditional newspaper release approach.

However, I do think there are merits of the edited "digest" format inherent to
a print release cycle. My RSS reader is a great example of the shortcomings of
a continuous release cycle. It's a fire hose of information because there is
no editorial intermediary. Social aggregator sites like Hacker News, Reddit,
and once upon a time, Digg, provide a distributed method of determining the
value of content, but I find they lack consistently. The dynamic of the
community changes over time. Just look at what happened to Digg. Look at the
changes and cycles that Reddit and Hacker News go through.

As I drown in the stream from the fire hose on a daily basis, I am
increasingly willing to pay for the benefits of browsing a curated view of the
news. A skilled editor acts as a filter and adds value by providing
commentary. They represent a layer that is missing in todays internet. We are
all our own editors. Consider how inefficient that is.

Think of websites that consist mainly of links to other news/content. Jason
Kottke's blog is a great example. He doesn't focus on one particular topic,
but most of the things he posts are interesting to people who are "in to" the
internet. John Gruber is an example of a more focused approach. He covers
Apple almost exclusively. His blog is a stream of links with short editorial
content, punctuated by long, well thought-out opinion pieces. Not everyone
agrees with him, but if you're an Apple fan, his site is a must-read.

Imagine building a team of Jason Kottkes and John Grubers, all focused on
their specialty, along with an editorial hierarchy to consolidate and filter
the information. What have you got? You've got a newspaper. The answer isn't
more content, it's less.

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zeeone
Lost me at the moment he said "You can connect to your social networks ... "

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zwentz
Agreed. The narrator just got finished saying, "...over the din of the
internet.", and then in the very next sentence they show little notifications
with "connect to your social networks"? I don't see anything new or innovative
about this interface at all. Their classified UI looked pretty sharp though.

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garyrichardson
Inspiring video. I doubt it will catch on though.

I'm a 29 year old that still reads the paper ever morning. If I could get my
local paper on my iPad in this format, I'd be quite happy.. especially with
the ability to feed back to the writers -- I thought that was particularly
cool.

I read the newspaper because it isn't google reader -- there is an editor
filtering the crap for me. I can't help but feel that if local newspapers use
this technology there will be too many internet memes slipping in. Sometimes,
less is more.

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x0ner
I like the concept behind the app itself, but I wonder how customized you can
make the news itself. If it aims to replicate that of a newspaper then it
seems fair to assume that it will contain mainstream news. I personally enjoy
the freedom of finding my own sources by using the Internet. I know the
writers can't create a news paper for me, but I wonder how if I could add my
own content based on my interest without breaking the feel.

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sandaru1
I'm not particularly sold on the news+ concept, but Smoking Apples blog looks
pretty sharp and nicely written. Adding to the RSS reader.

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DjDarkman
This is just a web app.

