Perfect 10

Newspapers are sexy. The Internet told me so.

The reality show Project Runway — some kind of fight to the death to be the last fashion designer standing — had competitors make dresses out of newspapers.

OK, that’s not such a good example.

Social media blog jeffbullas.com made a list of reasons why businesses are slow to sign up for social networking. Reason No. 10 is they still believe traditional media is bigger. Their ignorance is our bliss!

The newspaper industry turned a blind eye 20 years ago that its business model had to change. People received news and information from sources other than print, and they took valuable advertising dollars with them. Here’s the irony. Corporations that are still buying ads are slow to realize social media is an option for them.

This gives us a window of opportunity to turn online newspapers into social media mavens with strong interaction with our readers; their customers. When business finally jumps on board, we should be an online option for them to get the word out about their products or services.

The blog says other reasons businesses are slow to use social media is fear of the unknown. They don’t know enough about it. They think the information being traded is useless. They don’t want to devote time or resources to it. They believe customers don’t use it.

Newspapers have lost their appeal, but I think there’s a way to get it back with a shiny new digital makeover thanks in part to social networking. Some online newspapers are still a 3 dressed up as a 9 — Trooper — but there’s no reason we can’t become a 10.

The Hyper Journalist

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