Internet still drawing people in for details

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Paul Andrews <paul () paulandrews com>
Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 23:03:36 -0700
To: dave () farber net


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/134670233_paul07.ht
Ml

Internet still drawing people in for details




If diversity of content is driving the Internet for music and movies as
we've discussed in recent columns, then the question naturally arises: What
about prose? 

When it comes to the written word ‹ news and information ‹ the same process
seems to be at work. There's an abundance of print and broadcast media
available, and unlike movies and music, a lot of it is free. Yet readers
still turn to the Internet.

And many argue that despite a lack of editorial and accuracy standards, the
Net provides information more meaningful to their point of view. Not that
there's much original content on the Net ‹ most of it consists of links to
or reprints of published print material ‹ but e-mail lists, Web logs and
other mechanisms tailor content to reader needs.

It's tough to measure the Net's impact on news and public opinion. But there
are cases where its role is acknowledged. Michael Moore believes his best
seller "Stupid White Men" would never have been published without a
librarian's e-mail list raising a ruckus.

Web logs were credited for disseminating Trent Lott's remarks at a tribute
to retiring Sen. Strom Thurmond, leading to Lott's resignation as Senate
majority leader. More recently, e-mail lists circulating reports about
Richard Perle's conflicts of interest foreshadowed his resignation as
chairman of the Defense Policy Board.

Another example comes in an e-mail list moderated by David Farber and
disseminated among 20,000 to 25,000 readers. Farber, a University of
Pennsylvania telecommunications professor, said his list has been likened to
a daily newspaper ‹ only one distributed in bits and pieces.

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