Vadim Lavrusik reports that since being purchased by MSNBC.com last year @BreakingNews has expanded into mobile apps and is now turning its focus to crowdsourcing more of the news.
The breaking news alert service recently released apps for the iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 and is coming soon to Blackberry devices and the iPad.
Lavrusik writes the new crowdsourcing features on the service’s website are designed to allow readers to submit eyewitness accounts, either via Twitter, YouTube or one of three different photo sharing sites. Those user submissions will be viewable in the site’s main news stream at the viewer’s choice.
Lavrusk notes that the crowdsourcing options are not yet available on the site’s mobile apps, but Cory Bergman, director of product development at MSNBC and a member of the Poynter National Advisory Board, told him they “are currently building it and … [it] will make the process even more seamless.”
