On June 7, the Guardian announced (free registration required) that they will switch to a "Web first" service. The Guardian claim that this marks "a significant departure from the established routine of newspaper publishing where stories are held for once-a-day publishing."
But it's not easy to see where the significant departure will take them. Further down in the same article, it says that "some exclusive stories will continue to be held back for the newspaper to maintain the quality levels of the print version"
The way I read it, this strategy is not really "Web first" unless the news story is a common story that's out there anyway.
It remains to be seen how many Guardian articles will be treated as exclusive, and thereby go "paper first."
Don't get me wrong, I think the paper version should feature some exclusive stories first. That's how the paper stays fresh and strong. But the really interesting shift will come when exclusive stories -- and I mean the prestigious exclusive stories -- are launched first on the site.
In my work, I deal with four distinct archetype models of publishing for exclusive stories:
- Value Model: Exclusive stories are published first wherever the audience is most valuable.
- Story Model: The exclusive story breaks in whichever channel is best suited according to that channel's strengths and weaknesses.
- Speed Model: Any story breaks in the fastest channel.
- Channel Model: A story follows the channel where it arose. (The good old nothing-has-changed model.)
In my opinion, The Guardian is trying to look like a "Speed Model" organization, while in reality they admit to being a "Value Model" organization. Or at least switching between the two. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just that it doesn't seem right to claim to be something you're not. Any organization benefits from a realistic view of its own practices and strategies.
While it is hard to argue with this post, it...
