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MSNBC to Acquire a Chattier News Site

News Type: Event — Seeded on Sun Oct 7, 2007 7:57 PM EDT
Read ArticleArticle Source: The New York Times
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Seeded by Marilyn L

Newsvine looks nothing like the usual news Web site. On a given day, the site can hold dozens of user comments about a British newspaper analysis of trans-Atlantic relations; a first-person essay by an American soldier titled "What My Life in Iraq Is Like" and a link to a new music video by Avril Lavigne. As a social news source, Newsvine directly reflects the interests of its audience by encouraging users to write articles, comment on other articles and post links to relevant sites. And now it is getting a corporate parent: MSNBC Interactive News is expected to announce its acquisition of the company today, in a move that accentuates the increasing importance of community features on news Web sites.

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This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user has on the current conversation. The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera). Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the left, in their corresponding group. Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.
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{"commentId":1080525,"authorDomain":"marilynl"}
Marilyn L

Here it is folks, the New York Times reports on the acquisition of Newsvine by MSNBC:

The deal represents the first acquisition in the 11-year history of MSNBC.com and one of the first times that a leading news Web site has purchased a social news source. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
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  • 1 vote
Reply#1 - Sun Oct 7, 2007 7:59 PM EDT
{"commentId":1080552,"authorDomain":"allpurpose"}
Chello

I expect bigger earnings this month!!!lol

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  • 3 votes
Reply#2 - Sun Oct 7, 2007 8:09 PM EDT
{"commentId":1080572,"authorDomain":"marilynl"}
Marilyn L

Sounds good to me, too, Chello. Just the larger number of visitors should bring that, I'd expect.

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  • 2 votes
#2.1 - Sun Oct 7, 2007 8:15 PM EDT
Reply
{"commentId":1080597,"authorDomain":"jfxgillis"}
jfxgillis

Marilyn:

All I can say is, Thank God this is the NYTimes reporting MSNBC acquiring Newsvine instead of MSNBC reporting the NYTimes acquiring Newsvine!!

{"commentId":1080597,"threadId":"159072","contentId":"1009171","authorDomain":"jfxgillis"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#3 - Sun Oct 7, 2007 8:23 PM EDT
{"commentId":1080603,"authorDomain":"marilynl"}
Marilyn L

You know, I thought it might well be the opposite, and have mentioned that to one or two friends. With the special boxes on NYTimes seeds and all, ya know. So, I was a little surprised at the news.

{"commentId":1080603,"threadId":"159072","contentId":"1009171","authorDomain":"marilynl"}
  • 2 votes
#3.1 - Sun Oct 7, 2007 8:27 PM EDT
{"commentId":1080654,"authorDomain":"jfxgillis"}
jfxgillis

M.L.:

A lot of us had a similar idea. Maybe the NV moneymen got an auction going and the NYT lost.

But believe you me, you don't want the NYT IT people running this tech.

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  • 3 votes
#3.2 - Sun Oct 7, 2007 8:47 PM EDT
{"commentId":1080720,"authorDomain":"caltha-palustris"}
caltha-palustris
But believe you me, you don't want the NYT IT people running this tech.

Oh Jack! The best laugh of the day and the understatement of the millennia. I can't stop laughing....

{"commentId":1080720,"threadId":"159072","contentId":"1009171","authorDomain":"caltha-palustris"}
  • 3 votes
#3.3 - Sun Oct 7, 2007 9:17 PM EDT
Reply
{"commentId":1080615,"authorDomain":"marilynl"}
Marilyn L

Most interesting to Killfile, and many other Viners, is this statement towards the end of the article:

Now, in being purchased by big media, the six employees of Newsvine will have access to MSNBC.com's technology expertise, data servers and sales teams. They will also have ties to the news division of NBC — which potentially raises some journalistic questions for Newsvine's new corporate siblings. When shots were fired at Virginia Tech in April, a Newsvine user whose wife works on the campus posted a news report 22 minutes before The Associated Press, Mr. Davidson said.

Would MSNBC.com publish the user's report? Mr. Tillinghast said it would have to be verified first.

So, citizen journalism may just take another big leap with this announcement.

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  • 7 votes
Reply#4 - Sun Oct 7, 2007 8:30 PM EDT
{"commentId":1081254,"authorDomain":"silkmesh"}
Babel Fish

See the Babel Fish's thoughts on this issue.

Link

I don't want to subscribe

{"commentId":1081254,"threadId":"159072","contentId":"1009171","authorDomain":"silkmesh"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#5 - Mon Oct 8, 2007 12:44 AM EDT
{"commentId":1081272,"authorDomain":"marilynl"}
Marilyn L

Hi Babel Fish,

Somewhere, I'm not sure on which article, Calvin has stated that there's no plan to institute any fees, and that the trend for any news sites that have is that it hasn't worked. So, I don't think there's any worry about fees, though I understand your concern.

{"commentId":1081272,"threadId":"159072","contentId":"1009171","authorDomain":"marilynl"}
  • 3 votes
#5.1 - Mon Oct 8, 2007 12:54 AM EDT
Reply
{"commentId":1081589,"authorDomain":"DrBlockbuster"}
Dr Blockbuster

Dr Blockbuster reserves his judgement.

I don't post on any old rag

:wink:

{"commentId":1081589,"threadId":"159072","contentId":"1009171","authorDomain":"DrBlockbuster"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#6 - Mon Oct 8, 2007 6:08 AM EDT
{"commentId":1081858,"authorDomain":"herberq"}
Herb Berkowitz

There goes the neighborhood.

{"commentId":1081858,"threadId":"159072","contentId":"1009171","authorDomain":"herberq"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#7 - Mon Oct 8, 2007 9:07 AM EDT
{"commentId":1084004,"authorDomain":"DrBlockbuster"}
Dr Blockbuster

Very funny !

{"commentId":1084004,"threadId":"159072","contentId":"1009171","authorDomain":"DrBlockbuster"}
  • 2 votes
#7.1 - Mon Oct 8, 2007 11:44 PM EDT
Reply
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