Tim Howell’s Weblog

The erosion of traditional media continues, with the New York Times reporting that CNet’s financial future is uncertain.

Years ago – and we’re going back to the late nineties here – I used to diligently read CNet’s News.com news service virtually every hour. News.com was comprehensive in its coverage of the tech industry, across all facets, and met my news requirements for the best part of a decade. Not only did they break news first, there was also analysis, lengthy and detailed features, and – most of all – the site was considered authoritative in this area. I relied on News.com to be the first and best resource for giving me the news I needed.

As we all know, over the past few years the media industry has been impacted by online media, with the arrival of multiple online sources, including blogs. With the arrival of these, and the emergence of RSS, my news consumption habits have changed.

Going back to News.com, I’ve very rarely visited this site in recent years: I’ve found it to offer dated information, from fewer writers, and its focus has diverged from the things that I’m interested. I’ve located alternative resources for tech news and information, many of these blogs, whose writers either directly create the content or point me to the stories I need.  Typically, I don’t visit the web sites themselves either – rather, I consume the feeds with Google Reader or the feed reader within Outlook 2007.

As a result, my approach to getting news has changed:

• I use Techmeme to give me the significant stories of the day. News tends to break here early, and important stories rise to the top of the page as more people report and comment on a piece of news. With the velocity and volume of news, Techmeme has replaced News.com in guiding me to where news is breaking.
• I read dozens of blogs – time permitting – including obvious choices such as TechCrunch and the GigaOm Network, New Zealand blogs such as Rod’s and Geekzone, and a more eclectic mix of news, start-up, finance, analyst and technology sites, amongst others. My current interests are in start-ups, marketing and – more broadly – technology and media trends, so my focus is on sites that service these areas; in six months time it could well be different.
• And, so that I don’t ignore the other world events, I continue to glance through Stuff, the New York Times and other traditional publications when time permits.

Media is changing and it will be those sites and services which offer timely, accurate and authoritative information that will survive. In recent years the quality of media here in New Zealand has really diminished, and there are ample opportunities in this area right now.

Where do you get your news from? Tech news or otherwise?