The Three Ds of New Media
Preface: I came up with this “Three Ds” model in a post to a Radio Userland blog that I had written a few years ago. The blog subsequently died on the vine from neglect on my part. Since then, I’ve referenced the concept in conversations a bunch of times, and I have not been able to locate my original posting via Google or other search mechanisms. Since I think that the approach is still relevant, I’m taking the time to re-write it and post the article here for future reference.
I also believe that this model has relevance to the linkjacking that occurs on community sites such as reddit, which I’ll address at the end. So here we go:
There are three things that are required in moving content from the place where it happens to the eyes and ears of its final downstream consumer. These are what I refer to as The Three Ds of New Media: Discovery, Decoration, and Dissemination. The following is a description of each:
- Content Discovery: This is the work of actually finding and documenting a news story, typically performed by the folks who are first on the scene. Traditional media examples include the AP, newspaper staff reporters, and local network news personnel. Online examples include the author of original web content, or the “live blogging” that takes place at events like MacWorld.
- Content Decoration: This is the analytic, opinion, or comedic spin that the Leno/Colbert/O’Reilly crowd add to the story.
- Content Dissemination:This is the act of communicating the content out to the consumer. Note that this is not the same as being an aggregator, since aggregation isn’t always necessary (such as the real-time blogger mentioned above).
Where it gets interesting is that the Three Ds were largely “bundled” when you read the New York Times, or watched the network news. You bought the New York Times newspaper containing New York Times editorial opinions about stories covered by New York Times reporters. Now, given that there are a number of “news sources” to choose from online, the game has changed and one’s selection of news Discoverer, Decorator, and Disseminator are a function of the consumer’s trust levels and preferences. We are living in an increasingly mashed-up world.
For example, there are lots of folks whose insight and analysis I find interesting and/or useful, but I wouldn’t rely on them for sole-sourcing the authenticity of a story. These are good Decorators, but unproven Discoverers.
Conversely, as the opinions of the editorial page have been gradually creeping into front page in our major newspapers, I continue to trust the Discovery but question the Decoration.
And lastly, as it relates to the community-driven news sites, I don’t care who initially posted the content, so long as it is sourced from a Decorator or Discover (or other Disseminator) that I trust.
These relationships have a tendency to chain, given the number of content aggregators and cross-links among commentary sites. There is also often overlap, as many Decorators also own a channel for Dissemination. Rush Limbaugh is the classic case for overlap: his opinion/content is offered exclusively through his broadcast, and his broadcast is dedicated solely to his opinion/content. The AP home page is an example of the overlap between Discovery and Dissemination.
If we are able to look at news through the prism of the Three Ds and differentiate between the sourcing, commentary, and delivery of content, we may pick-and-choose our content providers somewhat freely, while still having an objective basis for ascertaining the trustworthiness of the content that we receive.
As it relates to the community-driven Disseminators (such as reddit, Digg, etc.), there is the ongoing problem of Linkjacking, a practice where someone finds a story, includes a link to the story (and not much else) in their own weblog, and then post a link to their weblog to reddit, in the interest of using public interest in the story to drive traffic to their website, even though their contribution in the value chain is minimal.
I think that the Three Ds approach provides a reasonable litmus test for posting things that you’ve found elsewhere:
- If you are simply Discovering an article that is already available on the web, then you should post the original article, rather than your weblog entry, to reddit.
- However, if you are Decorating the article with some analysis, perpective, or opinion, then I believe that linking to your weblog is totally appropriate, providing that you cite your source for the content in your weblog entry as well.
With this approach, your linkjacker-ness varies inversely with the quality of your Content Decoration. Here, linkjackers in reddit are akin to TV news analysis programs that offer no thoughtful analysis: Market forces will kick in and they will both find themselves off the air due to the empty nature of their commentary.