Can the newspaper business really change?

So many of you have spoken with me in the offices about the newspaper industry and the changes of the last few years. From my discussions with you, as well as with a few publishing people I know, I was convinced that the industry was on its last legs.

But then I learned about the Ben Franklin Project

Right here in our backyard, Journal Register Company and their new CEO John Paton are taking a fresh look at every detail of the publishing industry. They are calling their effort the "Ben Franklin Project" after the famous inventor who never was content with doing things the "old way". I offer you a link to their detailed description but I would like to cite one paragraph from the explanation of the idea.

"All of this will start with the assigning process. To truly engage our readership we must know they are interested in reading, watching and consuming what is reported. The legacy measurements of circulation, sales and even the modern metrics of unique visitors and page views only measure reader interest after the fact. By providing a platform where users can suggest stories, vote for story assignments and/or opening contribute (information, sources, data, etc.), the Ben Franklin Project will create an open-sourced assignment desk. And, the process will continue as readers track story developments online. Stories that not judged worthy by the audience could be dismissed while those that may have been dismissed under a legacy model could find new life."

So why am I taking time on Memorial Day to talk to you about all this? Why is it important to you? Because it may...may...be the change the newspaper business has been looking for. Turning journalism on it's ear; putting the end user in the beginning of the news gathering cycle instead of just at the end.

But, it may also be interesting for us as real estate professionals in JRC's back yard. By learning about the project, by understanding the concepts and the tools, we may just be able to become the local experts in an ever-expanding medium. If you've ever introduced yourself at a cocktail party, then you already know that everyone likes to talk about real estate; if the news gathering mechanism changes so that readers are determining assignments then perhaps real estate news bleeds deeper into traditional news. We'll see.