"We are at the beginning"
When it comes to blogs, many media companies rely on outside providers. Roger Fischer's company, Kaywa, is the go-to provider for this in Switzerland.
dependent on external parties. Roger Fischer's company Kaywa is based in Switzerland.
is the first port of call for this. WW: Why do you recommend that publishers "enrich" their Internet portals with weblogs?
Roger Fischer: Most
Media underestimate that their readers, listeners or viewers
have something to say. And when it comes to special topics, media users are
often better informed than the journalists. Does the audience have the
possibility of communicating via weblog, this also creates a closer
Binding. One example: Since the German regional newspaper Trierischer
Volksfreund has such an offer available, people linger around
seven times longer on the website - because they are not only
but can also produce content themselves.
WW: Weblogs
and mass media sometimes follow very different rules:
here the individual writer with a strict first-person perspective, there the
objectivity. Why should the two get along?
Fischer: Also
the mass media are familiar with writing from the first-person perspective, one
Just think of columns. Precisely because of the first-person perspective, these
texts are read. Weblogs are no different. Secondly
the best journalists are either unable to get there or only with a great deal of time.
certain information. If freelance correspondents or
When citizen journalists fill this gap, it increases their appeal.
Of course, the one or other weblog post has to be researched and
be edited.
WW: In
Switzerland, two current weblog success stories play out in the
French-speaking Switzerland, as the examples Bondyblog from Hébdo and BleuBlog from Le
Matin Bleu show. Are there regional linguistic differences?
Fischer: The
Bondyblog from Lausanne's Hébdo gives the Parisian banlieue a voice,
fantastic! At BleuBlog, it's more a question of mentality. We
The German-speaking Swiss are not particularly talented at dealing with
language. Generally speaking, the Romands are also more communicative.
This trend is also reflected elsewhere: in France, there are
there are around 2.5 million people who keep a weblog in
Germany is only 400,000.
WW: Are weblogs a possible way out of the weakening online business for publishers?
Fischer: Weblogs
bring higher online usage, a longer time spent online and a
better search engine positioning. This allows online advertising space
more expensive. But nothing comes from nothing. You have to
position itself strategically and either occupy a clear niche or
then build a real community.
Interview: Nick Lüthi
