New home for thought leaders on blogosphere

According to M&G Online strategist Vincent Maher, www.thoughtleader.co.za presents a solution for readers looking for high-quality writing but who don't have the time to search for it online. Writers include M&G journalists, columnists and other writers, commentators, intellectuals and opinion makers across various industries and political spectrums, as well as some of the country's up-and-coming writers. All contributions are edited by Riaan Wolmarans, online editor for the M&G.

Speaking about the M&G's Web 2.0 and social media strategy, Maher explains that the role of the print media is changing rapidly and that there are early indicators that print media circulation will follow the same declining trend visible in other parts of the world.

“Constant innovation”

“Our social media strategy is as much a product of the constant innovation we're engaged in here as it is an expression of the true origins of journalism and the role the publisher plays in a democracy,” says Maher. “Media is about informing and connecting communities. People want to read, write and interact with each other in a meaningful way and stop passively staring at a screen.”

“Thought Leader is the third part of our three-step blogging strategy. The first was to aggregate and measure the local blogosphere, which we did via www.amatomu.com. The second was to provide a hosting platform for blogs, which we did via www.amagama.com. The final step, and the most challenging, was to create a hybrid between a group blog and a more traditional opinion and editorial site that we could really throw our reputation behind as a quality news source,” says Maher.

All of this, according to Maher, is a dress rehearsal for the redevelopment of the M&G web site, which is the biggest online newspaper web site in South Africa according to the Online Publisher's Association, and the integration of social media best practices, possibly including multimedia.

Asked about the M&G's multimedia strategy, he says, “If we want to compete with television we'd create a TV station, because that's where the viewers are. We'll do it when the market is ready and more people have access to broadband. Right now we want to contribute to democracy, not further entrench elites.”