BBCWorld Service has teamed up with blogging platform Livejournal.com for Live Report, a global project that provides a blogging platform for the Russian-speaking blog community. This project aims to strengthen user-generated content, connecting bloggers with the BBC Russian website bbcrussian.com.

Stephan Grootenboer, BBC World Service business development manager, Russia, said, "The BBC is keen to expand engagement with social media and reflect user-generated content in its output. Partnership with LiveJournal manifests the changing nature of BBC Russian as it uses new platforms to reach its audiences. With Live Report project, we are breaking new ground which will help us reinforce links with Russia's vibrant and quickly growing blogging community."

There is now a BBC-branded area on Livejournal, which will link the blogging community to stories on bbcrussian.com. Users can read the stories, then return to Live Report to post comments, articles, photos, videos, etc. on their blogs.

The BBC will also keep their eye out for budding reporters, no matter their location, and select the most compelling blog posts for publication in its output.

"We hope their contributions will bring us news and insights that are often bypassed by mainstream journalism. This new community will present us with witness reports and personal views from across Russia which may be selected for publication on bbcrussian.com and the BBC's other international news and information websites," said Zoya Trunova, editor of bbcrussian.com.

Livejournal has over 9 million users per month and over 1.5 million registered accounts in Russia. The community has 365 new members since last month's pilot launch of Live Report.

Source: Media Network