These new initiatives come as a response to the growing importance of 'interactivity' in the news process. Chris Tolles, vice president of marketing, said the following about Topix’s new initiatives: "The nature of news is changing as interactivity comes into play ... The number of people blogging and wanting to participate seems to be an opportunity.''

The hope is that the new features on the website will attract more traffic and more advertising, increasing revenue.  

CEO of Topix, Rich Skrenta "believes the site will appeal to users in areas not well-served by mainstream media sources who may be reluctant to start their own blog."

Officials at Topix hope that its pages "can become hubs for community discussions about whatever is relevant to people." However, analysts say this could prove difficult, because "Topix is not the local news brand -- that distinction goes to local TV stations or newspapers."

Susan Mernit believes "the bigger opportunity for Topix may lie in helping its newspaper partners make their sites more interactive, an area where newspapers have lagged." She said: "My sense is the greatest opportunity will come with some affiliation with a local brand."

Dan Gillmor states that what is significant about this story is the fact that Topix is owned by newspaper publishers (Gannet, Tribune and Knight Ridder). He comments: "This is another move toward a world where what the readers know -- and tell each other -- is a vital part of the news flow. I've said for some time that traditional mass media could have a huge role in this emerging sphere. Maybe they're about to try."


Source: MercuryNews, Bayosphere