Headlines for the web need to make sense on their own, as people often access sites via RSS feeds. I wonder how many people were puzzled, amused, shocked or disappointed by the headline on this BBC science story: Perhaps it is no surprise that at the time of writing, this was the most e-mailed and most read story on BBCNews.com

My request to find out how much the BBC has made in advertising revenue since it started putting ads on the international version of its news site, BBC.com, has been rejected (PDF). I filed a Freedom of Information request using the WhatDoTheyKnow site. In its reply, BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, argued that: Disclosure would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of both the BBC and

I was fortunate enough to present my research on how the BBC has integrated blogging in its journalism at the Online Journalism Symposium. The paper, The BBC Goes Blogging: Is ‘Auntie’ Finally Listening?, is available for download as a PDF. Here’s the abstract to provide a taster of the paper: This study examines how the world’s largest news organization, the BBC, has sought to incorporate blogging in its journalism, both

Regular visitors to the homepage BBC News website were in for a surprise on Monday as they fired up their browsers. The site has had a facelift and feels rejuvenated. Much of the navigation hasn’t changed but it is wider and uses white space so that stories have room to breathe. This is how editor Steve Herrmann described the changes: So our designers embarked on a mission that they have

From the BBC Internet blog, which offers insights into how the corporation is changing for a digital world: 2008 will become the breakthrough year for the BBC’s interactive audience facing services. The biggest ticket item we are working on is a complete refresh of our backend infrastructure. While this is fairly boring stuff for the average consumer, without it, we cannot move things forward. It is true that the average

The head of the newly integrated BBC News operation, Peter Horrocks, offers an insight into his take on citizen journalism in a speech he gave at the the University of Leeds’ Institute of Communications Studies. Horrocks has published the text of the speech on the BBC Editors blog. He raises some key questions about the relationship between mainstream news organisations, such as the BBC, and user-generated content. He asks how

The Internet is proving a bit of a goldmine for the BBC, at least according to the head of BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the Beeb. Speaking in London this week, BBC Worldwide Chief Executive John Smith said he was initially hoping to make at least 10 percent of its total revenues from the Internet, but has now realized this target is too low. We think we will be

International readers have been seeing more ads on the BBC News website. (Click on the image for a larger version). The comments on the BBC Editors blog offer a snapshot of reaction from readers to the advertising. Some have commented on the clumsy way the ads have been integrated into the site: “I don’t mind ads on websites but hopefully your web designers can learn to place them in a

If you live outside the UK and visit BBCNews.com, you may notice something different. The site now carries advertising. At the time of writing, I came across just one skyscraper ad (as shown on the right), linking to a FAQ explaining the decision for carrying advertising. The ad appears on the front, business, technology, Americas and Middle East indices. The FAQ seeks to reassure readers concerned that the commercialisation of

News staff at the BBC are gearing up for a tough week, with wide-ranging job cuts expected to be announced on Wednesday. That’s when BBC director general, Mark Thompson, meets the BBC Trust to gain final approval for his plan to save 3% a year and plug an estimated £2bn funding gap. There has been acres of coverage in the media about the expected cuts. As the fateful day draws