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BBC heralds Web 2.0 era with new editorial strategy

Posted: 28/04/06 By: Jemima Kiss

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The BBC this week revealed a new six-year cross-media editorial strategy that include more personalisation, audio visual material and user-generated content on its website.

The 'Creative future' plans have been drawn up after one year of research into changing lifestyles, use of technology and increased audience interaction, and how different the media landscape will look by 2012.

Research was carried out by ten teams from areas across the BBC with deputy director general Mark Byford leading research into the BBC's journalism. He recommended that the corporation develops more mobile content and better search tools and multimedia content for the website.

Tom Loosemore, BBC New Media's head of strategic innovation, will be leading a radical overhaul of bbc.co.uk.

"The 'Share' philosophy is at the heart of bbc.co.uk 2.0," new media director Ashley Highfield told staff on Tuesday.

"We are looking to a world where you could share BBC programmes, your own thoughts, your own blogs and your own home videos. It allows you to create your own space and to build bbc.co.uk around you."

Announcing the initiative during the Royal Television Society's Fleming Memorial Lecture on Monday, director general Mark Thompson said that the BBC can no longer think of itself as a TV and radio broadcaster with "new media on the side".

"We should aim to deliver public service content to our audiences in whatever media and on whatever device makes sense for them, whether they are at home or on the move," he said.

Public invited to redesign bbc.co.uk

The BBC also announced a competition to invite ideas for the redesign of bbc.co.uk for the Web 2.0 era.

Entrants will be encouraged to integrate content sharing sites such as photo site Flickr, video site YouTube and blgo search tool Technorati.

"We've recently started a project to reassess the entire BBC website. Inviting people to contribute via this competition is an essential component of that work," said Mr Loosemore.

"Given our publicly-funded status, we're delighted that the open nature of the Web offers the BBC's users the chance to contribute their own ideas directly into the creative process. It is, after all, their website."

Other initiatives include a new web-based history project called Eyewitness that will ask web users to contribute experiences and memories from the past 100 years, and a new teen channel delivered across the BBC's TV, radio, broadband and mobile services.

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