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Murdoch moves to further boost online communities

Posted: 24/05/06 By: Robert Andrews

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Rupert Murdoch's News International is to embark on a big expansion of its internet communities commitment this summer.

Recruitment advertisements have gone out for a number of positions "on several levels, in a new online community team as part of an exciting project".

The drive, which is in an early stage, will see the addition of an online community editor, who will create new forums on hot topics and will seed user-generated content from readers, as well as other staff in editorial and management.

It has been expected that parent group News Corporation, which bought MySpace in 2005 for US$508m, would integrate the popular social networking site with its newspaper properties. Mr Murdoch, who had initially approached the internet with scepticism, now believes online media operations are fundamental to the survival of publishing.

News International publishes The Times, Sunday Times, The Sun, News of the World and the Times Literary Supplement. The adverts did not state whether the new move would take place at specific titles.

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