Open source your media website

If you’re looking for someone to bring controversial ideas to the table, look no further than to Jeff Jarvis. The new media pundit always have a thing or two up his sleeve.

This time around he’s suggesting that media companies should pull out of the production and distribution space by outsourcing website infrastructure to companies, which are much better at IT development than media companies themselves. He mentions Google as an example, but it could be pretty much anyone. Because he’s right: Media companies should focus on content creation and journalism - not IT.

I can’t count the times I have heard media executives say that they need their own inhouse developed CMS systems, because they have individual needs that none of the standard solutions comply to. In my book this is utter BS, because the fact of the matter is that most media sites look the same, has the same structural approach and the same features. There is thus amble reason to suggest that it should be possible to develop a solution, where one size does indeed fit all.

However, I do not think that this system should be developed by a company. Why? Because it would put the media company under too much risk and pressure. The vendor could go bust, change it policies, refuse to develop a requested feature, jack up pricing etc. etc.

No, what media companies should do is one of two things: Either they should join forces through their trade organizations and have these build the tools, the whole business need. Or better yet they should approach the Mozilla Foundation and ask them to take this on as a project just as they have done with the open source browser, Firefox. Think about it for a second. It would make total sense: The people bringing you the browser also brings you the systems to enable the creation of the content that goes into same browser.

By organizing this way media companies could rely on the open source community to take care of its systems. It would work. Just look at the open source Drupal CMS for a smaller scale example. And then the media companies could focus on their journalism and on developing content that really makes a difference to both end users and advertisers. God knows they could use it.

Vad NU! is a consultancy company owned by Mads Kristensen and specialized in helping clients take advantage of the business opportunities created by new media. Click to learn how I can help you and your company.