But, as you say, we are just at the beginning. Digg is a blunt instrument. We need to be able to filter through our social networks and through people whose views we value…including mainstream media editors.

yes he seem skeptical about the wisdom of the crowd, and he questions, like so many other journalist, whether internet users will find well investigated information without the “gatekeeper” function of media. Interestingly, social bookmarking showed to him that people prefer low quality content. Even though it is the exact opposite. In my opinion it is a typcial reaction of German media to blogging and the participatory web. Would you say that one can expect the same reaction in other countries?
What is the reason behind it? Journalists see the potential of these new forms of interaction. But willingly or unwillingly, journalists underestimate the effect of the collaborative webs on traditional media and on their work. Some journalists criticize the style of bloggers but rely on them in articles or even create blogs themselves. They warn for the information chaos and see themeselves as the ones who rightly sort and process information.

But what they completely underestimate is that this collaboratively woven web has just started. In a web with far reaching connectedness, newspapers lose not only their role as gatekeepers but also have to be very inventive to play roles as one of the many nodes which process and link relevant information with each other.

Nevertheless Harald Staun is ahead of many of his colleagues.

Best regards

Christian