It was particularly gratifying to see representatives of all the major Russian computer networks doing their own "networking" with people from Sun, the Microsoft Network and various media organizations. One of the leading ideas behind "New Media for a New World" is that valuable contacts can be made between information providers in traditional media settings (such as newspapers and broadcast) and in the new media environment (taking in hardware providers, software providers and network access providers).
Educational initiatives: Education is the key for developing the next generation of journalists. One aspect is student exchanges, such as the one that brought Milana Perepyolkina over from St. Petersburg for study at the University of Missouri and eventually for valuable work at Microsoft Network News. The groups who organize student exchanges should consider multimedia and new media as possible fields of study - and educational exchanges directed at media development should involve artists, graphic designers and computer programmers as well as those with more traditional journalism backgrounds.
Russian and American universities also can work closely together on curriculum development. John Garcia of New York University suggests joint reporting/publishing projects for Russian and American students. Since the Internet and particularly the World Wide Web is becoming a global medium, such new media offer dramatic possibilities for collaboration.
Vitaly Vinichenko of Rostov-on-Don University mentioned that several Russian universities are being linked to the Internet via satellite - which opens up new opportunities for East-West cooperation. First, foundations such as the International Science Foundation and corporations such as Motorola could help extend such satellite links to additional universities. Second, media organizations, businesses and universities could work together in a symbiotic relationship: Universities could provide Net access and expertise to newspapers, and in return journalists could provide real-world training and internships to students. Software firms and other segments of the computer industry could use students as interns with the expectation that they could hire the best students after graduation. The Microsoft-Columbia Web Research Project at the University of Missouri could serve as a model for this symbiotic approach.
Professional exchanges and training: There is high interest among Russian journalists in new media technologies, but little opportunity to learn about them. Also, once you get outside Moscow, St. Petersburg and arguably Nizhny Novgorod and Novosibirsk, the telecommunications infrastructure is not so conducive to intensive computer network traffic. These are the challenges facing Russian media and the international organizations seeking to assist them.
It would be useful to forge ties with organizations active in similar work in other countries, such as the Investigative Reporters and Editors and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, which recently received a multiyear grant from the McCormick Tribune Foundation for training Mexican journalists in computer-assisted reporting. The Freedom Forum Asian Center has been engaged in similar work with Asian journalists. An exchange of information, experts and resources might help one organization avoid the inefficiencies or pitfalls encountered by another.
It would also be useful to forge ties with computer companies in America and Russia. The computer industry in both countries is becoming a significant economic force, and they could be valuable partners in promoting the growth of global networks. For example, media training events could be promoted at computer trade shows, and computer companies could be sought out as sponsors or advertisers for events and publications.
"New Media for a New World 1995" provided hands-on training at a central location for journalists from throughout Russia, but there are other organizational models for training: For example, "circuit riders" could be sent out to train journalists on-site. This approach has added benefits for trainees as well as trainers: The trainees see how their own equipment can best be used for research and communications; the trainers gain familiarity with the true state of computerization outside the Moscow laboratory. Trainers could also consult on how to best upgrade computer equipment for newspaper production as well as online ventures. Two people in particular come to mind: David Carlson of the University of Florida in Gainesville, who has experience in low-cost bulletin-board systems as well as WWW newspaper projects; and Dave Hughes of Old Colorado City, who has wide experience in appropriate technology for international settings as well as a special interest in Russia.
Online tools could have wide application in creating regional news cooperatives as well as specialized international "syndicates" for articles on such issues as economic development, the environment and ethnic issues. Pilot projects in this field should be encouraged.
Finally, we recommend that Russian media organizations interested in online ventures organize a chapter of the International Interactive Communications Society, which has its executive offices in Beaverton, Oregon. Potential members include GlasNet, Relcom, Sovam Teleport, Izvestia, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow News, the Moscow offices of such companies as Microsoft and Sun Microsystems, St. Petersburg Press, Novaya Sibir and Vladivostok News.
Commercial ventures: There are two aspects to online ventures in media, the first being the use of computer networks for research purposes. The second aspect views the Internet as a means of publishing, with commercial applications.
The requirements for the first aspect of online media development have to do principally with equipment and training. The payoff for such an investment begins with better-researched stories, wider access to information and the potential for closer contact with other journalists and the rest of the world. These benefits, in turn, should lead to better employees, better newspapers, higher circulation and more attractive vehicles for circulation.
To develop the second, more commercial aspect of online ventures requires market creation as well. We have already discussed the potential for online news cooperatives, which could extend the "market" for information among media organizations. Here are other potential initiatives for online market creation:
Web newspapers:
The use of the World Wide Web for news publishing is highly experimental, and very few such ventures are profitable in the United States, let alone in Russia. Nevertheless, Lloyd Donaldson of the St. Petersburg Press voices confidence that profits will come in time, just as they did in the case of his print publication.
For the time being, we recommend that such efforts be pursued purely as low-cost experiments, for the main purpose of gaining experience for the future. Perhaps the quickest way for Russian publishers to leverage existing information is through partnerships with other online providers abroad. The Tacoma-Vladivostok venture mentioned in the previous section could serve as a model: The Vladivostok News' information is one element in a smorgasbord offered by TribWeb. In return for providing that information, the Vladivostok News gains expertise and exposure abroad, in hopes of attracting print advertising in the near term and name recognition for longer-term online ventures.
The Microsoft Network, which uses a novel business model for the payment of information providers, may offer opportunities for Russian providers, just as its "On Australia" service provides visibility for Australian news and information providers. However, Russian publishers should do a good deal of market research before approaching MSN or other information brokers.
Web consulting and advertising:
As newspaper publishers gain experience in online ventures, they may find it profitable to share that expertise with other commercial ventures. By helping businesses establish their own presences on the Web, media organizations can help themselves in three ways: First, they can charge consulting fees for design work. Second, they can create potential advertisers for their online publications. Third, by helping to create more local content for the World Wide Web, they encourage greater readership, greater commercial activity and greater interest for their own online ventures.
The Tacoma-Vladivostok project incorporates this idea of "online publisher as online commercial consultant."
Access providers:
In the United States, some newspaper publishers - such as the Houston Chronicle, the Albuquerque Tribune, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Tacoma News-Tribune - have become network providers as well. Some publishers offer Internet connections, others, such as The Seattle Times, operate stand-alone bulletin-board systems as well as separate Web sites.
The success of such ventures has varied widely: Long-time ventures such as Albuquerque's have been marginally profitable, while Tacoma and Seattle abandoned their role as access providers after months of service.
The pros and cons of such ventures could be the subject of a doctoral thesis, but our recommendations for the Russian market favor partnerships with outside Internet access providers over the idea of newspapers becoming access providers, and use of the World Wide Web over the idea of establishing BBS systems. In our view, the expenses associated with assembling and administering a full-service network for the limited subscriber base found in most areas of Russia far outweigh any potential benefit of this approach.
Internet cafes:
In the United States and Europe, some entrepreneurs have opened coffeehouses or restaurants that offer Internet connections as the entertainment or theme for the establishment. These "Internet cafes" serve as the focal point for public training sessions, interest-group meetings and special events related to the Net. The "virtual community" of the Internet is thus supported by a real-world community. This approach may be worth exploring in large markets with good Internet connectivity and a significant international community, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, perhaps Nizhny Novgorod and Vladivostok.
Although it would probably not be appropriate for a newspaper publisher to take a lead role in such ventures, it might be appropriate to provide information services or to sponsor training sessions, online chat sessions or real-world forums.
Such establishments could be used as training centers for journalists as well. As mentioned in a previous section, some of the computer companies involved in "New Media for a New World 1995" are considering the establishment of a Moscow center that could very well serve as an "Internet cafe" as well.