Subscribe
for just...
plus
When it comes to linking, crediting, aggregating and embedding, the key is always to enable and connect the reader with the creator...and not with the copycats.
How do you link? It seems like such a simple question. Technically, of course, it is easy. We all know how to do that. But what about the people part? What is the purpose of the link? Why should you link? What should it link to? Where should you link?
Most of the media industry seems to be focusing on just one part, the "giving credit" part, which isn't even the most important reason for linking. And even at that, many newspapers and magazines are doing some really strange things.
The real purpose of a link is NOT to give credit. Its purpose is to enable and connect the reader with the creator.
Here are three examples of linking done wrong:
How many times have you seen this? A newspaper (or blog) writes about a video they have found on YouTube and decides to credit it "Source: YouTube".
This is a strange form of crediting. You are giving credit to the computer the video is hosted from, instead of the person or company who made it. YouTube didn't create the video. It's like crediting AT&T for something you hear on the phone. Or attributing DHL for the iPad just because they were the ones who took care of shipping.
Another thing we see quite often is when one newspaper credits another newspaper. Imagine the New York Times writing this article (which is good and linked correctly), another newspaper might then come a long and write a similar story crediting the New York Times by saying "The New York Times wrote, 'One in three collage students has taken an online class'".
Register to try out Baekdal Plus completely for free for one week.
Baekdal Plus is your premium destination for trends and analysis for the media industry. Every year you get 25 reports about the future media trends, business and editorial strategies, monetization analysis and insights about how to use analytics specifically for publishers.
As a subscriber, you also get full access to all the Plus reports (more than 200) published over the past 8 years, as well as the ability to share what you read.
Yes, of course, please write to plus@baekdal.com and I will send you a regular invoice that you can pay via your bank. I will need your company name, address and VAT number (if within the EU). Also, please note that due to this process being manual, this will be for an annual subscription only.
Yes, please write to plus@baekdal.com for details. But for 25-99 users: the price is 20% off the subscription price ($79/year per user), 100+ users is a fixed price at $5,000 (for all combined).
Yes, please head over to Baekdal Media to read about consulting where I can help you with strategy reviews, trend and strategy reports, and strategic guidance for you media company or a specific publication.
Audience engagement is very important for publishers, but many don't organize it the right way.
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Journalism is facing a crisis in trust, but what can we do ourselves to fix this?
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
We are moving into a new era for privacy and advertising, so how should we think about this?
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
How do newspaper develop the right news reading culture?
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
In-market and out-of-market used to be defined geographically, but now it's defined by loyalty.
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Founder, media analyst, author, and publisher. Follow on Twitter
"Thomas Baekdal is one of Scandinavia's most sought-after experts in the digitization of media companies. He has made himself known for his analysis of how digitization has changed the way we consume media."
Swedish business magazine, Resumé
plus
plus
plus
plus
free
free