Seetha Kumar, BBC Online controller, sets the record straight and sheds a little more light on recent reports about a social media overhaul of the BBC’s websites.
As Journalism.co.uk reported last week the corporation denied it was planning to ‘radically overhaul’ its websites with a new social media strategy, as reported elsewhere.
Instead, the not-quite-so-dramatic changes could include commenting on BBC articles or more social media microsites for programmes, such as that recently launched for Strictly Come Dancing.
“However, those ideas are aimed at allowing us to keep pace with what users have come to expect – they do not add up to a radical ‘social’ overhaul,” writes Kumar.
“[I]n addition to asking what our users want we also need to be aware of the impact anything we do might have on other UK sites and services. Our aim is to be part of the much more joined up internet that is emerging; not compete with other service providers.”
The corporation is also continuing to develop ways to share its expertise and technology, says Kumar – read our report on the BBC’s efforts to develop a common industry standard for metadata.