Apps are needed, but they must have a niche

The application debate in news organizations is making editors’ heads spin. It’s a dilemma, I’ll give them that—do we need an iPhone app? What about iPad? Or Droid? The answer is, without hesitation, a resounding, “Yes.” But, it cannot be rushed.

What I’ve seen too many news outlets—especially newspapers—do is rush for the sake of rushing. The result is failure. Way too many news outlets now have apps that are clunky, unattractive, slow, ad-ridden, pay-walled and are just RSS feeds of their content.

Here’s a hint: A user can get all that by simply going to the news outlet’s mobile Web site on their phone. So, what’s the point?

News organizations must find a niche in their mobile apps. It cannot, by any means, be regurgitation of their content that is just available on their site.

The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and so on all are guilty of this. That’s why some of the aforementioned have terrible reviews by users.

I understand the need to want an app because of its demand, but I also understand editors’ and publishers’ points when they say, “Well, we can put $10,000 into an app, but we only get $4,000 profit, so why?”

I feel the answer to that is they’re just not doing a well-thought-out job on their app. A more tailored app that isn’t just content, but is unique to a certain group that’s branded with that news outlet, is key.

Let’s take high school sports and the unbelievable popularity of this subject among readers. What if a newspaper created an app that showed live, up-to-the-minute stats at the top five most popular sports? And, then, to make it even better, what if the app listed all the high school sports in the area and allowed you to choose the ones you wanted to follow with player stats and updates instantly.

Or even an app that is unique to, say, Cleveland, Ohio, that was focused around the city’s incredibly popular East 4th Street. The app is updated constantly with East 4th Street events, news, restaurant specials, live bands. Then, when there is a live band or an event or a restaurant special, you click on it in the app and it shows you reviews, videos, plays a song or two.

One of the biggest incentives in handheld journalism from an audience/reader/viewer perspective is to offer them a cutting-edge, new and unique alternative to the news that’s not their grandma’s way of getting information.

If a news outlet can invest the time, money and dedication into doing so, it will bring them ahead of the competition because that unique app they develop will lay the groundwork for all other mainstreams that follow.