The cable news channel CNBC is undergoing something of a renaissance, after a post-tech bubble battering. (Newsweek lauds its “lineup of dynamic new shows anchored by young, smart journalists.”) And the channel’s revamped site CNBC.com, which debuted Dec. 4 to much hoopla over its data-heavy look, enhanced video offerings and extensive use of tagging.
But the site seems to have been not so smart or dynamic when it comes to an ever-more-important Web arena — that is, community. In a nutshell, it doesn’t have any.
The revamped site does feature lots of blogs, like Holiday Central and Outlook ’07, as well as a CNBC TV Play-by-Play feature with frequent postings by staffers about on-air happenings.
Here’s the problem: In neither the blogs, nor the postings, nor anywhere else on the site, does it appear that users can share their own views and news quickly, easily or in a straightforward fashion.
As far as I could tell in multiple visits to the site, the only way for the public to post comments is to e-mail them to the various columnists. The site’s FAQ page does explain that “Blog comments are written by our registered users and selected and posted by CNBC.com editorial staff.” And I suppose that overly clunky method could work, if someone were minding the store. Except no one is.
When I scanned the site 10 days after launch, looking through the most recent posts on the site’s seven featured blogs, I found only a single comment. The Realty Check entry on the housing market had a user contribution — but instead of appearing with the feature, the comment was exiled to a separate page.
I’m not exactly sure what the site’s Welcome Statement means when it describes the site as “the latest in online technology to deliver a truly groundbreaking Web experience,” but at least when it comes to community, I’m pretty sure this ain’t it.
Rival business news sites certainly have it over CNBC.com in terms of community. MSNBC.com’s business page, for instance, has dozens and dozens of business message boards where users, once registered, can freely post their thoughts. Although columns don’t allow direct comments, they do link readers to appropriate forums to share their thoughts.
And CNN Money also has a Your Turn feature for reader commentary. It’s moderated, but via a simple form and no registration required. A Dec. 14 item, for example, attracted more than 40 posts in just a few hours. While it appears the site is only using this feature intermittently (only five “Your Turns” since August), at least one of its blogs (the tech blog Browser) does allow direct user comments.
I know there are plenty of compromises with new launches, having survived several myself, and that lots of good ideas can get left on the cutting room floor. But if CNBC.com wants to own the online business news space (as it purports to want to own on-air) then when the dust clears and it rethinks further enhancements to the site, it should remember: A little community goes a long way.
Other suggestions from Tidbit readers on model approaches to community that CNBC.com could consider? Please share them below.
