In the past we noted that a Facebook group isn’t really the best tool for a long-term group conversation. They tend to die-off after a little bit of time. But, if you have an event, with a date attached to it, Facebook seems to work wonders: It’s quick, easy and free.
WordPress has also entered into that space. The new theme (described below by Reportr.net) looks like it could be set up in a snap and could organize conversation around breaking news: The Souther California fires, Virginia Tech, Katrina. I don’t wish for any of these to happen again, but I’ve always said if they do, journalists should have a “community in the box” content management system that will allow them to be a conduit for others to speak through.
The team at WordPress itself have now released a new theme dubbed Prologue, which they liken to a group Twitter.
What’s interesting about this theme is that it allows contributors to post directly on the blog homepage, with the front page displaying a stream of recent updates.
This is the ideal format for a breaking news site, with reporters adding the latest details as they come in. Any news outlet could set up such a site around a specific event within minutes on WordPress.com.
Or a newsroom could set one up to tell the audience about the news stories and features they are working on.
Prologue is full of intriguing possibilities and it is impressive how a different theme can offer such a different experience.
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