Competing against blogs for tech news

Deputy technology editor David Gallagher of the New York Times is answering questions from readers this week, and the first question comes from a reader who wants to know how it competes against tech blogs.

Gallagher writes, “One of my favorite sites is Techmeme, which tracks the tech-related articles and posts that are generating the most chatter in blogland. It’s fascinating to watch the interplay there between blogs and more traditional news outlets.

“Blogs often turn up early word of things that become major stories. But they also generate a lot of noise. Our reporters could easily spend half their day chasing down rumors that surface on blogs. In the end, that’s not likely to benefit Times readers all that much. So we pick our battles, and we often choose to step back and spend time pursuing stories that give readers a wider understanding of technology and business. As blogs become a more important part of the news ecosystem, reporters covering subjects other than technology and politics will increasingly have to make similar decisions.

“This is not to say that we are bowing out of the blogging frenzy. The Bits blog, which all of our tech reporters contribute to, lets us do quick hits on breaking news or subjects that are perhaps too geeky for the average Times reader. And the comments from Bits readers are often intimidatingly astute.”

Read more here.