Economist looks to social networking

Tim Bradshaw of The Financial Times writes Monday about how the Economist is looking to social networking sites such as Facebook to boost readership and revenue.

Bradshaw writes, “Readers of The Economist’s website will soon be able to log in and make comments using their Facebook identity, through Facebook Connect. Economist.com will also take on features similar to social networks itself, allowing readers to create profile pages and earn a reputation through other users’ recommendations of their comments on the site.

“Ben Edwards, publisher of Economist.com, hopes that Facebook will help his site acquire new readers and develop a ‘deeper level of engagement’ with existing ones.

“‘We have a mission online of being the foremost destination for global discussion and debate, which is a social proposition,’ Mr Edwards told the Financial Times. Making Economist.com more social is ‘the core of our strategy,’ he said.”

Read more here.