Vrij Nederland needs Googlejuice

Media guru Jeff Jarvis, whose book What would Google do? is just out, gave Vrij Nederland a free consultation on how to escape the printed media crisis . ‘Vrij Nederland still sees paper as its core activity? That means you live or die by paper. That’s not a good position to be in.’

Lees de Nederlandse versie

Foto: Wouter Vandenbrink
Foto: Wouter Vandenbrink

‘I often undertake the following thought experiment with editors-in-chief and publishers: imagine the day has arrived – as it soon will – when you shut down the printing presses for good. Where are you then? Vrij Nederland is a brand, with a value. What is this value when you no longer appear on paper?’

Jeff Jarvis takes the question seriously. I asked the ‘überblogger‘, journalism professor and author of the book What would Google do?, for a free consultation. What should Vrij Nederland do to escape the life-or-death crisis facing the printed media?

Jarvis advises papers such as The New York Times and The...