[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the old and golden days when were growing up, news revolved around a few household names namely, The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and The Voice of America (VOA). Back then, an African Media House would not compete with any of these established news superpowers. In fact, those analogue days demanded that the African audience takes the established western media as the absolute voice of Truth.
But at 10pagepapers.com, we can now confirm that with the rise of the Internet, the privileges that African media once missed are now available without making a heavy investment in expensive infrastructure. The Net has brought about a level playing field that all media players can take advantage of. To add an icing on the cake, the Online Revolution has now gone mobile due to the rise of the Smartphone Revolution. With the Internet at the fingertips of hundreds of millions of Africans, it is now possible for African News Site to break old barriers and compete. With the rise of smartphones, target audience no longer needs laptops or desktop computers to access mobile news.
This post will share out some of the ways by which an African news site can take advantage of the increasing smartphone penetration in Africa to extend its tentacles. Keep reading to learn more on why going mobile is not an option, but a compulsory requirement for any African news site that wants to remain relevant in these digital days.
Increased contribution through amateur news contribution
Given that no online or offline media house can have its representatives everywhere across Africa, even the most established news channels get their news through amateur footages and contributors. The mobile smartphone wave has now made it possible to get news from the deepest recesses of the continent where online news media could not have accessed any other way. With a decent smartphone, an amateur news enthusiast can record news footages and voice clips that can be used by online news channels.
Additionally, not just amateurs can use these devices to capture news, no. Even correspondents of media houses are now using smartphones to record video and audio clips as well as shooting clear photos that were once a preserve of expensive and large cameras. In fact, the level of smartphone penetration in Africa has now made it possible for an average African person to own a 20-mega pixel camera phone for less than $200.
Gain a 24/7 access to news
Can you remember those old good days when you could only access news at designated times of the day or night? Back then, if you “missed news time,” you had to wait until after some few hours to get access to African news. Additionally, if some other news items came up along the way, then you will not get all you had missed because priority was given to the “hottest” items of the moment. But with an average smartphone at your fingertips, you can access news items you want and anywhere you are. You can also access news archives anytime. Additionally, you can make a follow-up on developing stories as they unfold. With time and geographical barriers now broken, an African news site can reach its audience on the move.
A multimedia approach
With the steady rise of smartphones in Africa, news lovers can now access their favorite African news sites in different media. For instance, they can get video and voice clips on their mobile phones. Additionally, they can access text versions of the same news coverage alongside excellent and clear photos accompanying those news items.
They facilitate news streaming
With the rise of streaming technology, the way Africans access and enjoy online news has changed for the good and the long-term. An African news lover no longer needs to “go to the cyber” to stream news that matter to them. For instance, when our great son was being coronated at the Capitol Hill in January 2009 as the first African (and Kenyan) to rule the USA, Africans who were not glued to traditional news boxes such as TV’s could access the historic event via mobile phones. They could follow the voice and video clips of the event that brought Africa and the whole world to a standstill.
Reduced cost of doing business
Another way through which the Smartphone Revolution can benefit African news sites is through reduced cost of doing business. With the analogue technology of the gone years, it was the duty of a media house to invest in heavy ground machinery to gain a wider coverage. But with the Internet at the fingertips of close to one billion Africans, the onus of penetration is no longer the duty of an online news media. All the media house needs to do is to fill their site with relevant news that speaks to the modern African, and make them patronize the site—that is all. With reduced investment in heavy machinery and the need to have correspondents everywhere on the continent, news sites can make remarkable savings on their cost of operation.
Enhanced worldwide competitiveness
Another benefit that smartphone can confer to African news sites is the ability to compete in the international arena. With the analogue age of doing news, survival and excelling were for the fattest pockets. But with mobile technology on the rise, African news sites can effectively compete with their colleagues from across the world as long as they know how to speak to the African audience and maintain it.
Faster conveying of breaking news
News is only news when it arrives on time and when it is still hot. If news cannot reach its target audience as fast as possible, it stops being news and becomes another outdated feature on the Net. But with smartphones penetrating the African continent faster, Africans can now use their smartphones to access news as soon as it breaks. Additionally, the availability of subscription services allows news sites to send breaking news via SMS hence their audience no longer needs to be online full-time to know what is going on. They can only visit the site’s online portal to get more details regarding a news item that interests them.
Build stronger social ties
With the rise of the social media, no African news site can forgo the power of social networks. You can only ignore Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter at your own peril. With smartphones in the hands of millions of African people, a news site can capitalize on this and keep their social ties with their audience stronger. With popular social networks conveniently glued to the hands of fans, African news sites can now send news notifications to their subscribers through social media. In fact, research has shown that people are more likely to believe, act on, and talk about a news item on social media as long as their trusted connections, friends, or family members endorse it. That is how powerful the social networks are, and smartphones have brought this power at the disposal of African news sites.
Parting shot
There you go with all the facts on how the Smartphone Revolution is benefiting African news sites. If you want to learn more on African news sites, you can contact us here.
