OMG! A Newspaper for Tweens!

by Brian Reich | 4 Dec 2008, 3:59pm

I wrote a post at WeMedia about a newly launched news/newspaper site for Tweens called TweenTribune, and the potential it has to revolution the industry. I’m interested for a few reasons: First, tweens are the next generation of news consumers (and consumers period) — so if you understand how they get and share information, you’ve got a bright future ahead.  Second, I have been advocating for news and newspaper sites to go niche for a long time, and nobody has ever been willing to try it.  I get to live vicariously through this experiment.  Finally, unlike most online sites that aggregate content for a specific audience, TweenTribune’s content is pulled by hand, not by some autobot or feed engine.  The founder, Alan Jacobson, combs through hundreds of sites each day to find the stories that he believes will satisfy the interests of his tween audience and then organizes them.

The model is simple.  But that doesn’t make reaching and engaging a tween audience easy to do.  I was able to talk briefly (over email, and by phone) with Alan Jacobson about his new site, and the challenges it creates.  Here is an excerpt from our exchange:

Q: Why don’t tweens consume news through the traditional sources?

A: Because the traditional sources deliver boring news in an appealing way. Tweens would read print or any other medium if it was compelling, relevant or interesting to them. My daughters read all the time. Can you spell “Twilight?”

Q: How do you design a newspaper differently for a tween than some other audience?

A: I think the need to design differently is a myth. Good design is about usability, no decoration. That’s why TweenTribune doesn’t look like other sites for kids. Instead, it’s clean, simple and straightforward. Just the facts, ma’am.

Does Tween Tribune have to be online to reach this audience?

A: Yes and no. If a print product delivered the same content, it could work. But it would almost impossible for tweens to interact with the content at TweenTribune unless it was online. Interaction is one of the great strengths of online.

Q: How else might tweens consume news?

A: The form doesn’t matter. It’s all about the content. But tweens won’t be using laptops for long. Soon, they’ll want all their information needs met by their smartphones. And this will require new ways to convey information for much smaller screens.

I am not a tween, but I am now subscribed to the TweenTribune daily newsletter, so I can see how it goes.  I’ll keep you posted.

TAGS : News newspaper tween TweenTribune