There have been a few developments lately in the local mediascape related to the web (at last!) that are worthy of attention. Starting with the Défi Media Group which has launched its website for the first time at the following address: http://www.defimedia.info
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This was long overdue as oddly enough, none of the print media titles it owns (Le Défi Plus, L’Hebdo, News on Sunday, etc.) had a website up to now. However, I really appreciate that the group has decided to frogleap directly into the web 2.0 world as its website does not merely display articles which have appeared in the print version. It is a platform that allows for rating of articles, comments from readers, social bookmarking as well as user-generated content in a blog section, RSS and even Radio Plus podcasts (which I haven’t yet tested though). So one can say that the Défi Media Group is the first major local media player to exploit Internet 2.0!
Another media player which has also decided to spend some effort on its website is Radio One at http://www.r1.mu
Though the website is richer in information compared with the previous one, I personally think it is still unsatisfactory. It still looks very much like a first generation website with no user comments, no RSS, no user-generated content, etc. And I can’t seem to be able to listen to the podcasts (Microsoft plug-ins?). And the readability is not fantastic as the design is not very neat and clear (compared with that of the Défi website for instance).
Ironically, whereas Le Défi does not seem to have widely publicised its own initiative (which would deserve much more public attention), Radio One has been actively promoting its website through print and radio ads.
Incidentally, I want to put a special mention for an overseas initiative by Anne Robert, a Mauritian expat in Canada who was head of the Radio One station for some time. Her website Global Mauritian provides an interesting platform for incisive opinion articles with reader comments enabled.
Note about my blog:
Since I felt a bit bored by the look of my blog lately, I’ve decided to change its theme as you may have noticed. Not too happy about this one either, but well, we’ll see when I have more time to tinker with it…
R1 and its boss JCdeL cannot afford to run a web 2.0 website. It would need to employ a full-time employee just to delete the criticism from within.
Hi Christina! Saw your comments on our guestbook at defimedia.info, and I just had to say thanks! Although credit will always go to the company in situations like these, I nonetheless feel really good every time people mention about the website. (They always seem to do so in glowing terms 😉 )
You’re absolutely right in saying that the website deserves more publicity. Hopefully that will happen very soon. Actually we are waiting to finalise an ‘e-paper’ feature that we’ll be having. An e-paper is the full electronic version of a regular newspaper. So people will be able to read the whole newspaper online, but there’s a lot less interactivity. Personally I prefer my concept.. but hey I’m not the boss. But I think both methods should be able to co-exist. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Catch you on our website!
Thanks again.
Akash
Hello,
this is a very good blog.
One comment about the Global Mauritan website menstionned in your post : I have posted several times on the web site but on several occasions posts begging to differ from their point of view have been censured (removed from the comments) !!
So I would NOT consider the website as web 2.0 and not even a free thinking press website (as they like to call themselves). I would classify it more of a propaganda web site promoting the point of view of a happy few !!!!
hello, i am stephen pritchard and just recently met some mauritian friends who sugested that i log on to le defi media group website and read about mauritius community. because i do have connections with some companies in mauritius so i do like to keep in touch with mauritius and read the news paper over there. and my friends did say that the website is very good. but when i tried i couldn’t log on .all i receive is pop-up saying that the website is temporarily down. can you tell me if the website is still available .