When Arab News launched its first website at the dawn of the new century Google was three years old and had just been awarded a patent for its now dominant PageRank search mechanism. Facebook and Twitter would not be founded for another few years.
There was a sense of excitement about the possibilities that digital publishing offered especially to the common man or woman.
It was a time where traditional media was no longer the gatekeeper to getting published.
A different way of personal publishing began to emerge. Blogging was its new name.
The masses finally had a voice and it was theirs without the filter of an editor who decides what could and could not be said.
Initially, newspapers saw this nascent medium as a way to broaden their readership and thus charge more for advertising because of that increased reach. Then newspapers realized that everyone was reading their content for free and fewer readers were buying the printed newspaper.
This trend of consuming content online would never be reversed and as a result a number of publications inevitably closed.
It was Albert Einstein who said‚“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change,” and like many publications, this paper, has tried to understand how to best use modern digital resources without hurting the print product that so many people still enjoy.
Arab News is continually trying to reassess how the print and digital products form a cohesive entity.
Fortunately, here in the Kingdom the trend away from print and on to digital appears to be a little slower than in other parts of the world.
However, this could be a generational thing.
There is no doubt that in recent years the Internet and social media in particular have seen a tremendous growth in Saudi Arabia. When it comes to YouTube usage per capita in the world, the Kingdom ranks top.
In its first incarnation, the website was extremely simple.
Needless to say, it didn’t provide much more than a headline and the basic copy and if you were lucky, one image. Over the years, this began to change.
There was a complete site overhaul, introducing new features and sections to make available more of the rich content being produced daily.
The site was being updated, for the first time, throughout the day instead of when the print edition was put to bed.
The improvements were widely appreciated by readers who felt part of the Arab News community.
They discussed news articles, they helped each other answer questions and alerted staffers to potential stories.
The site thus became a first port of call for local news in the English language in the Kingdom.
As a result, the site gained a multifold increase in the number of pages viewed.
The following years saw a rise in the social web.
A multitude of people started using sites like Facebook and Twitter to not only connect with family and friends but also to find and share news.
It was therefore key for Arab News to adapt to these changing trends and to go where readers were. So, a Facebook page and a Twitter account were added.
These became a tremendous success and provided a further platform for our readers to discuss and share Arab News content.
With nearly half a million fans, the Arab News Facebook page has fostered a real community who are active and really care about the issues we cover.
The page is now the number one in the Middle East when compared to other English language papers in the region.
Twitter has also been a success and allows us to get news out quickly to readers.
Arab News’ various digital platforms allow Saudi Arabia’s leading English language news brand to cover news in a way the print edition cannot.
From videos to polls to user generated content, these platforms are a useful complement to the printed newspaper.
Last year’s crackdown on illegal labor in the Kingdom was comprehensively covered by Arab News and readers have praised the paper, particular the digital editions, for the relentless coverage, which readers say was exceptionally informative.
The annual Haj coverage is another example where readers are constantly looking toward the digital offering to find out what is happening during the annual pilgrimage to Makkah.
Recently, Arab News launched a careers portal for those seeking employment in the Kingdom.
This has been well received. Another project, which has also just been launched, is an “Ask an Expert” service where readers can ask several experts questions on a number of topic from law to investing to health.
Many print publications in the Kingdom seem to be in rude health but as some experts believe it’s not a matter of if but when the printed word will be a thing of the past. So it’s important, more than ever, for print brands to take advantage of the potential of digital.
We have taken some determined steps to yank this 39-year-old publication into a rapidly changing digital terrain and we must continue this task if we are to better serve our esteemed and loyal readers.