Don’t Fight Google, Says Media Head

Publishers should use news aggregators to their advantage rather than waging war against them, according to a multimedia chief.

Michael Hill from Trinity Mirror suggested that news providers should view aggregators and bookmarking websites such as Google, Digg and Reddit as marketing tools which direct users to their content, reports Journalism.co.uk.

The publishing group’s head of multimedia told delegates at the recent Association of Online Publishers (AOP) conference: “There’s a phrase used at Google: don't fight the internet and I'd extend that to include Google.

“I think it would be a pointless thing for us to do, to enter into a battle to stop Google and aggregators putting our content on there.”

However, Hill added that aggregators change the nature of how people access sites, with fewer users entering via homepages.

“What are we going to do on that page, around the place that’s been aggregated, to keep them on our site and make the most of that marketing opportunity?”

Further details on the AOP conference can be viewed here.