New York Times adds sharing tool

The New York Times unveiled a new service today that allows readers to quickly post stories that they find on the newspaper's Web site to Digg, Facebook and Newsvine.
It marks the first time that the country's third-largest newspaper has added a news-sharing tool to its Web site, allowing readers to develop conversations and post comments about specific stories. Readers will be able to add headlines and a small portion of text to the social media sites by clicking on the logos of Digg, Facebook and Newsvine. Those logos began appearing next to The Times' stories this morning in the same box as the print and e-mail tools, although they're initially hidden until users click the "Share" link.


It's easy to share an article on popular social-bookmarking sites using this toolbox that appears on NYTimes.com stories.
The sharing feature will not be used on TimesSelect stories, the newspaper's premium content offering, nor will it be available on staff blogs or wire stories.
Newsvine Chief Executive Mike Davidson said the partnership is a tremendous boost for his six-person Seattle startup, offering credibility, marketing muscle and possibly a surge in traffic.
"It is one of the world's most established newspapers and we have a great amount of respect for them, so the prospect of helping their audience get more out of their news and helping The Times doing some of the new things that they are looking at doing is very good for us," Davidson said. "We look at it as the beginning of, perhaps, a more meaningful relationship."
Davidson declined to comment when asked if The New York Times had considered investing in Newsvine. He said there is no revenue-sharing agreement, adding that it is simply a technology deal. It is the biggest newspaper partnership for Newsvine since its March debut.
Davidson -- who launched Newsvine with other former employees from The Walt Disney Internet Group -- is hopeful that the exposure leads to other deals with media companies. Newsvine, like Digg, is an online news site that encourages participation from readers.

Christine Topalian, manager of strategic planning and business development at NYTimes.com, said it was looking for ways to tap a tech-savvy audience that is accustomed to commenting on and sharing news stories. The newspaper contacted Digg and Newsvine directly, with Facebook approaching The Times after developing a news-feed service earlier this year.
At this time, there is limited ability for readers to comment directly on news stories on the NYTimes.com Web site. By partnering with third parties, the newspaper hopes to keep discussions going around its stories.

Source