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"BreakingNews.com, an extension of the popular @BreakingNews Twitter account that MSNBC Digital Network bought in December 2009, has added new social crowdsourcing features to its site enabling users to submit their tweets, photos or videos. The site also recently unveiled iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 apps, and is looking to expand to Blackberry devices and the iPad. \nThe site, which got its start on Twitter by curating breaking news from sources around the world, has had a staff managing the accounts 24/7. Now it's opening up to let users break news themselves, or help spot news as it's taking place. \"It's not just about what news organizations publish anymore, but it's also about what people see,\" said Cory Bergman, director of product development at MSNBC. \nSpotting Breaking News\nThe new features include the \"Spot\" tab on the site, which enables users to submit news finds or photos, tweets or videos they themselves have uploaded, and a \"Hot\" tab, which shows stories that are most timely, being shared, and up-voted on the site. Right now, the mobile applications don't have the \"Spot\" tab, though Bergman said they are currently building it and admits will make the process even more seamless. \nBergman said they kept links on social services rather than enabling users to upload original content. The site isn't meant to become another one you have to go to for uploading news, Bergman said. He realizes that people are already using other tools for uploads during breaking news, and this simply allows users to help curate the best and have their work featured. \n\"Currently, the number of stories with eyewitness reports on Twitter, etc., are hit-and-miss, but as smart phones and social media use continues to climb, we believe it will become much more prevalent in the months to come,\" Bergman said. \n\n\n\n\nWhat's Next?\nFor now, Bergman thinks the new additions are a step in the right direction to create a social breaking news stream.  \"When you blend the voice of the crowd and editors who don't sleep into the equation, I think we can get there,\" he said. \nSo when news breaks, readers will get a real-time news stream of not just news organizations, but what people are publishing through tweets or videos on YouTube \u2014 or photos through TwitPic and other services. And though the stream is mostly just that right now, Bergman said MSNBC is looking at unique ways to visualize the information, and that it may be achieved through an iPad application. \nThe iPhone application is currently pretty simple, including the stream of breaking news and also utilizing the push notifications in the app. Bergman said the current mobile apps are just the beginning and that the company is thinking about ways to integrate live streaming video from mobile, which has some incredible implications in being able to get breaking news video in real-time. \n\n\n\n\nBecause BreakingNews started with a social presence and not the other way around, the actual website hasn't fully taken off and gets only some 50,000 visits a month, according to Compete. But then again, the site hasn't offered much of anything different from its Twitter account aside from filtering options until now. The added features are a start to a site for curated and social breaking news from the crowd. The only question is whether users will find it useful enough from their other consumption tools and breaking news sources. \nWhat are your thoughts of the new features, and what would you like to see?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2010/11/10/msnbc-breaking-news-social-crowdsourcing/>