The relatively new website, Reddit,
is changing the way interviews are done on the Internet. The site is based upon
sharing ideas in the form of written word, photos, videos, and other links. A
user is entitled to “up-voting” or “down-voting” a post, and is therefore in
charge of what appears as most popular and most seen on the home page.
Reddit has potentially created a future form of interviewing
technique, online crowd sourcing. The website offers something called an “AMA”
which stands for Ask Me Anything. Through this format users can ask whatever
they want to the individual who has agreed to answer such questions. The
individual is usually someone who has had a unique experience, who has created
something popular, or who is a celebrity. They have to provide verification for
their identity and will usually respond to questions for about two hours.
This type of interview, a crowd questioning a single
subject, may not have seemed too interesting to the world of journalism.
However, during this year’s election President Barack Obama agreed to an AMA
session on Reddit. He answered all kinds of questions from the public from “What is the recipe for the White House
beer?” to “What was the most
difficult decision that you had to make during this term?” Obama was able to
utilize this format to connect with the public in an efficient way.
Will online interviews done by multiple people be the next
stop on the ever-changing track of journalism? Will sites like Reddit be the starting point for big changes
in the interviewing process?
Learn more about
Obama’s AMA here:
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