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A New World on the Web |
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The Klingon ambassador congratulates Erik Bettermann on his 10-year online anniversary. |
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Ten years ago Deutsche Welle went online with the launch of the first Web site for a German public broadcaster. Since then DW-WORLD has developed into an internationally recognized source of journalistic excellence in 30 different languages. For its anniversary, Deutsche Welle is expanding to new worlds by introducing a 31st language -- Klingon. DW-WORLD has come a long way since it started in 1994, here's a look at the first 10 years.
There were no PC'S, printers or even desks when it all started back in 1994, but the founding trio of Harald Schütz, Marek Matysek and Sybille Pfeiffer were given a mission: Go online! They fulfilled their goal of becoming Germany's first public broadcaster to go online. The histiorical feat went by the name of "www.dwelle.de." All 30 DW languages were in the World Wide Web, and from 1996 on audio and video live streams were added to the site. Putting up content was a time consuming, manual process. Radio editors brought written copies of their pieces on diskette to the small online department, where they were polished up for use on the Internet and posted by using html.
Sure, it all sounds fairly simple, but there was a lot more to it than that. How does a German speaking online staff know how long an Amharic headline is? Where does the text begin and where does it end? What do you do if you save a Chinese article and then the entire DW Web site appears in Chinese characters? Not to mention what to do with all the diskettes piling up over the years on the Cologne broadcasting center's 26th floor. Those were just some of the problems the online team faced. Lucky times have changed. Diskettes have become superfluous and staff is experienced in presenting multilingual Internet content.
But while the World Wide Web started developing at a rapid pace, Deutsche Welle's online service faced the risk of falling behind. A few of the reasons for this were the fact that the site's address wasn't so catchy, the site's structure wasn't clear and design was antiquated. Even some of the company's own employees didn't believe in the new medium. By the time the late 90's came around, everyone knew it was time for a relaunch. This time around the goals included getting a new name (www.dw-world.de) and providing users with an extensive offering prepared by specially trained online journalists in the six core languages (German and English, then Portuguese for Brazil, Chinese, Russian and Spanish). Every language team was given the opportunity to create its own content, tailored to its own specific target audience. This meant the online staff was no longer responsible for posting DW-RADIO or DW-TV content, but was a full-fledged editorial team putting together and presenting its own content. On top of these changes, a new design was also introduced, and it integrated into Deutsche Welle's overall corporate design.
Food for Thought
Twenty people spent a year working on the relaunch. The task was trickier than anticipated, especially for the external contractors who had to deliver a content management system that met DW's demanding requirements, like delivering content in 30 languages -- including those that involved complicated characters like Arabic, Chinese, Urdu and Bengali. The neighborhood pizza delivery service was practically part of the team during the pre-launch phase. The decisive moment in the eyes of Guido Baumhauer, head of DW-Online, came one night, just before midnight, when a radio colleague from the Arabic service appeared in the doorway carrying two plastic bags and said, "I saw your troop working. For us. Then I thought you probably needed some food for thought."
Everything began to materialize in 2001. The online staff started visiting different Deutsche Welle departments and editorial teams to present the new product and to dispel any fears of budgetary competition or losses for other departments. The usual questions were, "Will we need DW-RADIO anymore if people get the news on DW-WORLD.DE?" and "When is the content management system going to be implemented?" Most queries were followed by the question, "And when will it all be online?"
The answer was November 15, 2001. DW-WORLD.DE finally hit the Web. All the obstacles had been overcome and Deutsche Welle launched a shining new Web site. Video and audio streams, pictures and graphics became part of the new offering. Interactive features like chats and surveys got users involved in the site. Now they were voicing their opinion on everything from politics to soccer. The site was also able to accommodate games and other features as a diversion from weighty world issues.
DW-WORLD.DE has established itself as an important source of information
Thirty full-time staff members and loads of freelancers constantly update the Web site, seven days a week. DW-RADIO and DW-TV present their programs on their own Web pages, and DW-Online has developed into become a full-fledged medium at Deutsche Welle. The new DW mandate will confirm this position and officially declare the Internet as Deutsche Welle's third medium.
"We're not a news page in the classical sense. The team is too small to provide a newsroom that works around the clock," added Guido Baumhauer. Instead, DW-WORLD.DE offers background and analysis on German, European and international issues.
DW-WORLD.DE has found additional niches in its target market with the help of cooperation partners. One of the first special interest sites was Campus Germany, a portal on studies and research in Germany, launched together with the German academic exchange program (DAAD). China's soccer fans received extensive Bundesliga reports in cooperation with the German Soccer Association (DFL) at www.german-football.cn. Then there is also a Web site dedicated to dialogue with the Islamic world, www.qantara.de -- in Arabic, German and English.
DW-WORLD.DE has yet to reach the end of its journey in the World Wide Web. An extensive Arabic online service will soon be launched, and a reliable instrument for counting page impressions is still being developed. Guido Baumhauer estimated that the monthly number of page impressions can easily be counted in eight-digit figures. And the interest in the site keeps growing: Last year DW-WORLD.DE received more than 90,000 user mails, more than double the number in the previous year.
A Birthday Weblog Award
While DW-WORLD. DE looks back on its development it also wants to celebrate by looking towards the future. One way it is doing this is by giving out a prize for the best Weblogs, or blogs, on the Internet. What's a Weblog? It's an online surfer's diary that reveals personal opinions on specific, often political, topics, and is updated on a regular basis. A grass roots kind of commentary, so to speak. There are already millions of bloggers on the Web. Starting mid-September, DW-WORLD. DE users can select their favorite Weblog. The winner will be announced on Dec. 6.
When the online staff celebrates its anniversary, many will be reminded of the pioneer phase that began in the Cologne broadcasting center. Sure, we've come a long a way, but the journey has just begun.
Daphne Antachopoulos
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