Compare this:

versus this:

Which is better?
When first checking out Newsvine last year, I wasn’t impressed. They seemed like sort of a snobby digg clone complete complete with their coveted code of honor. I also had some problems registering, but eventually would get that sorted out. Unpredictably since that time I haven’t used the service, so keep that in mind when reading this post.

Today, we learn that MSNBC is using their first acquisition in 11 years to buy Newsvine for an undisclosed amount in cash. If it’s cash, I’m guessing it’s in the low seven figures or high six figures. Now check out the words in double quotes in the MSNBC article below.

Msnbc.com is diving into citizen journalism and social media by acquiring Newsvine.com, a small but innovative player in what is known as “participatory journalism.”

Did I miss something “innovative” about Newsvine? And what exactly is “participatory journalism”? The article never explains their definition of what these buzzwords mean. Let me stab at the dark: what Newsvine has provided is a place that you and I — the citizen media, as we’re sometimes known — can submit news we write and then others will vote it up or down, a la digg style.

Checking who does best in a recent big local news story
Curious, I checked on a big local story on Saturday 10/6/07 around 3pm PST: the Atlas Foundary propane tanker exploding in Tacoma, shutting down part of I-5 and Highway 16 for hours as other explosions were anticipated. We were less than five miles away from the Foundary when it exploded, taking a leisurely trip through the Tacoma Mall. Power and street lights were down for miles.

The question: how many local particiapatory journalism stories were on Newsvine?

A search for Tacoma Explosion resulted in the top story being submitted by who? Some other local Tacoma citizen journalist? Nope. It’s an Associate Press story (pictured above, second picture).

How about the second story, surely that would have submitted by a Tacoma, WA resident? Nope. That story came from the Associate Press too. So where was the best coverage for this event? How about on KOMO radio where there were updates every few minutes and actively encouraging listeners to visit the KOMOtv.com website and submit pictures — and several did to their YouNewsTV service. Now there is an example of participatory journalism.

If Newsvine was that innovative, why weren’t citizens submitting some of these pictures to them? I realize this is only one local news story example and there are probably other examples and locales where lots of Newsvine citizens are reporting. That’s cool, wait for something significant newsworthy to happen in your backyard and respond in the comments if Newsvine has any citizens actually participating. Personally, I don’t want to visit Newsvine to see AP coverage of local news events, I want to see what MSNBC is buying into as “paticipatory journalism.” I can get the AP stories at Google News.

Maybe participatory journalism also took a three day weekend at Newsvine.

Keep in mind that this is also Microsoft’s home turf. You’d think MSNBC could check these kind of things out too and not need a blog to point this out. How about Newsvine competitor, NowPublic? Did they have any citizen coverage of the explosion?

None found there either.

Maybe my search skills suck this morning. Help me out, do your own investigative citizen journalism on this topic. What do you find of value at Newsvine that MSNBC is buying into that isn’t happening better at a local TV and radio station website? I still don’t get it, but as mentioned at the top of this post, I’m not using the service and could be missing out on some hugely valuable site.

Congratulations to Newsvine for attracting MSNBC suitors, apparently they have something going for them. I still don’t see it. Do you?

Update 8:40am PST: Another big story from the weekend to gauge Newsvine citizen coverage, the shooting and killing of six people by an off duty law enforcement officer in Crandon, Wisconsin. Newsvine search top three results: AP, AP, AP. I asked a friend online who lives 113 miles from Crandon where he went to check out the news. Was it Newsvine? He replied that he’d “briefly heard” of them and that it was only because he thinks I might have mentioned it. Hmm.

• Newsvine’s thorny launch
• Digg clone spotted: Wobble
• 50+ English digg clone, digg-type sites
• AOL loses Calacanis: You’ve Got Bail
• American Idol talent well running dry?
• Digg snags 500,000+ members, Netscape 50,000, how does that compare to the internet population?