Insights from David Tomere

When The Wall Street Journal launched its new website recently, it got almost everything right. Popular articles bubble up; related topics help readers go deep; rich media like videos, podcasts and slideshows attract a broader audience. And users are given the tools they need to share and engage. In short, the site does what all newspaper — and other content — sites are scrambling to do: It tries to meet the needs of its connected, social users who have upended how news content is distributed and consumed. The only problem with the new WSJ.com is what it isn't. It doesn't look, feel, or taste like The Wall Street Journal we’ve known for years. For all its faults, the old site, endearingly clunky and flat, instantly communicated the Journal's gravitas and authority — its style.  The new site could be NYTimes.com or CNET or CNN (it actually feels like a combination of all three). WSJ.com is simply one of many now; that's not the differentiator that will attract a new audience willing to pay for content.