I already write news stories for XBLAFans.com. I'm wondering if you guys would be alright with me using those stories (not all of them of course, just the ones I think most interesting) in Bitmob posts? I'd certainly be glad of the opportunity to increase my output on Bitmob.

Not sure how I feel about this. I get my news from other sites that do a pretty good job of it. I understand the need more traffic, but that's not really why I come to Bitmob. 

Michael: I don't think they're askng us for the same kind of headline news other sites post, but that they're asking us to make our own news. Anecdotal stuff is one of the main reasons I came here, as well -- I personally find the community stuff here more interesting reads than anything other, bigger sites have to say -- but I think Bitmob may appreciate the more quick, short observations that they themselves have been providing.

I'm new to this site, so I'm still getting used to the flow of things around here, but I understand that good content is just as important as content in general to a news/informational site.

I don't think they expect us to have any exclusive, ground-breaking news to report, but rather observations we've made towards either the new, hot, recently announced/released title of the month, or something as simple as that new Dead Island trailer.

At least, that's what I imagine they're asking.

You're probably right. I just remember Shoe saying over and over in his original pitches that the site was trying to focus on things other than the news, since other sites did it better. But if people can find a way to do it in a more interesting way, than I guess I can't be opposed to that.

It's actually easier for me to write news. Long feature-ish articles take a long time to write/research/edit. Thanks for the heads-up, Andrew. :-)

I think I'll contribute too. I already contribute news in a similar sort of format already afterall.

I'm all for this if it helps the site grow in popularity. I'll happily contribute here and there, as posting succint observations and news-y pieces is a wholly different challenge that I'd like to give a whirl.

However, I'm a little bit worried about the impact this'll have on longer pieces. If we begin to flood the Mobfeed with shorter articles, won't they drown out some of the bigger pieces just due to the sheer frequency that shorter ones would be posted?

I'm concerned that this'll especially impact articles which aren't promoted to the front page; I find that once your post is shunted off the Mini-Mobfeed, it won't get many more eyeballs unless it's promoted or winds up in the spotlight.

Am I the only one who feels this way, or am I reading into this wrong?

Michael - I think the goal is to spawn more conversations on current topics in the hopes of drawing more people into the community. We don't necessarily want to be a news site, but we do want to engage readers and keep them talking.

Chris - That's a good point and something I've considered as well. Rest assured that we're talking about ways to make sure those awesome longer articles get the exposure they deserve. We don't want good feature articles buried any more than you do.

@Chris: That's something we'll definitely be monitoring. If you notice it becoming a problem, please let us know! We're always open to comment in the comments here, via letters@bitmob.com, or on Twitter/Facebook.

I have to say I read this with some disappointment (I specifically came here to avoid the news-y sites out there), although I can understand the need to drive traffic to the site.

I support the site, and want to to succeed, so the most positive thing I can think to say is that I guess it could be good, so long as there's an angle on each story (like Ryan says, short pieces on our *reactions* to news, rather than just reprinting the news itself).

Simply regurgitating quotes, posting trailers, etc in the same form as found at other sources achieves nothing more than adding to the noise of the net.

I'm in that same tentative camp as Chris and some of the others. I come to Bitmob because it's not news. No offense to those who put it together, but I skip every news and video blips story I see: they just can't stack up to the news content I get from a site like Joystiq.

I also second Chris' worry about this potentially burying good feature stories - which should be front and center being that they are Bitmob's chief point of difference (oh god, I think those marketing classes are finally setting in.)

Just an idea: what if you filter the Mobfeed? You already do it for the different consoles, so why not make a "news" tab and a "features" tab? That way, everyone wins (though I'd still want some kind of option to have a "features only" Mini-Mobfeed, as that is what I use the most on the site.)

I would like to do a kind of keeping up with Doug keeping up with his anticipations.

In other words post a few notables about the games I am looking forward too. For instance, some new screens from DiRT 3 and a video from Rage! Maybe write a little blurb for each one. There's a lot of different ways you can blurb. 

I would be interested in a weekly spotlight of unusual takes on the news, or undercovered stories. Probably moreso than the News Blips. Those Blips are very good, but I rarely see anything there that I haven't already seen on Joystiq. Looking forward to seeing what happens with this.