FT Website Gets New Forums Feature

The Financial Times is launching a forums feature on the Alphaville section of its website to allow finance professionals to start their own discussions.

The new user generated content element, called the Long Room, lets users start their own debates, known as ‘tables’, and comment on existing conversations and upload documents, video and images.

Rob Grimshaw, the FT.com managing director, told MediaGuardian.co.uk: “We’re allowing users a lot of latitude.

“We think the users are a smart intelligent people with lots of insight into their fields. We want to get all that insight onto FT.com.”

He added:”The forum will be based about a number of tables and each table will feature discussion of a different subject.

“Initially the editorial team will be setting up a number of tables around subjects that are key in the markets right now, but we will also give users the power to set up tables as well … we are going to create this flexible discussion environment where the user community can take it in any direction they want to.

“We also want it to be a very rich experience so we have worked very hard on the functionality so users will be able to post basic comment, but also they will be able to go a step further to put graphics into their comment, posting documents so that the debate can reach greater levels of depth.”

Financial Times: www.ft.com/home/uk