ABSTRACT
Social media, online games, and other participative platforms have brought about a change in the relationship between those running the platforms and those using them, which is the focus here. Although some elements of the traditional role of editor still remain, in large part, the emphasis has now shifted to managing a community of co-creators. Whatever the stance of any given public service media on the use of such platforms, those traditionally seen as the audience are likely to have expectations of engagement and participation that will need to be managed. Where public service media do venture into a more engaged online space, the challenge is to produce environments that match the standards of commercial outlets, which have had more than 30 years’ experience in building and running participatory media. However, there is much to learn from these decades of commercially and community driven participative engagement.
