Let's Hear It For The Boys

..and the girls too, of course. This is actually intended as a thank you/well done post, to all the motoring journalists present at Frankfurt who did such an sensational job of reporting from the mammoth show.

Not all that long ago, motor shows were events to avoid on automotive websites. The sheer volume of new content being rushed up was hard to follow, untidy, and frankly unattractive. The online side of matters has really come of age now however, with 'best of' galleries, walk-around video clips and incisive concept analysis all prevalent on the big sites. Special mentions should go to Auto Express, the ever-excellent Autocar, Car Magazine, and Evo, who all used video snippets to great effect.

The single biggest revelation came in the useage of social media though, via Twitter specifically. As I read through the feed, noting hacks taking their seats at events such as the Volkswagen Group presentation, I was hugely jealous to be missing out on the big reveals. It's exactly where I want to be, professionally. Yet the quick-fire use of smartphones to instantly Tweet news as it was spoken, together with pictures live from the event, interspersed with witty analysis titbits from the journos themselves, made for an immersive, inclusive experience. Far from privatising, or isolating the event, the way in which the new medium of Twitter was embraced and exploited was well judged and, well, welcome!

Sincere gratitude then, to the boys and girls of Britain's finest motoring publications, who did themselves proud at Frankfurt, with fresh, entertaining, informative coverage. It really was the Top Gear antidote of automotive journalism.

The video featured below is my personal favourite example of what I've been appraising. A clearly impromptu yet impeccably delivered round up of the individual concepts and wider issues present at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, courtesy of the guys at Car Magazine. Well done, chaps.

 


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