The New York Times has embarked on a new form of storytelling to enhance its coverage of the Summer Olympics: Two-way text-messaging.
《纽约时报》为吸引读者独辟蹊径，推出新型新闻产品——以双向短信形式直击夏季奥运现场。
For two weeks, deputy sports editor Sam Manchester will be sending text messages from the Olympic Games in Rio to readers who sign up for the service.
在为期两周的奥运会中，体育版面副主编山姆·曼彻斯特将于里约现场向订阅了该项服务的读者发送实时短信。
Unlike email alerts or push notifications, these texts will give readers an informal, behind-the-scenes look at the Games, almost as if they had a friend texting them directly. Readers can also write back to Manchester. And while he won't be able to reply to each message, the responses can be used to personalize each reader's experience.
与电子邮件和消息推送的形式不同，短信新闻能以轻松随意的方式向用户讲述奥运幕后的故事，就像是一个朋友给自己直接发送消息。与此同时，读者也可回复曼彻斯特的短信。尽管记者无法逐条回复，他的回应也能为部分读者带来个性化的体验。
The innovation is an effort to reach readers on the platforms that are central to their lives, Andrew Phelps, the Times' Director of Personalization, told CNNMoney.
该项创举旨在贴近依赖短信平台的读者群，《纽约时报》个性策划总监安德鲁·菲尔普斯告诉CNN财经栏目的记者。
"For a lot of users, messaging apps are the new homescreen," said Phelps, who came up with the idea. "We've spent a lot of time thinking about how we might tell stories through that lens and bring readers closer to the journalism and to the journalists."
“通讯应用已经成为许多手机用户的核心消费产品，”菲尔普斯解释道，他是这项创意的献计者。“我们花了很多精力研究如何利用这些应用报导新闻，拉近新闻记者和读者间的距离。”
"People have asked, 'Couldn't you just do this on Twitter,'" Phelps continued. "We could, except this is a much more personal relationship. We can show up in the same place as your friend, your mom and your work colleague."
“人们问‘你们难道不能通过推特报导新闻吗，’”菲尔普斯补充道。“并非不可，只是短信报导能够与读者建立起更亲密的关系。我们的实况新闻可以和读者的朋友、妈妈和同事的短信出现在同样的消息对话栏里。”
Readers who sign up for the service receive a text that reads, "Hey. Sam here from the NYT sports desk. I'll be your personal guide to the Rio Olympics (so you don't have to go)...." (Manchester also makes liberal use of emojis.)
订阅了该项服务的读者会收到一条这样的短信，“嘿，我是《纽约时报》体育栏目的山姆。我将成为替你游览里约奥运的私人向导（所以你不用亲自去啦）...”（曼彻斯特还会在短信中使用可爱风趣的表情符号）
For now, Manchester said he plans to send three to four texts a day. Along with texts, he'll send photos, GIFs, motion graphics and videos, he said.
曼彻斯特目前表示，他计划每天发送三到四条短信。除了文字信息，他还会附上照片，GIF动图，现场动画以及相关录像。
There will also be texts that prompt readers to respond with a choice. For instance, "What question should I ask this athlete?" or "Which team do you think will win this competition?" Readers' responses will be placed into groups by a team in New York, and Manchester can then write tailored responses to each group.
他还会发送短信与读者互动，鼓励他们参与投票。例如，“你认为我应该向这位运动员问什么？”又或者“你认为哪支队伍能够赢得这场比赛？”纽约的新闻团队将根据回复的消息将读者分组，这样曼彻斯特就可以分组定制回复了。
If it works, Manchester said he could envision the service being used for other major events, like the Republican and Democratic conventions and The Super Bowl.
如果这真能受到读者欢迎，曼彻斯特说他能预见，此类服务往后在其他重大场合中也会大放异彩，比如共和党和民主党的大会，又或是超级碗（美国国家美式足球联盟年度冠军赛）。
"Obviously this is foreign territory for me and for us, so we're feeling it out as we go along," he said. "But it feels like a cool way to interact with our people, and to make the Times feel a little more user-friendly."
“毋庸置疑，对于我和绝大部分读者来说，巴西都是神秘异域，所以以这种方式传递新闻能让读者感觉我们在共同游历，体验奥运，”他表示，“这种与读者交流的形式很酷，也能提高《纽约时报》的用户友好度。”