For all the fuss that Newsweek is chaperoning a new era in journalism with the print and online versions soldered together, Newsweek, in fact, is a throwback to another century.
This is because everything that appears in the magazine is dictated by one person's tastes. The big question is this: can Tina Brown's world be of constant interest to a couple of million people?
On one hand, I admire her extreme confidence; but on the other, I worry that she's sometimes off the mark.
Take this week's cover with Kate (Kate the Great) Middleton. Is there anything that Newsweek can bring to that royal party that Pe More...
What do we do now that "readers" have become "users?"
In the last two months, I have attended B2B media industry gatherings as varied as an American Business Media meeting in New York, a CEO conference of UFI (the international trade fair operators group) in Geneva and the FIPP Digital Innovators' Summit in Berlin.
Different segments to be sure, but what was the chatter in the halls? Just this: we live in a world where people who used to be our readers are simply looking to find the best market intelligence available, however they can find it. Those who used to be "our" advertisers view their job as driving qualified leads to their companies' websites to support sales and customer relationsh More...
Publishers of all sorts have now entered the social media space – a place once mostly populated by college kids, indie rock bands and dance club promoters. It seems largely unnecessary to explain in this forum why publishers have chosen to do so. Staying relevant is the only way to stay alive, and it appears publishers think social media may be the fountain of youth.
However, I’ve noticed certain perils publishers sometimes snafu on when entering social media territory. Perhaps the most disconcerting trend is the downgrading of voice and ramping up of a global popularity contest (“Like us! Tweet us! Share us with your grandmother!”) occurring among publishers. For all the “likes”, fan base building, retweeting and fri More...
In the two-way street that is journalism today, most editors are used to readers taking occasional shots at their work (or the editor themselves), often with a fury that makes them wonder if it's the article the poster is really mad at.
However, not many editors (at least in the U.S.) have had a bullet with their initials scratched into it mailed to them because of their work.
That actually happened to Sean Adams, vice president of online communities at Moose River Media, a b-to-b publisher that serves the grounds keeping and agriculture markets with forums such as LawnSite.com and PlowSite.com. Those may not sound as catchy as the Men! Men! Men! mess More...
Mobile advertising in the United States by several estimates will reach a total of $5 billion in 2015. While a large share goes to b-2-c publishers, the trend represents opportunity for b-2-b publishers as well. The proliferation of smart phones and tablets with the consumption of applications lends to the advertising opportunities and its growth. 'In-App' purchases shows great commerce possibilities and tablets are fast becoming a preferred tool for sales presentation.
A tablet device or smartphone can be loaded via an app or direct custom website, with company brochures, product configuration and contain immediate feedback to send data back to the home More...
At the MPA Digital E-Reading event yesterday, several publishers shared "Two-Minute Drilldowns" of some of their best app ideas. Esquire associate editor Julian Sancton shared how the magazine has turned some of its iPad covers into almost "mini-movies," including live action direction of its subjects, such as "Sexiest Woman Alive" Minka Kelly doing her thing and actor Liam Neeson (a former boxer) throwing a couple shots at the cover/screen. (Sorry about the obligatory sponsor message but it's worth the wait.)
Necessary? Probably not. Fun? Absolutely. Esquire, by the way, picked up the More...
At FOLIO:, we're used to having to cajole publishers to share metrics to back up the case they're making for their own success. But every now and then someone lays it all out, understanding that solid revenue, net income and EBITDA figures go a lot further than phrases like "synergy" and "relationship with our audience."
Kudos then to Henry Blodget, CEO of financial news and analysis site Business Insider (which was just named a Top 25 Financial Blog by Time.com), who shared the type of proprietary financi More...
Much has been said about the publishing life cycle of news content online and in print. At Forbes, where we're kept apprised of the brand's new print and digital developments by chief product officer Lewis Dvorkin's blog posts, we can see how important analytics and audience development have become in content creation.
Dvorkin argues that the top-down "caste system" of traditional newsrooms has been outmoded by the way content is consumed and shared digitally. "The self-imposed newsroom caste system has run its course," he says More...
Nearly every day, multiple magazines announce they are launching an app for smartphones or tablets. It's not just the big guys either-smaller publishers are launching apps as well.
The question isn't whether magazines on tablets will be huge, but how soon should a publisher embrace the opportunity? Popular Science has been an early adopter from the start, and feels the relatively low numbers in sales (PopSci leads all Bonnier titles-many of which are making an aggressive tablet push of their o More...
The FOLIO: edit team has spent the last year, as we always do, intensely examining the magazine publishing industry as well as some of the markets that intersect it. Now, we're working furiously to assemble a list of the 40 most innovative, creative-thinking individuals who have pushed the boundaries of our business in this ever-evolving and multifaceted media landscape.
And we need your help. FOLIO: is looking for nominations in the following categories:
C-Level Visionaries
Director-Level Doers
Industry Influencers
Under the Radar
If you, a colleague, your boss or even a competitor d More...
This post is reprinted with permission and originally appears here.
In the pursuit of earnings, publishers have done two things - intensified SEO efforts, which creates fly-by ad revenue and established paywalls, which create fan subscription revenue.
Remember these definitions:
• Fly-by - Someone who visits once.
• Occasional - Visitor to the site two to three times per month.
• Regular - Visitor to the site one to two times per week.
• Fan - Visitor to the site more than two times per week.
Some fans are willing to subscribe through a paywall, and fly-bys are commodity impres More...
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Another Independent Publisher Burned by Photo Mishap
Matt Kinsman Editorial - 04/19/2011-13:28 PMPhotoshop controversies are nothing new among magazines, usually in the context of some celebrity digitally shaving a pound or ten for a cover shoot.
Last week VegNews, an independent vegan magazine, was called out by a blogger for using stock images of dishes with meat and other non-vegan recipes, sometimes photoshopping out the offending images.
"We've always been fans of VegNews, since back in the mid-2000s when we'd wait with bated breath for the US Mail to deliver our copy," the blogge More...