Fabulous magazine launches Facebook app to publish new content
While many publishers consider social media as a way to distribute existing content, News International (NI) has developed a Facebook app for Fabulous magazine that will publish original content on the site every day.
Launching tomorrow, the app will use the same theory as the Guardian and Independent’s social apps, publishing stories read in a user’s timeline. It will also allow people to share on Facebook, and to Twitter.
NBC News jumps into ebook publishing
NBC News is jumping on the ebook bandwagon with the launch of a publishing arm, NBC Publishing.
It's another indication that the ebook market is getting so big that media companies not traditionally involved in book publishing are deciding to become book publishers, or more accurately, ebook publishers.
Online is UK's second-favourite news source, but only 3.8% pay: infographic
Online is close to overtaking TV as the most popular news source for UK consumers, but only 3.8% of people pay for content online.
According to a study by Oliver and Ohibaum, 68% of UK consumers source news content online compared to 75% from TV and 54% in newspapers.
Digital titles set to outnumber print by 2013
Digital titles are on course to outnumber print in the customer publishing industry by 2013, according to new research from Mintel and the Association of Publishing Agencies (APA).
This prediction is based on the number of titles implementing this channel, but despite its decline over the past few years (90% share in 2005 down to 52% in 2011) - print still maintains a majority share for this year.
How to optimise headlines using the 65 character rule
I’m currently developing some wireframes as we pave the way for a revamp of this blog later this year. There are lots of things to think about. One of those things is typography. Closely related to that is optimal headline length.
I always try to write headlines that fit on one line, though I don’t always succeed. Nevertheless, short headlines beat longer ones for lots of reasons. As such I’d like to introduce the 65 character rule. Actually it’s 65 or less, to be precise.
Here’s why...
Optimism and uncertainty in media: the C-suite looks to the future
A new study by Econsultancy explores the opportunities and challenges in media and publishing using feedback from nearly 500 media company CEOs and senior executives.
Q&A: Gerd Leonhard on why social media beats search
Gerd Leonhard is CEO of The Futures Agency, and has been described as "one of the leading media futurists in the world" for his views on the development of next-generation business models in the content, communications & technology industries.
He will be giving one of the keynote speeches at Econsultancy's Future of Digital Marketing event on June 16.
I've been speaking to Gerd (he can be found on Twitter here) about his upcoming keynote, as well as his views on the Times paywall and the future of the music industry.
Publish, engage, sell with 'ethical bribes'
Leading marketers are investing in a NEW approach to creating sales and leads. Are you? Here's what it is and how you can.
Q&A: Patrick Keane on Associated Content's approach to publishing and the death of engagement
For major publishers, covering real-time and local information is increasingly a struggle. As budgets and bureaus shrink, publications are competing with never ending updates from social media and young upstart news sites on increasingly stretched resources.
Associated Content is one of those crowd sourced news organizations that often strike fear in the hearts of traditional publishers. Rather than funding huge newsrooms around the country, Associated Content that lets anyone publish content and try to make money off off of it. The network taps into a growing cadre of citizen journalists and professional writers who want to have their voices heard.
Revenues have grown 100% year over year, for the last five years. Patrick Keane has been CEO for the past year, and seen the company's roster grow to over 300,000 registered contributors. Those writers publish about 10,000 new pieces of content weekly.
Keane (who is not related to me) came from Google, and brings a data driven approach to content to his new company. It shows in their approach to publishing. Rather than relying on brand to promote their content, Associated Content finds readers through searchers interested in specific topics. According to Comscore, they have 16 million unique visitors monthly, and 90% come through search.
If that's not enough to make other publishers who depend on their trusted brands nervous, articles like Keane's AdWeek piece — The Case Against Engagement — are sure to do it. But Keane doesn't see Associated Content as a competitor — or threat — to traditional news media. I caught up with him to find out why.
Macmillan, Amazon battle over e-book pricing
Book publishers, like record labels before them, are struggling to
adapt to the digital world. And their struggles are only growing larger
thanks to the growing e-book market, where a price war has broken out.
The price war, which has driven down the cost of e-book bestsellers, is of concern to book publishers for several big reasons, a primary one being that low-priced e-books could potentially devalue their physical counterparts.
