value addED

Interesting web tools and services for publishers

2009-11-06T06:11:00.001-08:00

I've been collecting a number of websites that offer services that may be of interest to many publishers. Many of them have to do with elearning and video/webcasting. Are there other resources like these you can suggest?

www.Articulate.com -- tools to facilitate elearning creation including flash tools

www.Lynda.com -- online training courses (not a tool, but a way a subscription site to sell training videos)

www.SonicFoundry.com -- provides webcasting for events and video capture platform for lectures and training programs

www.Qumu.com -- video communications and webcasting services

www.Issuu.com -- a tool for creating digital publications, free and pro versions available

www.BillMeLater.com -- a payment service, along the lines of PayPal, that may simplify the purchasing experience

www.MailTester.com -- a tool to check the validity of email addresses

Washington Post article: bloggers vs. fair use

2009-08-04T05:49:00.001-07:00

Rob Lawson, via Barb Kaplowitz, noted this article from the Washington Post about what’s fair use and what’s misappropriation. I think there’s going to be a growing recognition that while the newspapers may have lost the classified ads, help wanted, and automotive sections due to complacency, the public has an interest in not letting the journalism be stolen and the need for protection is at least as great as the need for protection for music, movies, and other artistic endeavors.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/31/AR2009073102476.html?nav=most_emailed&sid=ST2009073103389

Stay tuned. We will surely hear more about this issue.

What do you think?

Bloggers is us

2009-07-27T10:10:00.001-07:00

In recent years I have had a number of occasions to talk with SIPA board member Don Nicholas of Mequoda Group about bloggers. We share the view that bloggers look an awful lot like the kitchen-table newsletter publishers who founded this organization over 30 years ago -- if they had the necessary technology available, I have no doubt they would have been blogging too. So, it came as no surprise to receive an email from Don’s colleague, Amanda MacArthur about blogging which included the following:

Quite honestly, traditional publishers have a lot to learn from the "newbie bloggers". Bloggers often require a team of only one to produce daily content, weekly podcasts, and popular e-books.

Moral of the story: Stop taking yourself so seriously. Create an online home for your publication that doesn't live by the rules of print. Grow an online community that may never have, and possibly never will interact with your print products. Create new products for your new audience and deliver your content on the platforms that your new audience wants.

Good advice.

Publishing in the FREE world

2009-07-21T06:16:00.001-07:00

If nothing else, Chris Anderson's book is certainly stirring up some interesting thinking. (By the way, you can read Free! The Future of a Radical Price for free.)

In his New Yorker article ("Priced to Sell; Is Free the future?", July 6, 2009) Malcolm Gladwell is right. Information doesn't actually want to be free, and in fact can't be. He cites a number of examples:. He notes the Dallas Morning News' concern about Amazon/Kindle claiming 70% of the subscription fee, not leaving enough for the content. He then goes on to say electric power can't be free because of the cost of the transmission lines. He notes that free TV is suffering but cable TV is doing well. But Gladwell fails to note an important point – these are all examples of the distributor reaping the value, not the content provider. His example of YouTube having to license commercial video to drive revenue is one example in favor of the content provider, but only one.

The implications of the iPhone, iPhone apps, and iTunes are still unclear to me – I'm not sure whether they indicate power to the distribution network or just the power of fads and cool technology. What is clear to me about the Apple experience is that many content providers are finding a way to make iStore work for them, even if it isn't their first choice, and it isn't as profitable as it used to be.

The other piece I read recently on this subject is an article from InfoCommerce Group. It included the following paragraph:

To thrive in the digital economy, publishers need to rethink how their users value the information they provide. What do these users do with the content? What can you do to help these users become more productive or work more efficiently? This is the essence of infocommerce, and many publishers still have not harnessed its full potential. Some are still stuck in the old mindset that they produce "textbooks" or "newspapers" or "journals". Instead, they should be thinking about how their content can be integrated with software to offer decision-support systems, or how their content could be used by an online marketer to shorten the sales cycle.

Free will be part of the mix but finding a way to create value-added, premium content, is going to be the challenge of the early 21^st century for publishers. This is where my attention is focused.

Product placement and other payoffs to publishers

2009-07-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of blogging. I think it is the source of the next wave of SIPA members. At the same time, blogging has lowered the barriers to entry to such an extent that there is literally no cost but time. That has enabled a flood of people to enter the field for fun and/or profit. As part of that, we have seen a wide range of entrants.

Some are using their blog to create awareness and sell other products or services. Some are just sharing their opinions and interests, and some are seeing revenue from product placement, sponsorships, or various payoffs (and I don't necessarily mean that to sound as sinister as it might, on the other hand it can). You hear about at home mothers who start blogs and are receiving merchandise and payments for favorable mentions. That's blurring the traditional lines. Various government officials have raised the issue and the prospect of some sort of regulation grows.

So, what should traditional SIPA members feel about this? These are competitors but there's no putting that genie back in the bottle. And, in many cases they're creating celebrity or notoriety and then cashing in on it. That may sound appealing to publishers under pressure. But, what's the longterm prospect?

What do you think about this?

What will people pay for?

2009-07-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about the future of specialized publishing. Actually, publishing in general. I think the demand for information, content, of all types, is greater than it's ever been. That should clearly be great news. But the picture is rather more clouded than that.

With all of this content available, what are people willing to pay for? I don't know, but I'm encouraged by several examples of successful paid content.

Apple's iStore is the first example that comes to mind. While Napster, Grok, and LimeWire enabled free sharing of music, Apple made it cheap and easy to buy music legally. And they do, to the tune of $1 Billion. It's too early to know for sure but the Kindle (and possibly other e-readers) are making it possible for people to pay to subscribe to a newspaper that they can access largely or entirely for free online. So, if it's cheap and easy, people are willing to pay for content.

Mobile phone providers are following this model as well, offering TV and radio through the phone. As I write this, mobile carriers have chosen to make these premium services fairly expensive, given that TV on my phone is likely a secondary TV access. If they took the Apple or Amazon Kindle approach, they'd provide a "basic cable" type service that is low priced -- maybe $.99 per month. Imagine how many people would pay for it at that price. And, they'd sell more high end phones.

But, these examples are more about the pipeline, the distribution channel, then they are about the content. And, by the way, the content is mostly entertainment, not business information. What are the implications for SIPA members?

Let me go back to the point I made earlier -- the demand for information is greater than it has ever been. It's a simple calculation based on the size of the population and the accessibility of information technologies. At the same time, how much more information can you process? I'm pretty maxed out. There are times when I avoid looking at my cell phone because I can't deal with another email. And, I subscribe to fewer things now than I did 5 or 10 years ago.

So, how are we going to make money in this business? People will still buy information if it's packaged in the right way and priced reasonably. And, in this Google-ized world, the packaging may well be unbundled. I don't want to join or subscribe. I want to pay by the drink as I find and consume the information I want, at the moment I find it.

So, a REALLY easy method of payment is going to be important to facilitate purchases in the moment. Apple and Amazon have done that by having you signed into your account most of the time so you only have to open your wallet once to put in your credit card info. But, they can make a proprietary system work because they have such an enormous and broad product offering.

SIPA members, and most publishers, can't get critical mass so we're going to depend on micropayment technologies. PayPal is close but I don't think we're there yet. These will require a universal sign-in, like OpenID, in the same way that purchasing on credit was facilitated by the advent of credit cards which substantially replaced the use of proprietary store charge cards. I think we need to see these arriving in the market in the next 18-24 months.

Once that's in place, SIPA members are going to have to find a way to deliver the information value in as convenient formatting as possible, through an almost frictionless ecommerce transaction. All while maintaining brutal efficiency to be able to keep prices as low as possible.

Of course, we may find that it's less expensive to give away the information and find a way to sell premium upsell products. The music industry analogy is highly appropriate here. Yes, most artists still make money selling CDs or MP3s, but they know a lot of that market is being siphoned off through illegal, and virtually uncontrollable, copying. But, you can't copy a seat at a concert. So, they're selling record numbers of concert tickets.

They also sell all sorts of merchandise, online at the concerts. And, they're selling concert DVDs, which are still somewhat harder to illegally copy and distribute than music files. And, they're finding they can make a lot of money with private performances for corporations or wealthy individuals. They're selling ringtones, which are also still somewhat harder to illegally copy for many cell phones.

Basically, they're giving away their traditional bread-and-butter and selling premium services. Any lessons for us SIPA members? What do you think?

Are newsletters dead? I say no. But ...

2009-06-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received the a note from a friend and long time SIPA member. He had just read the cover story about the June conference in this week's issue of Hotline. He said:

In reading the lead piece in Hotline quoting you, I'm not sure I would have chosen "optimism shining through" as the headline, but so be it. I'm just wondering -- is the subtext of what pretty much each of you said that subscription products as we know and love them are a dead issue? And if so, are you phasing them out of your product mix (other than custom/ad-supported/magazine-like)? I recently visited another publisher I hadn't seen in a number of years. When I sat down in her office, her first words were, "So newsletters are dead. What's new with you?" She wasn't joking, and she only has 1.

The dilemma is that those core newsletter subscribers, who are dwindling rapidly in number, are by far still the best buyers. Back in the DM days you/we always insisted on lists with proven purchasing power behind them. That's not really an option any more, especially if you're dealing with online marketing primarily. You can generate more leads, but it's a lot more expensive to turn those leads into buyers -- let alone buyers across multiple products.

So from a practical standpoint it seems like everyone is saying that at least for B2B (and Ed, I have separate questions about pubs such as the Harvard NLs; that's for another day), it isn't worth the effort/expense of trying to keep NLs alive -- too expensive in terms of opportunity cost, and futile to boot.

Am I reading you right?

Here's what I said to him:

We are looking closely at newsletters. I think there is still a place for them, and other print publications, but it’s more limited than it used to be. I do think there is a fundamental shift in the way most people want to consume information. Just-in-time information is in greater demand, and a periodical, in any form, doesn’t fit that need nicely.

Searchable databases, blog posts and tweets, and RSS headline feeds seem better suited. At the same time, I continue to believe that expert commentary is valued (although with the low barriers to entry, the premium value has diminished). For years we had the wonderful luxury of having communities committed through the expenditure of a substantial subscription fee. The paradigm has shifted substantially and many people are accustomed to getting the community for free. The challenge is to foster the same level of commitment.

The optimism at the conference was real to me. People seemed to think there is a viable path to success, and the feeling seemed to be that we can get there. I was pleasantly surprised. At the same time, I suspect there will be some who aren’t ready to make the effort required, or can’t figure it out, and they’re going to have a hard time over the next few years. But, the information needs won’t go away and someone will step in to fill the void, in the way the customers now expect, and SIPA will have a new prospective member, if we’re able to reach out to them effectively. That’s our challenge for the coming year – figuring out how to be relevant to the next wave of specialized information publishers

Twitter, Facebook and other social media and why cats land on their feet

2009-06-16T18:40:00.001-07:00

Two years ago at the annual SIPA conference in Washington, I remember having a conversation about YouTube. One. In 2008 I bet I had a dozen conversations with people about their YouTube marketing plans and strategies. This year, none.

While I don't think YouTube has become irrelevant, the buzz has clearly shifted to the social networking parts of social media. Facebook, LinkedIn, and especially Twitter, were huge topics of conversation, in the sessions, the exhibit area, and in the hallways and receptions. It's a lot for most publishers to absorb, particularly in a challenging general economic environment.

If we had to personify (or perhaps felinify) our industry, there's no doubt, it would be a cat. We land on our feet.

Some people believe cats have some sort of internal ballast that swings them around in time for them to always land on their feet. They don't. What they have is a keen instinct. They know their survival depends on their ability to right themselves, regardless of the situation, so when they hit the ground their ready to face whatever they must.

But, if a falling cat gets complacent -- maybe it thinks it's too much effort to flip over, or there's plenty of time and it can flip over later -- it can land on her back, causing serious injury or death.

Don't be complacent. Wade into social media. Understand how your market wants to be interacting online, with you and with each other. Develop internal expertise in Twitter and LinkedIn, basic video editing, and other tools of the online world that may not have been part of your traditional publishers tool kit.

Like our member companies, SIPA can't be complacent. I'm working with the Executive Committee and SIPA staff to formulate a plan for reinventing SIPA. I'll bring you more information on this soon as I flesh it out. Be assured, SIPA is not going to land flat on its back.

And another myth about cats? 9 lives. They just have one. Cat's don't land on their feet automatically. They land on their feet because they make it happen, and whatever pain they feel in doing so, it beats the alternative.

Notes from the SIPA annual conference

2009-06-02T19:36:00.001-07:00

I got home a couple hours ago from Washington so I had a whole flight to reflect on the past three days at the Mayflower. Here, in no particular order on some thoughts I had:

Wow. For an industry in the midst of an unprecedented transtion coinciding with an exceptional market downturn, this was an upbeat group. I have no doubt that we'd all be happy if it were 2007 or early 2008 again but it's not and as a group, we seem ready to take on the challenges coming at us.

It was great to see so many familiar faces -- my family members who I only get to see a handful of times a year. It was also a pleasure to meet so many new faces, from the US, and from countries around the world.

I brought home enough great ideas to make this conference worth FAR more than the price. I took away practical ideas from every session I attended. I can't begin to name them all, but one particular standout in my mind: Mark Ragan's (from Lawrence Ragan Communications) was a compelling story that ought to be required viewing for all (it was videotaped and is available for purchase). If you missed it, be sure to buy this session.

In the coming year I look forward to traveling to as many chapters as possible, in this country and abroad, to meet members and share more ideas to help us all profitably take advantage of emerging opportunities in the specialized information field.

If there were any lingering doubts in peoples' minds that social media is going to figure prominently in our future, they should be dispelled. Social media technologies -- Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn (and many other current and future sites), not to mention blogging, wikis, online video -- need to become core competencies. SIPA's Twittering is minimal at this point but that will be changing. And you can join the SIPA LinkedIn group (also Facebook, although I think LinkedIn is likely to be more useful from an association perspective). Also, let's LinkIn to each other. You'll find me on there and I welcome the chance to connect with you.

As I mentioned in my first speech as the new SIPA president today, I am convinced that SIPA is faced with the need for revolutionary change. As an association, we have the opportunity to lead our industry, and our members, by example, by embracing the need for new ways to package, price, and promote the great content that SIPA already creates, and to aggressively develop content (both copy and events) to address emerging areas of interest. It's a challenge, but no more of a challenge than what we all face in our day jobs. We'll get down to it. Stay tuned ...

SIPA task force to envision publishing strategy

2009-06-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today, in my first official act as President of SIPA, I am announcing the formation of a task force to create and plan the association's publishing strategy. This is the highest priority I see for this association and my goal is to have the work of the task force wrapped up by the end of the calendar year.

This task force is going to be a quick-hit group that will meet by phone and email a handful of times over the coming months to develop a plan that addresses:

What are the current and emerging information needs of our members?
How do members want to access this information?
What sources are most valuable -- industry experts, other members, people from other industries?
What role, if any, is there for blogs, wikis, Twitter, Facebook, web conferencing?
What, if anything, do we still want to have in print?
What is the staffing we need to implement these plans?

These are essentially the same questions each of us is asking in our own businesses every day. Members of the task force will have to commit a modest amount of time to this effort. The return for this effort, aside from helping to ensure the continuing vitality and value of SIPA, is the opportunity to think through this issue with smart colleagues from your industry who get it. It's like a hands-on workshop training program. And it's free.

I want this task force to include a wide range of perspectives and experience. I'd like some industry veterans and some newcomers, traditional publishers and digital natives, large companies and small.

If you're interested in taking advantage of the opportunity to join this effort, please contact me at Ed_Coburn@hms.harvard.edu.

The risks and benefits of social media

2009-06-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Recently, I received a note from Harry Baisden, editor of SIPA’s Hotline and SIPAlert publications. Here’s what he as asking

The Miami Herald is talking about the risks that Twitter poses for papers. The column talks about two problems with Twitter (and other social media). With reporters able to talk to millions of people through some channel other than the newspaper, what claim can a publisher have to exclusivity if the reporter talks about the story before it is published in the newspaper.

With publishers seemingly connected to so many people through social networks, they lose invaluable face time with important news sources AND it will “further skew journalism toward seeking out, listening to and serving the young, the hip, the technically sophisticated, the well-off – in short, the better-connected.

Based on that, Harry asked the following questions, which are followed by my responses:

Do you believe SIPA members face these same risks?
Yes. SIPA members face this risk too, but to a lesser extent, at least at this point, due to two phenomena – our smaller, niche markets and the fact that we tend to have editorial staff members that get the marketing implications better than many traditional publishing realms.

If so, are the risks worth it for the value of the information you get and forward on to your customers from reporters’ involvement in these media?
I don’t think this is so much a question of is the risk worth it. This is a phenomenon that is happening and you can’t credibly resist it any more than the record companies could resist MP3s. Besides, I think this is a good thing for our industry in the long term. There’s nothing that says Twitter can’t lead people to a subscription website, or an ad-supported website, or other ecommerce. Twitter won’t eliminate business models, but it, like so many other technological developments, might contribute to changing them considerably. Sharp publishers will find a way to prosper in this new world. The tired, the lazy, and the weak will be cleared out. In my experience, SIPA members tend to survive, and thrive, amid change (even if we don’t always enjoy the ride all the time).

Do you have any rules in place prohibiting reporters from talking about subjects they are working on stories for?
No, we don’t. At least not yet. We’re much more in the mode of encouraging our staff to try things and experiment.

What controls do you place on reporters for using social media?
User generated content is a tricky business under a Harvard Medical School banner – not just from a branding perspective, but we’re dealing with health information and not to be overly dramatic but there are potentially real life-or-death issues at stake. Everyone here is highly aware of this and respects the responsibility that we have to proceed with caution.

How can you, as a publisher, turn this risk into an opportunity?
We have a number of opportunities we’re pursuing. I think at least some will work out for us. Overall, I think people are consuming as much information as ever, probably more. But I think we may be reaching the point of saturation. That is going to place a growing premium on being concise and delivering value. The publisher that can deliver the greatest value in the most convenient and time- and cost-effective manner will win. To me it’s not a question of turning this risk into an opportunity, it’s whether you’re willing to risk not taking advantage of the enormous opportunities before us.

I do think there is a danger in the general media that journalists will get increasingly pinned to their desks and captive to the technically sophisticated, which is not necessarily a representational cross section of the populace. But, we already experience a similar effect in other ways. The overwhelming concentration of media in New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles means that stories that happen there are likely to get far more coverage than if that same story occurred in a out of the way city/state/country (out of sight, out of mind). And, of course, our news skews towards the visual. Big developments happen in this world, but a car accident, plane crash, burning building, shouting protestors, or other similar spectacles get much more airtime than a budget hearing.

What do you think?

Google speaks

2009-06-01T10:56:00.001-07:00

Andrew Madden spoke to the SIPA conference today. More on this soon. What did you think?

What lies ahead for SIPA in the coming year

2009-05-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

As I take on the office of president of SIPA, here are my thoughts about the state of our industry and association:

The challenges I want to pursue in coming year:

Obviously weathering current climate – still have strong reserves

Getting SIPA to walk the talk when it comes to communications

Electronic media as appropriate
Social media
Interactive forums
Broader coverage of topics
Looking for volunteers, especially some digital natives, to join 6-month task force

Greater transparency and involvement

Revising and publishing nomination process
Starting President’s blog to share news and insights and conversation at EdCoburn.blogspot.com.

I look forward to working with you to help your association, and your business, thrive in the coming years.