Tagjournalist as brand

The Atlantic Profitable Again, Considering Apps for Individual Writers

The Atlantic

The Atlantic is probably my favorite right now, glad to hear it’s doing well. Highlights from Daily Finance’s article:

The magazine is on pace to be profitable this year for the first time in many years, according to Justin Smith, the company’s president (pictured). The growth is coming from both print and digital: November figures to be the single biggest month for advertising revenue in the publication’s history, and Smith projects a year-over-year increase for 2010 of 45%. “We’ve been really fortunate to come out of the recession in a strong position,” he says. […]

Somewhat notoriously, Apple has so far refused to allow most publishers to sell subscriptions directly to consumers via the iTunes store, insisting on handling all the transactions — and keeping the valuable information they generate — itself. To get around this roadblock, the Atlantic employed a vendor called Urban Airship, which allowed it to offer a reasonable facsimile of a subscription, including renewal notices and choices of multiple subscription terms. […]

Other apps are still on the drawing board, but one avenue being considered is to offer mini-apps that give access to the output of individual writers, such as Andrew Sullivan, whose Daily Dish blog continues to be the Atlantic’s biggest traffic draw.

Daily Finance: Behind Atlantic Media’s Growth: A Return to Profits at The Atlantic

CJR profile of citizen journalist John Ciampa

Take special note of the fact that in addition to doing journalism, he provides services.

Ciampa says he got interested in blogging after reading a CNNMoney story about how blogging was “the next big thing.” He took it to heart, and started a blog about snowboarding. In the days before FCC disclosure regulations, he parlayed that site into a stay at Whistler Blackcomb for him and ten friends, with a heli-skiing outing thrown in, all in exchange for writing about the experience. He then became interested in search engine optimization after starting a fashion blog for his twelve-year-old niece. “FashionExpert.com” was taken, so he called it FashionExpertGirl.com. Now when you Google “fashion expert,” his niece’s blog and her critiques of Disney Channel actress’s red carpet outfits, as well as her take on New York Fashion Week looks, appears on the first page of results.

Three years ago, he started Bloggersschool.com (Tagline: You have a voice! We teach you how to use it), a Web resource full of podcasts and blogging tips on everything from how to use WordPress and keyword your site so it rises to the top of searches, to how businesses can take advantage of Facebook and Twitter and YouTube. Using the Bloggers School name, Ciampa and his business partner/fiancée, Carolina Frederico, consult with other businesses—including a Greek gyro shop in Astoria called BZ Grill and a florist in Ozone Park called A Little Shop of Flowers—on how to cultivate their Web presence, for a fee. They also hold a real-life class each month to teach mid-career types, business owners, and hobbyists how to create an online reputation that promotes their brand or expertise.

Columbia Journalism Review: The Man on the Street

(via Jay Rosen)

5 Media Trends to Watch

Here are the five media trends I’m watching and will focus on in future articles on this site:

Sources and advertisers going direct
Context is King
Journalist as brand
Reporting as service
Media companies as technology companies

I have a heavy emphasis on journalism, but most of these actually apply to other media fields as well.

Continue reading

© 2024 Technoccult

Theme by Anders NorénUp ↑