Effectively Coordinating Print and Web Publications

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Effectively Coordinating Print and Web
Publications

• David Strom
• david_at_strom.com
• [phone]

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Todays seminar

• Some platitudes from yours truly
• Hear from our panelists
• See lots of different web publications
• Get your own comments

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My background

• Founding editor Network Computing 1990-2
• Self-publish Web Informant 1995-
• Built Intranet Construction Site for CMP 1997
  (both print and web)
• Freelance writer and editor for both print and
  web trade publications

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Mistakes on ICS (www.intranet-build.com)

• Had different graphic artists for print and web,
  ended up doing graphics twice
• Had web team inexperienced in publishing
  industry
• Lack of overall coordination, no one really in
  charge
• Print deadlines drove web content, rather than
  the other way around

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ICS design flaws

• Print was 4 serial editions, web static
• Articles mainly reference works and too long for
  the web
• Lame email newsletter to drive repeat traffic
• Too many ad spots cluttered the page

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Some wit and wisdom from Norm

• We still haven't found a way to put a magazine
  on the Web. Norman Pearlstine, editor in chief,
  Time magazine.
• CNNSI has taken off, yet I'm not convinced that
  charging subscriptions wouldn't result in the
  site falling apart.

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So should you charge web visitors?

• Two schools of thought, and youll hear more
  about both
• An alternative is require registration on some
  portion of the site
• How not to do it Infoworld, which has two
  separate servers

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The web is not a book

• People dont like to read from a screen
• People are more impatient over 28.8 modems
• Navigating online is still harder than turning
  pages

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Dont get too attracted to technology

• Frames suck
• The fewer graphics the better
• The more complex your pages, the more limited
  your audience
• The more dynamic your site, the less can be
  indexed by a search engine

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Interactive is a dirty word

• Visitors arent interested in video games
• They take too much time and technology to do
  right
• Develop simple things such as Attachmates
  Treasure Web that play off registrations
  (www.atm.com/treasure)

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Understand your audience

• What pages are popular?
• What inbound links produce visitors?
• How long are they at your site and where do they
  go?
• What browsers do they use and where do they come
  from?

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Think carefully about advertising

• What you promise may not be what you deliver
• Who really clicks on ad banners anyway?
• Sell sponsorships like Forbes (275,000 each)

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Complement your print publication

• Dont worry about giving away the store
• Match content delivery with newsstand
  availability
• Have search button right up front and on top
• Put lots of navigation aids everywhere

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Hire the right web ME

• Who can make the trains run
• Who knows enough HTML to be dangerous
• Who comes from publishing
• Who can coordinate with print counterparts

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Issues

• Does your audience first see something on the web
  or in print?
• how do you display URLs and cross-reference?
• Should the web edition be a reference work or
  stand on its own?
• reading from the screen is slower than from the
  printed page!
• How easy is it to update your own content?
• keep archives of the past, even if out of date?
• Are web and print editions enemies or bedfellows?

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Panelists

• Nancy Macagno, Director New Media, Consumer
  Reports
• Jackie Gavron, Editor Windows Sources
• Jennie Baird, Editor, Smart Money Interactive

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Discussion topics

• Panelist and publication background
• Relationship between print and web editorial
• Production streams for both
• Differences in design
• Lessons learned, skills looking for