How three publishers are integrating their print and online teams
In a panel with Clay Hall, Interweave, Bob Brady, Business & Legal Resources, and Charlie Spahr, Ceramic Publications Company, publishers talked about how they’re organizing and integrating their print and online teams.
Interweave
Hall began the discussion, showing the audience how they organize their business. “If our company was much larger, or more collaborative, we wouldn’t be able to organize around our markets.” He explained that every market that they serve has their own publisher that is responsible for all products and costs within that market.
An audience member asked Hall if there would be any layoffs or re-hiring due to this structure (that is to be implemented in 2010), and he assured that the new structure was built around their existing staff, with little resistance from his employees.
Ceramic Publications Company
Spahr explained that he works with a much smaller team and has less trouble with organization. He showed that before they launched their online portal CeramicArtsDaily.com, they had a team of editors for Ceramics Monthly and a smaller staff that managed Pottery Making Illustrated and managed booked. “We’ve had websites for 10 years, but the ones we had before CAD were the worst of the worst,” Spahr joked.
Spahr then showed their new organization that only required adding one new person to their team. “It’s a luxury to have a small group”, he noted. Technically, they took an existing editor and turned her into the Managing Editor for the website. He noted that she was initially very reluctant to take the position, because her background is in editorial and writing, but said that now that they’ve built an online community, she’s much more engaged. “Now when we post a blog, its not unusual to get 10 responses within the first hour”, adding that she’s now more enthusiastic about traffic and other metrics as well because of this.
Spahr told the audience that their “capacity for online products are gained primarily though the streamlining of print and online procedures.” He also joked, “I think it’s also fair to say that everyone works a little longer than they used to”.
Business & Legal Resources
“We have to regulate our information on a regular basis, so that dictates how we run and what we do”, started Brady of Business & Legal Resources.
Originally, editors weren’t responsible for both print and online at BLR, Brady explained that once the website was launched, they were involved in both and are now increasingly involved in SEO.
“We look for people who are interested in our products and have a passion for learning and can work well on a team. They need to be creative, but not creative in an individual sense,” explained Brady. “We try not to penalize failure, in the same way that we congratulate the entire team for any successes”.
