Digital publishing news for September 25, 2013
Popular Science took the necessary steps to clean up their online community. They’ve permanently disabled comments, all in the name of science. Suzanne LaBarre, online content director for Popular Science writes, “It wasn’t a decision we made lightly. As the news arm of a 141-year-old science and technology magazine, we are as committed to fostering lively, intellectual debate as we are to spreading the word of science far and wide. The problem is when trolls and spambots overwhelm the former, diminishing our ability to do the latter.” She goes on to add that their readers are more than welcome to join in on constructive discourse on their Facebook, Google+ and Twitter pages.
Considering that Google loves pages with comments, I wonder how their SEO metrics will change.
AIM Releases Ski Magazine Newsstand App
Talking New Media is reporting that Active Interest Media has released a Newsstand app for the recently acquired Ski Magazine. D.B. Hebbard writes, “The new app for the Apple Newsstand will now sit side-by-side with the existing app, which is named Ski Mag, that still bears the Bonnier name. The new app contains a preview issue that is free to download. AIM is keeping the same price point of $11.99 for an annual subscription, but is obviously trying to migrate readers off the old app to the new one.” Having to deal with the confusion of an existing app sounds like a pain but we know our friends at AIM will do just fine.
Harper’s Bazaar Goes Native
Online Media Daily is reporting that Harper’s Bazaar has launched its first native advertising campaign with Nordstrom. Laurie Sullivan writes, “The campaign, Nordstrom/UGG Trend Collage, highlights a brand-specific photo grid around a topic. The native ad format resembles a Pinterest pinboard that editors curate or built with advertiser images and text.” The report also adds that Hearst found 78% of their readers want the advertising experience tailored to them.
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Affluent People Supplement With Digital Media
Net News Ledger has the details on the 2013 Ipsos Affluent Survey USA. According to the survey, affluent people are more likely to supplement their media consumption with digital outlets rather and replace it. The survey has some interesting findings that publishers might want to hear. For example, “Magazine/newspaper apps: 6.9 million Affluents have downloaded a magazine app, up 47% from 4.7 million in 2012; 8.5 million Affluents have downloaded a newspaper app, up 21% from 7.0 in 2012.”
Mobile Ad Budgets More Than Double
Ad Age is reporting that mobile ad budgets have more than doubled since two years ago. John McDermott writes, “Marketers are spending more than twice as much on mobile this year than in 2011 as they work to close the gap between how much of their budgets is allocated to mobile and how much media is consumed on such devices, according to a new Interactive Advertising Bureau survey. Among the 300 U.S. organizations surveyed, IAB estimated the average mobile ad budget was $242,750 in 2013, more than double the budget two years ago.” Sounds like another win for responsive mobile design.
New CEO At SpinMedia
The NY Post is reporting that Vibe Media executive Dale Strang has been named the new CEO of SpinMedia. Keith J. Kelly reports, “Strang is the third CEO in nine months. Hansen had engineered a shakeup of the site in April in which 50 of the company’s 250 staffers were axed. He pledged to make the site profitable in 2013. But the goal appears to have eluded him, and he was told at a mid-September board meeting that he would be gone.”
