Don Nicholas

Founder & Executive Publisher

Don Nicholas serves as Executive Publisher for Food Gardening Network and GreenPrints. He is responsible for all creative, technical, and financial aspects of these multiplatform brands. As senior member of the editorial team, he provides structural guidance, sets standards, and coordinates activities with the technology and business teams. Don is an active gardener whose favorite crops include tomatoes, basil, blueberries, and corn. He and his wife Gail live and work in southern Massachusetts surrounded by forests, family farms, cranberry bogs, and nearby beaches. Don is also the Founder of Mequoda Systems, LLC, which operates and supports numerous online communities including I Like Crochet, I Like Knitting, and We Like Sewing.

Articles by Don Nicholas

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

What Is Digital Publishing Doing to Stay Up on Tech Advances?

And what is digital publishing not doing to stay up on tech advances? Are you – gasp – in danger of becoming a "dinosaur"? What is digital publishing? Well, how much time

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Publisher Monetization: Video, Display Ads, Facebook

Popular industry opinion says publisher monetization of video, digital advertising, and social media is a 21st-century challenge. The thinking goes that previous generations of magazines – read: print – were

Digital Magazine Publishing

Magazine Pricing: The 7 Immutable Laws of Economic Behaviorism

We’ve been writing about the pricing of website and digital and print magazine subscriptions a lot lately, which has lead us to dig up some intriguing themes. Of course, the

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Publishing Acquisitions on the Rise in Event and Mobile Sectors

Publishing acquisitions provide a barometer for the robustness of the digital magazine business, and a recent report highlights how emerging areas are gaining ground on more traditional media M&A activity

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

The Growth of Multi-Platform Advertising

“Imagine a world in which advertisers can seamlessly serve data-driven ads to the right user at the right time across channels and devices,” writes LiveRail Head of Client Services, Vijay

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Mobile App Publishers: New Data on Engagement and Connected Consumers

Mobile app publishers are always craving the latest and greatest data to aid in their tech and targeting efforts. Establishing best practices to consistently monetize mobile is one of the

The Mequoda Community Subscription Website Business Model

Some of the most successful publishers let their users generate more than 99 percent of their content. The publishers who can do this become masters at building communities that draw

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Mobile Programmatic for Publishers: The Latest Updates

Mobile programmatic is the next frontier for publishers looking to generate digital ad revenue, and some believe it could finally give digital magazines the opening they need to establish a

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

What Is Native Advertising and Its Impact on Consumers?

We've covered the question "What is native advertising?" several times, stressing that it's not a new component of publishing revenue, but rather a fresh take on advertorial for the digital

Digital Magazine Publishing

How to Make a Digital Magazine on a Shoestring Budget

If it seems like everybody has a digital magazine, that's because they do. If you're a publisher and reading this, then I'm guessing you're not quite "everyone" yet, but you're

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Publisher Data: Casualty of Ad Blocking, Catalyst for Change

Publisher data is a broad term, but executives and sales staff know that they want more of it to develop long-term strategies for their content. But what happens when your

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

4 Interview Questions for Discovering Who a Potential Candidate Really Is

A few years ago we co-hosted a webinar with Bruce Elder, when he was the Principal at ghSMART & Company. Bruce gave our readers a ton of advice during this

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Paywalls for Online Content: More Publishers Signing On

Paywalls for online content are a work in progress, as publishers perfect the strategy with tiers, bundles, memberships, and other tactics. But there's no question that they have a place

How Web Maintenance Will Improve the Results of Your Publishing System

Over the past few months, we’ve been strongly encouraging our clients upgrade their Haven Nexus Systems. Haven Nexus CXMS is a state-of-the-art SaaS tool built, owned and maintained by Mequoda to

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Social Media Publishing Tools Are Key: Just Ask Nat Geo

Social media publishing tools are proliferate, and often the options are overwhelming. Do you ever wonder how the best in the business appropriate their social efforts? Which platforms they lean

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Ad, Publisher Dynamic Gets Complicated With Blocking Software

If you're an ad publisher and rely solely on that revenue for your company's future, blocking software is a disturbing development indeed. While it's not yet at crisis levels, it's

What is Tablet Publishing and How Is it Affecting Magazines?

Digital Magazine Publishing

What is Tablet Publishing and How Is it Affecting Magazines?

Digital magazines come in all shapes and sizes. We recommend web magazines, because they adapts to any device, even tablets. But a digital magazine app is most native to tablet

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Google Publishing News Lab Debuts

A few months back, we wondered whether Google digital advertising is unstoppable. Now, the question becomes whether the Google publishing juggernaut is poised to ultimately make the company even more

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

5 Online Video Advertising Solutions For Any Publisher

Looking to monetize your video-viewing audience? Check out these 9 popular online video advertising solutions.

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Digital Publishing News: MSLO, Real Simple, PMC, Fortune Mag, and More

We're starting the week off with a healthy dose of digital publishing news from both sides of the Atlantic: mergers & acquisitions, platform considerations, and personnel moves. We monitor industry

What Great Website Design Actually Means and How to Measure it

What Great Website Design Actually Means and How to Measure it

Have you started the venture on your next great website design? Maybe your original design was pretty great when you launched, but it's been a few years now and it's

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Mobile Content Strategy: LinkedIn Pulse and More

Mobile content strategy is wide open these days, as publishers strive to make the right moves toward monetizing a burgeoning medium and avoid blowing a golden opportunity. But mastering mobile

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Cross-Device Advertising + Other Mobile Challenges

If you've solved cross-device advertising, you probably don't need to be visiting the Mequoda website for free advice. If you're still experimenting and developing solutions, join the club: Even the

Digital Magazine Publishing

How Millennials Would Like Your Digital Replica Upgraded

Generation Y, the millennials, were born in a hugely broad span of time for a "generation," which is between 1977 and 2001. Depending on the pundits you read, those years may

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

New Adobe Publishing Platform Coming Later This Summer

Adobe publishing is a pricey option for publishers, but many believe the company's products are worth every penny. While we proudly partner with Mag+ and direct our niche Mequoda Members

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Mobile Magazines Must Simplify to Solve Problems

Mobile magazines face cascading challenges when it comes to monetization. User behavior, tech headaches, newsstand confusion, and advertising demands can complicate the implementation of a platform that – regardless of

How to Price and Sell Online Magazine Subscriptions

Now that we’re 5+ years into the advent of the iPad and responsive website design has penetrated to a point where it's now a must-have for Google-friendly sites, it’s become

10 Great Website Design Ideas that Make Lazy Visitors Click More

Reader engagement is a key metric important to all publishers. Time spent, pages per visit and return visits are all numbers that every online publisher should hold near and dear. The

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Mobile-First Strategy for Better Homes & Gardens

Is a mobile-first strategy a must for publishers at this point? The short answer is yes, but how should you execute it? Read our analysis of mobile-first strategy in the

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Online Content Strategy Depends on Tracking, Social, Advertising

Online content strategy can be navigated only when you're equipped with the right data analytics. Throwing an article up and calling it a day doesn't do it anymore. Luckily, publishers

Digital Magazine Publishing

Why Digital Replica Editions Aren’t Best for Older Readers

Place yourself in the shoes of someone with vision issues: you are at the age where you're kind of set in your ways, yet haven't completely lost the will to

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Publisher Video Efforts Expand With New Partnerships, Channels

If you're a publisher, video must at least be on the periphery of your strategy, inching closer and closer to a prime position in your business approach. While you might

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Two Ways to Avoid the Potential Penalties of Being a Content Aggregator

Did your search traffic drop this month? Even the most respected publishers I know saw a little kick from the recent Phantom update, which hones in, as usual, on high-quality

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Niche Publishers in the News Show Value of Strong Audience

Content that doesn't deeply consider audience is a waste of time and money. It's no coincidence that the majority of Mequoda Members are niche publishers: The model allows you to

What Every Great Website Design Requires (And You Might Be Missing)

I'd like you to take a minute and decide the actions you'd like a user to take when they arrive at your website. If you were conducting any kind of

How to Analyze Your Referring Website Analytics + 7 Steps for Using them

There's a lot to learn in Google Analytics, but unless you're a business analyst or marketing manager, you probably don't need to know all of them. However, one set of metrics

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Cross-Media Publishing News: Apple Newsstand, Tablets, and Time Spent

Perhaps it was inevitable, but the end of Apple Newsstand – long involved in a love-hate relationship with cross-device publishing – was still an occasion for reflection and wondering what

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Repurposing Content Emerges as Crucial NYT Strategy

Repurposing content is a core tenet of the Mequoda Method, but we can't take credit for inventing the tactic. Rather, any publishers worth their salt – whether print or digital

How to Promote a Magazine Through Email Spotlights

Digital Magazine Publishing

How to Promote a Magazine Through Email Spotlights

I recently talked to a publisher who, up until recently, almost never promoted his magazine. But he didn't realize it. He has a Portal with free content, a magazine website

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Content Distribution Strategy a Key to Survive and Advance

Developing a content distribution strategy that goes beyond print and desktop is no longer a luxury – it's a requirement if you want to stand any chance at sustained success.

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Can TV Be a Digital Publishing Solution?

There is no panacea for digital magazines attempting to break through, no one digital publishing solution to rule all others and send your revenues skyrocketing (unless you count Mequoda as

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Ecommerce Content Strategy Taking Shape for Publishers

Earlier this week, we relayed news of tech network Purch's Series C grab of $135 million, fueled largely by its prowess in mixing content and commerce. Purch's success is a

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Monetizing Content Can Be a Many-Splendored Thing

The days of starting a magazine, sitting back, and watching the revenue roll in are over. Publishers must be vigilant in monitoring industry trends, establishing best practices, and monetizing content

Digital Magazine Publishing

The Digital Publishing Industry by the Numbers: MPA Releases 2015 Factbook

Is the digital publishing industry unstoppable? These facts and figures argue a resounding yes, especially when it comes to audience development.

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Time Spent With Media Is on the Rise – and So Is Snapchat

Time Inc. digital tries a paywall with Entertainment Weekly, while time spent with media seems to grow everywhere except in print As time spent with media continues to rise, publishers don't

What is a Content Aggregator?

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

What is a Content Aggregator?

There are a lot of things you can do without knowing it, but content aggregation isn't one of them. For example, you could offend someone without knowing it. You could

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Magazine Publishing Companies Making Moves

Legacy magazine publishing companies like Time Inc. digital are trying to get smaller, while smaller publishers like Lonely Planet and Vox are trying to get bigger. Let's take a look

What Every Great Membership Website Has in Common

Membership website publishers must recognize the value in their products. Not all subscription websites are created equal, but the best ones do have something in common. The commonality that all great

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Digital Advertising News: Buyers Want Viewability Data, While Nielsen Wants Brains

All roads lead to viewability. This is not digital advertising news for anyone paying attention. Without it – or without a plan to establish it – publishers could be in

Multiplatform Publishing Strategy

Multiplatform, Mobile Setting the Pace for Publishers

Ask any publisher about the industry's top trends, and it's likely the majority of their responses will start with the letter "M." Multiplatform, mobile, and metrics, to name a few.

Mequoda is an active member of the following industry associations:

By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.