Kyiv: The New Digital Tools in English (PDF)

This days I’m in Kyiv, Ukraine and work with Ellina and his team to develop her publishing house SoftPress - founded in 1995 - even further. We discussed about

- Best practice around the world in b2b an b2c publishing
- SoftPress High-Techclub and additional services for readers
- Reader partizipation and Reader Choice Competition
- What and how to go ahead on Online-Service and electronic publication

and have two more days to go.

For a short overview on the new (much talked) digital tools I translated my presentation into English

The New Digital Tools -
Blogs, Podcasts, RSS, Social Software and Social Networks.

Download PDF 2,79 MB

In the Podcast part I used some charts from Shel Holtz, ABC and I hope he doesn’t mind. Together with Neville Hobson, Shel Holtz, ABC is publishing a bi-weekly Postcast for Marketing- and Communication Professionals
See / subscribe at http://blog.holtz.com/ or http://www.forimmediaterelease.biz/

Out Of Sync

Julie Bosam reports in the NYT (Nov 19th) about Ziff Davis plans to close Sync Magazine

She writes:
"Sync magazine, a men's magazine devoted to electronic gear and gadgetry, will close after 18 months of publication, a spokesman for its parent company, Ziff Davis Media, said yesterday. The final issue will be on newsstands Dec. 6.



Ziff Davis will turn over operation of the magazine's Web site, www.syncmag.com, to its San Francisco-based Game Group, which oversees the company's gaming titles.

Sync started in June 2004 and was published every other month, growing its circulation guaranteed to advertisers to 250,000 from its initial 200,000. But the magazine struggled to survive in a men's magazine market that has grown increasingly crowded ... "

More on NYT ...

… one more trail and error magazine concept failed - and more will follow.

There are still a lot of attempts and plans to make such a print magazine work (make it important to readers and advertisers) but I doubt that you can get enough mind (and budget) share ... on a regular print edition centering other male interest around that subject.

Yes, electronic gear and gadgetry is still a men subject, but in today’s world men don't need a special print periodical, to get the feeling (news and information on lame print).

Trying, is not new, either. I remember the start of the first German computer magazine CHIP in 1978. We didn't want to replace Playboy Magazine, but we used the magazine (and it's reader) for gaining subscription via advertising. Playboy performed good - it was among the top five in CPO (and suddenly I could steer up the interest of my (male) colleges in our serious publishing house about the little bastard and got their fantasy going, writing juicy copy for our ads on 'lust electronics' and computer.

The same publishing house in Germany - now Vogel Burda Communication - just relaunched Tomorrow.



in my eyes a new attempt and failure (magazine), wasting money!

The Kelsey Group: On Local Media Space and Opportunities

First:
Carlotta Mast from The Kelsey Group wrote a whitepaper on

Mobil Local search and Directory: Unterstanding the Opportunity

"The explosive growth in the number of wireless devices worldwide has created a sense that it is only a matter of time before most local commercial searches are conducted from a mobile device, using a voice interface, miniature Web browser or some other interface ...

Until that point, many U.S.-based directory publishers are likely to, and probably should, remain skeptical of the mobile local opportunity. However, search engines, led by America Online, Google and Yahoo!, are moving aggressively to develop mobile search products; and publishers in Europe and elsewhere are beginning to get some traction with their mobile products, particularly SMS ... " more

Second:
According to The Kelsey Group, annual local search volume could exceed 20 billion searches in 2006 ... or about 20 % of total Web search ... more

Third:
The Kelsey Group’s runs soon the conference

ILM:05 - Interactive Local Media 2005

Explore the Dynamic Interactive Local Media Space
30 Nov - 2 Dec, 2006

Three-day program will feature keynotes from executives from AOL, Google, IAC, MSN and Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. Session include:

- The Local Search Ecosystem
- Newspapers 2.0
- Online Consumers, Offline SMEs: Inertia and the Online Imperative
- The Role of User-Generated Content and Community
- Simplified-Search Marketing: Bundled Clicks and PPCall
- Right Here, Right Now: New Opportunities in Location-Based Targeting
- Maps, 'Mashups' and Monetization
- VoIP, RSS and IM: New Technologies and Local

Information and program

(Everything US centered!)

Internet in China: Usage and Impact

Guo Liang, of the Research Center for Social Development at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), surveyed into Internet Users in Beijing, Chengdu, Changsha, Guangzhou and Shanghai (China's Internet population passed in July 2005 103 million) has come up with some interesting data in his 144 page report:

Surveying Internet Usage and Impact in Five Chines Cities

Some findings

- Chinese Internet user spends nearly three hours a day online
- 75 percent have never made an Internet purchase
- 42 percent never use a search engine.
- 85 percent spend their time viewing mainland Chinese-language content only
- 3 percent (sayed, that they) viewed overseas foreign language content

The Internet is a good place for Internet User & Non-user


Enlarge

The survey was founded by the Markle Foundation: Download Result (1,9 MB, PDF)

More ...

For comparison: Internet Report from 2003 results from a 12 cities study.

via Fons Tuinstra on China Herald

Trendumfrage Fachpresse Herbst 2005

Präsentiert am 17. November 2005 von Uwe Hoch, dem Sprecher der Deutschen Fachpresse
im Rahmen der 'Zeitschriftentagen, Berlin'






Quelle: Herbstumfrage Deutsche Fachpresse

Link Pressemitteilung (PDF)

Link Präsentation (PDF)

Die Zuverlaessigkeit von Zaehlungen: Europaeische Blogs

Verständlicherweise, haben die Zahlen von Robert Basic und unsere unverbindliche Liste, wieder die Diskussion angeheizt, wie solche Zahlen zustande kommen und wie 'wahr' oder 'falsch' sie sind und wie man zu einer kontrollierten Zählung kommt.

Nach unserer Einschätzung wird es wohl nie eine allgemeinverbindliche Zählung zum Thema 'Anzahl von Blogs in XY' geben. Dazu sind die Wünsche und Zielsetzungen für die potentiellen Auftraggeber und auch die Blogs und die Blog-Betreiber zu unterschiedlich gestrickt. Aber das geht nicht nur mit Blogs und Bloggern so!

Wir finden dies auch gar nicht schlimm und deshalb hier zum Trost, ein Beispiel aus einem anderem Bereich, den wir ganz gut kennen: die gute, alte Fachzeitschrift

Die ersten Fachzeitschriften in Deutschland gab es so um 1870 (ohne Bezeichnung 'Fachzeitschrift') - also schon ein paar Jahre her und noch heute zählt man / zählen und beschreibt man für Deutschland:

Fachzeitschriften (was ist das eigentlich?) mit / nach IVW Prüfung (3/05): 1.075 Titel

Fachzeitschriften nach Verbandsangabe (Fachpresse) von 550 Mitgliedsverlagen 3.637 Titel (diese Zahl hat z.B. World Magazine Trends 2005/2006 FIPP/ZENITH übernommen)

Fachzeitschriften insgesamt, nach verschiedenen Quellen / Angaben zwischen 9.000 - 12.000 Titeln

und obwohl es sich hier um Periodika und körperliche Titel handelt, finden sich alle 3 Ansätze in den Veröffentlichungen wieder.

Werbetreibende, oder präziser ihre Agenturen, meinen oft, dass nicht IVW geprüfte Titel irrelevant sind - solange alle vom Kunden gewünschte Titel in der IVW Liste zu finden sind, der Verband Fachpresse und seine Mitglieder halten ausschließlich die eigenen, gemeldeten Titel für relevant und ich weiß leider auch nicht, warum 9000 Titel eine bessere oder aber auch schlechtere Zahl sein sollte - es sei denn ich brauche einen oder mehrere dieser Titel, um mit meiner Zielgruppe zu kommunizieren.

Ich zitiere bei meinen Schulungen noch immer gerne die Worte meines (schon längst verstorbenen) Bosses Arthur N.:
"Martin, es ist mir völlig egal, mit welcher Methode sie die Titel für unsere Mediaplanung auswählen, solange auf ihrer Liste die Titel stehen, in denen ich werben will (und nach meiner Meinung werben muss, um erfolgreich zu sein)."

Wie relevant sind Blog- und Bloggerzahlenspiele?

Obwohl wir da unsere Zweifel hatten (und haben), haben wir im Juni / Juli 2005 'mitgespielt' und Loic bei seinem 'Socialtext' Experiment und Vortrag auf der Reboot 7.0 unterstützt und dann auch für Blog Herald (eingeschränkter) Weltsicht ein paar Zahlen zu Europa beigesteuert.

Jetzt hat uns ein aktueller Eintrag von Robert Basic angeregt, unsere (nur teilweise aktualisierte) Liste noch einmal Online stellen:

Achtung! Es handelt sich hier um Blogs und nicht um Blogger!
Europäische Blogosphere - November 2005


Vergrößeren

Nachtrag:
Ohne jede Garantie!
Abtippen brauchen Sie diese Zahlen aber nicht, Sie können sich das Excel Chart (Update 01/2006) hier gerne downloaden und weiter spielen.

We See wikiCalc (Alpha)

Dan Bricklin describes his new project:

" ... wikiCalc program -- a web authoring tool that creates web pages. It is for creating and maintaining web pages that include data this is more than just unformatted prose, such as schedules, lists, and tables.

It combines some of the ease of authoring and multi-person edit ability of a wiki with the familiar formatting and data organizing metaphor of a spreadsheet. While you edit using a browser-based UI in a spreadsheet, with the A-B-C 1-2-3 grid showing, the final output, like printout from the productivity product, is static and only shows cell borders where you explicitly set them. It handles freeform text in a wiki-like manner and works well with large blocks of text ..."

Check it out!

via Raw Feed

B2B Publisher: How to Sell Sponsored Webinars

In our discussion with publisher in China, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Germany we mentioned 'Webinars' as a business opportunity and revenue stream for publisher, which works well in US (e.g. Penton, PennWell)


In MarketingSherpa's Publication ContentBiz I found today a Special Report on the subject, sharing experience, samples and some links for additional resources:

SPECIAL REPORT Part II:
How to Sell Sponsorships to Webinars -- Content,
Marketing, & Production Tips

SUMMARY (from MarketingSherpa): In part II of ContentBiz's special report on how to sell sponsorships to webinars, you'll find:

- Strong content that's not advertorial
- Production tips
- How to get webinar attendees

Plus, samples of media kits, registration forms, and ads to get more
attendees here (F.o.C. until Nov 20th, later in the SherpaShop)

Special Report Part 1:
How to Sell Sponsored Webinars -- Pricing & What Sponsors Want

Special Report Part 2:
How to Sell Sponsorships to Webinars Part II: Content, Marketing, & Production Tips

Google Publication Ads in Chicago Newspaper

Chris Thilk wrote on AdJab:

"How did this not make the world, like, explode or something?

I just wrote a post about Google supposedly moving into placing ads in newspapers, with a Chicago paper being used as the first publication.
Well here is the link to sign up ... more

Sign up for Google Publication Ads (Invitation only)

see also from August2005

CNet: Google Takes Ads Sales To Print
John Battelle's Searchblog: Google Injects AdWords Into Magazine Market. Q: Why? A: Money

US Magazine Health Watch

Tony Silber points in his article 'Year-End Preoccupations' current Folio: magazine to a great service - new to us, so we will add it to our database.

He writes:

" ... Check out the Magazine Health Watch Web site for an extremely comprehensive and up-to-date look at the b-to-b side. According to this searchable, customizable source, published by the ad-tracking service IMS, ad revenue through September is up by 5 percent, while pages are up by 3 percent. The hottest category so far for 2005, by revenue? Surgical supplies, up 66 percent. The coldest? Recreational vehicles and trailers, down 32 percent.

On the consumer side, the PIB magazines are up by nearly 8 percent in dollars so far and by a scant 1 percent in actual ad pages. And neither of these metrics include e-media, where a lot of advertising spending is migrating ..."

More ...

Magazine Health Watch Website

Thanks Tony! I hope you had a good year and you repeat the year-end-counting counting only to reassure yourself how good you are!

Do and Don'ts If You Want Your Journalist to Blog

From Jemima Kiss at journalsm.co.uk:

Both Ryan Pitts of SpokesmanReview.com and Cory Bergman of KING TV said at the Online News Association Conference, NYC last week, that a large part of their job involves encouraging journalists to make the transition to the blog platform. They estimate that 10 per cent of journalists take to the medium quickly, but the rest take some gentle persuading ...

Of course it is easy, to get a photographer or TV Journalist to publish unused footage on a blog, but it is not so easy to get a TV Journalist to do some writing ... so set some basics, teach the rules and find (or help to find) encouraging reason (and motivation) for it and give everyone blogging (or not blogging yet) a full feedback on what is going on ...

Media Giants Reshaping Their Business Models Around The Web

as online advertising has proved to be 'both effective and scalable,' says Tolman Geffs of the Jordan, Edmiston Group. Time Warner's acquisition of AOL 'will be seen as a strategic masterstroke in time.'

I think, defining that acquisition (AOL bought Warner) a "Strategic Move" from behind and knowing the outcome, is always easy - don't ask the people what they thought about it, at the time of the "take over" - Steve Case just left the board of Times Warner!

That online advertising, especially community and/or local advertising, has and will soar has been reported here many time before.


Mark Glaser asked some people acting or watching for OJR.org:

Is the bubble back in online media?

"Venture capitalists and Big Media are showing intense interest in blogs, social media and highly trafficked content sites. Are we reliving dot-com mania? ... "

The New York Times bought About.com.
Dow Jones bought MarketWatch
The Washington Post bought Slate
News Corp. bought Intermix (owner of MySpace)
VeriSign bought Weblogs.com and Moreover
AOL bought Weblogs Inc.
Google, Comcast, Yahoo and Microsoft are all trying to buy AOL.

The list seems endless ... read his report at OJR.org.

Statistics on World Wide Web Population

mentioned (again) by Paul Woodward (and useful to bookmark)

A comprehensive compilation on WWW Population Statistics from ClickZ,

mostly with data from the CIA's World Factbook, the Computer Industry Almanac Inc. and Nielsen Netratings .

China Internet User Exceeded 103 Million

Paul quotes Mao Qian, head of Optical Telecommunications Committee of China Telecommunications Society, in the People's Daily Online, with

- the number of netizens in China rose to 103 million by late June 05, and

- 53 million Chinese users are on broadband connections


Paul Woodward was following up his post Asia's Web Population from yesterday, with some interesting ranking (which showed China still with 99,8 Mil. netizen)

Internet Users (in Mil.)

1 China 99,80
2 Japan 78,05
3 India 36,97
4 South Korea 31,67
5 Australia 13,01
6 Indonesia 12,86
7 Malaysia 10,04
8 Taiwan 9,52
9 Thailand 7,57
10 Philippines 5,96

Countries position, measured by penetration ... at Asia Business Media

Corporate Blogs in Europe

Fredrik Wackå, a web communication advisor based in Malmö, Sweden, published in 'Your Guide to Corporate Blogging' an updated list with corporate blogs in Europe by countries.

As an example, for Germany he published the following

Ad & Breakfast Crossmedia Consulting GmbH
Andreas Orthen, Business Consultant
Augenmerk agenturblog
Berlecon Analysten-Weblog
Burnout Blog
Café Abseits
Abseits Partyservice & Catering
Christoph Busch Unternehmensberatung GmBH
Conosco PR
Das Unified-Messaging-Blog
Dirk Lotze Musikmanagement
ewerx.com/news
Ferienwohnung Nahe Bingen
Gerold Braun Marketing Blog
InnoQ
Meipor Blog
namics
openBLOG PR Blogger
Rabbit eMarketing
SAP

I'm sure (and I know), there are some more corporate blogs in Germany ...

Fredric offers to mail him additions and correction. There are no comments or trackbacks on his blog and maybe, other forms of social media would be a better way to build a database / best practice database.

See the complete list

And I have a suggestion for Fredric:
Please ask companies to deliver and link on your blog presentations, whitepapers or application reports and share their success and failure.

eMartin.net Newsletter Oktober 2005

Die Inhalte des aktuellen, deutschsprachigen eMartin.net Newsletter Oktober 2005 gibt es auf dem

mcc consulting Hugo E. Martin Unternehmensblog

Das Archiv mit über 6.000 Eintragungen und Links (deutsch)


Check out the content of the actual eMartin.net Newsletter October 2005 International under

mcc consulting Hugo E. Martin Corporate Blog

The Archive with more than 6.000 entries and links (English)

On Writeboard: Blogliste deutschsprachiger Zeitungen & Zeitschriften

Geplant hatte ich ja, die Blog & Feed Liste deutschsprachiger Zeitungen und Zeitschriften in unseren (reservierten) Social Text Space oder mittels eines anderen Wiki einzustellen ... aber bisher fehlte mir die Zeit eine vernünftige Struktur zu entwickeln - und, ich will ja meinen Kunden kein schlechtes Beispiel geben.

Jetzt stehen die Blogs erst einmal als ein Writeboard Dokument im Netz und ich suche Interessenten und Freiwillige, die sich an der Pflege beteiligen und damit dieses einfache Tool gleich ausprobieren wollen.

Interesse? Bitte melden, dann schicke ich Ihnen Link und Password zu!

Wenn es für dies Liste einige Mitstreiter gibt, stelle ich auch gerne die wesentlich umfangreichere RSS Liste als Writeboard Dokument ins Netz.

Die Zielsetzung, diese und andere Informationen, in ein umfangreicheres Wiki einzustellen, bleibt aber weiter bestehen ...

Writeboard ist ein Social Software Tool, mit dem sehr einfach und effektiv webbasierend Text im Web bereitstellen, gemeinsam bearbeiten und Veränderungen verfolgen kann.