Digital Publishing Insights

5. I read on the various websites that a benefit of digital magazines to both advertisers and publishers is their ability to track customer use and interaction from the pages viewed to the time spent on them. Are readers aware that their use is being tracked to such an extent and has this been an issue of concern for them?

The privacy policy that we use on the Texterity sites is that data on SESSIONS is recorded and tracked, but the identity of the INDIVIDUAL is protected. If you want to check this out, go to http://www.texterity.com/artstech/pwf/reporting/. You can actually log in to a LIVE SYSTEM and "watch" yourself enter the magazine if you go to http://www.mediabusinessdigital.com. But all you will see is the IP address (not the name of the subscriber or any personally identifed information). Now, from the IP address, you can get some information, e.g., the geographic location, and even the organization name. But this is about 80% accurate, since many people access from wireless, dial-up, or via corporate networks or universities where the user "appears" to be somewhere they are actually not.

The tracking we do can conceivably link the "personally identifyable information" with a specific person's information (name, email address, etc.) but this is only done on sites with a privacy policy explaining this (and not for magazines at this time).

6. I will admit that the idea of a digital magazine left me feeling cold. Had it not been for this class, it would have taken a good friend's recommendation to persuade me to check them out. In fact, I am very impressed by their quality and interactive features. What do you see as being the main cause/issue of resistance to consumer acceptance and use of digital magazines?

First, I personally like paper magazines very much. They are a great "form factor", convenient, easily transported, and nice to read. In many cases people that are resistant to reading magazines in a digital format simply don't like to "read magazines on a screen". And I'd have to agree, some screens are better than others! We believe that as screen technology improves, with more resolution (e.g., iPhone type quality on a bigger device), the ability to "see a full page" and read it, and lower cost portable devices, take-up will improve. In the meantime, the biggest use of digital editions is primarily the "trade magazines" (e.g., professional magazines) used by folks at their workplace. An average of 15% of the trade publication reader will opt for a "digital only" -- no print magazine! On the consumer magazine side, this number is a small fraction of a percentage, at least for now.

7. In the same article, [Folio: "Digital magazine take the next step" - assigned reading] you note YouTube’s impact on the insertion of rich media into digital editions. When you point out that YouTube means publishers no longer have to worry about streaming servers, is that because a digital edition can simply embed a YouTube clip within an article (ie. it’s YouTube, not a digital publisher, that has to maintain the streaming server)? What makes a search result “organic”? Is it that a YouTube user plugs in a certain keyword and the YouTube search engine pulls up the aforementioned embedded clip in an article?Thank you for your time this week. Look forward to hearing your answers and clarifications.

OK - two things here. First, the comment about YouTube addresses the issue that publishers can use the YouTube service to easily post, and have hosted, video content without having their own expensive "streaming server". Since that article was published in May 2007, the world has changed even more, and their are now numerous alternatives to YouTube for video hosting, including some of the common social networking sites. The world changes fast.

The comment about "organic search" results is related to how publishers drive traffic to their websites, digital editions, blogs, etc. The term "organic search" has come to mean "unpaid" search results, as opposed to those that publishers need to pay for. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_search) If you "Show" content to the search engines on your sites, via digital editions, etc., you can in essence get "free" search traffic coming to your site.

8. I also have a question for Cimarron Buser. I am curious about the definition of "organic search results."I am also extremely interested in Texterity's Mobile Magazine Portal. According to the website,readers can "instantly view entire magazines as they were originally published." Does this portal work by accessing the digitized archives available on the magazine's website? How can this service be free if the hard copies of the magazines must be purchased on the newsstands?

I'm not sure I understand the question completely, but here goes. Texterity takes as it's "input" the high-resolution, print-ready files that publishers provide to us. We are a partner of the publisher, and everything we do is at their behest. The level of the "availability" of the digital edition content is up to the publisher. For example, some publishers are happy to make everything that they have in the print magazine available in the digital edition, open to the world. (Or on their website). Others want to "lock it down" - if you don't pay, you don't play! And a hybrid model, as described in the "Look Inside the Magazine" example in the article, allows readers to sample pages -- sometimes a few, sometimes a lot -- before they are asked to subscribe or "join" in some way. In all these models, the "hard copy" version you buy on the newsstand, or subscribe to, is part of the way in which publishers generate revenue. But not the only way!

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1. Are many magazines using original content or sticking to the print content?

The vast majority of magazines are using a "replica" of their print edition as a starting point for their digital editions. This includes every page, including editorial and advertising, that may have appeared in the original magazine. Of course, a digital edition can enhance this experience: for example, adding a table of contents, "thumbnail viewer", search function, and the ability to click on page links or URLs to visit websites. Also, rich media (e.g., videos or flash animation) can be used in both an editorial and advertising context.

There are a handful of magazines that are based on a "digital only" magazine model. These magazines either don't have a print equivalent, or may have a print "brand" but are branching out to serve a niche market. Some of these magazines may even have started as "print magazines", but have migrated to "digital only".

Examples include Winding Road (http://www.windingroad.com/) and Greenlight (http://www.greenlight.com/).


2. How are magazines using rich media to enhance the digital magazines?

Roughly half of the digital editions are enhancing the magazine with a form of rich media. This may be as simple as a digital "blow in card" -- essentially, an overlay image over a page -- or as complex as a flash animation with interactive controls. Other types of "interactivity" that are very effective include videos, audio clips, and integrated surveys.

See the "Costco Connection" (http://www.costcoconnection.com/) for an example of an interactive survey (check the TOC for "Debate") - it's simple, yet quite effective.


3. Are DMs bringing in ad revenue or showing that they are driving subscriptions to the print product?

Yes. There are numerous ways in which this can happen.

Ad Revenue. First, publishers can ask advertisers for additional fees for appearing in the digital edition, or charge extra for rich media and other value-added items. Second, publishers can offer "sponsorships", for example, the right to appear on the cover page (similar to a print cover wrap) or in the email notification message. Finally, publishers can allow advertisers to create 'custom versions' of the publication for advertisers to use (similar to the "Target" sponsored New Yorker a few years back).

Subscriptions. Generating new subscriptions is a key benefit for publishers using digital editions. This is done by creating new traffic from search engines. Digital editions can be search engine visible, or as we call it, "Googlized". In addition, providing a digital delivery in addition to print can be a powerful way to reinforce the brand, and allowing people to "Share" via email or blog postings creates more interest and awareness. Finally, some audiences who may not be able to afford a print subscription, or who cannot get it in a timely fashion (e.g., international subscribers) will opt for a digital edition.

A recent example of a magazine creating value for advertisers and increasing circulation is found in the article "Spin launches online edition on MySpace" (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spin7feb07,1,997944.story).


4. Do you see an advantage in online users perceiving the print product, and therefore the digital mag, as a more reputable source than other websites?

There is a definite value in "authority" - - primarily based on the brand, not necessarily the channel. For example, Popular Science has a print magazine, a website, a digital edition, and even "events" for consumers to attend. All of these have the "branded" value of Popular Science, a trusted name. The print and digital editions are "magazines" -- they have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Reading them is an experience which has a certain amount of "serendipity" -- i.e., reading one thing may lead to another. The website has a different flavor, is more "newsy", and has more "bite sized" information. But all share the reputation.

5. Do you have any particular success stories?

We have some magazine case studies that are interesting. See http://www.texterity.com/services/magazines/casestudy/.

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