What you do has to be worth more than the cost of paying you to do it. A lot more. This is crystal clear in most industries, but gets muddied a bit in publishing. The combination of producing art, work that is in the public interest, and that which supports a healthy bottom line sometimes makes it … [Read more...] about Read or Dead: Is What You Write Worth It?
An Introduction to A/B Testing for Email and More
Smashing Magazine calls it "The Ultimate Guide," which is a bit of an overstatement, however they have published a first-rate introduction to creating simple experiments to improve email subject lines and more. The secret is to create rigorously structured tests by showing random groups of users … [Read more...] about An Introduction to A/B Testing for Email and More
“Good Boss, Bad Boss” author Bob Sutton’s 12 Things Good Bosses Believe
Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of "Good Boss, Bad Boss," offers these 12 beliefs that every manager should embrace. Not sure if I agree with all of them, but they're worth a review. 12 Things Good Bosses Believe I have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to … [Read more...] about “Good Boss, Bad Boss” author Bob Sutton’s 12 Things Good Bosses Believe
Beware the “Game-Changer” Technology
In "The Lake View: This World and the Universe" Steven Weinberg uses military history to show how elites become enraptured with the most dramatic technology, not necessarily the best. From the knight on horseback, who frequently lost to peasant archers and foot soldiers; to the dreadnought … [Read more...] about Beware the “Game-Changer” Technology
Buzzfeed’s Jonah Perretti: How to Go Viral
While "going viral" isn't quite the industry buzzword that it once was, the goal still is first on most sites' wish-lists -- somehow getting a piece of content to grab the public's attention and deliver a waterfall page views. There is an ongoing conversation in media about the costs and … [Read more...] about Buzzfeed’s Jonah Perretti: How to Go Viral
CapEx vs. OpEx
When attempting to get funding for new equipment, site redesigns, apps, or new staff, editors sometimes need to think like a CFO. CFOs are always concerned about costs, but the tax ramifications of any expenditure is very important as well. Many, many times, I've been asked, "Is this CapEx or OpEx?" … [Read more...] about CapEx vs. OpEx
In Media Res, Focusing Equally on Media and Res
Writing the first article on a new site is simple. Explain what you are doing. For example, here, via archive.org, is the first thing published on November 11, 1998: Welcome to Google Google Search Engine Prototype Might-work-some-of-the-time-prototype that is much more up to date. Here is … [Read more...] about In Media Res, Focusing Equally on Media and Res