A friend recently asked what kind of projects I'd seen that were effective at bumping up traffic. The site he manages had recently started to plateau and he needed ideas. I said that in most cases execution was as important as the type of campaign, but I'd send him a brief list. Once I started I … [Read more...] about Audience Development: What Drives Digital Growth?
Sources for Free and Cheap Images
Generally, when I'm looking for blog post art I search Flickr first (check the Creative Commons "commercial use" box) and Google next (select "usage rights:free to use or share, even commercially"). If they don't have what I need, here are some other sites I check. I also like to skim them … [Read more...] about Sources for Free and Cheap Images
Is Discovery a Problem for Readers?
A couple of years ago, I worked on a project that included building a recommendation engine for books. It seemed like a worthy goal until I looked at my bedside table, which was covered with books I hadn't read yet. And the floor around the table. And my home office desk. And my desk at … [Read more...] about Is Discovery a Problem for Readers?
Publishing and Self-Publishing: The First Copy
Update 2/19/2014: After I posted this, a friend pointed me toward a post that delineated the costs of the various steps toward self-publishing. Developmental editing costs $45-$65 per hour. The minimum cost for 280 typescript pages is $2,520. Maximum could be as much as $18,000 depending how much … [Read more...] about Publishing and Self-Publishing: The First Copy
“TO DO: Don’t ignore your dreams; don’t work too much; say what you think; cultivate friendships; be happy.”
Paul Graham, founder of start-up incubator YCombinator … [Read more...] about “TO DO: Don’t ignore your dreams; don’t work too much; say what you think; cultivate friendships; be happy.”
What Publishers Do
Science fiction writer Charlie Stross recently wrote an interesting post called "Why I Don't Self-Publish." It isn't necessarily designed to discourage writers from self-publishing, but it does show why the process can be daunting -- and why the publishers expect the lion's share of all revenue. … [Read more...] about What Publishers Do
Cold Equations: The Simple Arithmetic of A Digital Editor
Alexis Madrigal, technology editor of the Atlantic, recently wrote a funny and disturbing piece called A Day In the Life of A Digital Editor, 2013 The great thing about the story is that it cuts through the debate about the future of journalism by using the simple math that every editor uses when … [Read more...] about Cold Equations: The Simple Arithmetic of A Digital Editor
“When discussing media, if someone says, ‘let’s take the case of the New York Times,’ say ‘Let’s not.'”
"When discussing media, if someone says, 'let's take the case of the New York Times,' say 'Let's not.'" Someone (David Carr?) recently reminded readers that the Times is sui generis. Almost nothing that applies to the Times can be generalized to the newspaper business as a whole. It is bigger, more … [Read more...] about “When discussing media, if someone says, ‘let’s take the case of the New York Times,’ say ‘Let’s not.'”