Can print media survive Web 2.0?
The question has been asked repeatedly, but never more so than in the last quarter of 2008 and now. As print publications reduce staff, change formats (weekly to monthly), or in some cases go the way of the dinosaur, we have to ask some critical questions and engage some new rules for survival. Let's face it, print is not going anywhere anytime soon. But to ensure that your publication is left standing when the dust settles, here's what I think has to happen:
1. Accept that social media is not a fad, and that we are on the cusp of a fundamental change in the way we communicate, access and acquire information, and connect to a larger, global community. Web 2.0 isn't the end, but a promising beginning.
2. Stop seeing social media as the enemy. Too often, companies see the web space as competition: for advertising dollars, eyeballs, and mindshare. This view has to change. Social media tools can be valuable assets to print publications, allowing them to reconnect with current audience in more meaningful ways and tap into "aspirational" readership as well. For an established publication, this could be a younger market or a niche segment of your existing readership, say, those in a certain income bracket. Want to see an analysis of how well this works? Head to Barack 2.0, developed by Brent Leary and David Bullock. They closely tracked the movement of Obama's web strategy and break it down in valuable and digestible portions. Enjoy.
3. Use the print publication as a complement to the web source offerings–and vice versa. When done well, a company's web presence can serve the critical function of augmenting the publication's offering.
4. This is my favorite: Move beyond the mid-century factory mindset. The fact is, most companies are still run on the 9-to-5 model (Dolly Parton's song and images of a bound Dabney Coleman are painfully etched in my brain). Workers clock in, assume their positions and stations (i.e., cubicles), and produce "work"/"work product." Changes, if any, occur in a chain-of-command style that stifles creativity and hinders a company's ability to move quickly and wisely. Old-school media prides itself on "tradition"–old models and tenets of journalism that are still valuable but must adapt to the changing world. Blogs effectively changed the news/information gathering and sharing experience for a generation of readers, and we must adjust our way of communication–style, tone, and on occasion, grammar, to the new environment. Language has to be engaging and fluid. It must not dictate but offer and guide. Let me point out, though, that as an old-schooler myself, the basics of great journalism still apply: fairness, accuracy, ethics, and responsibility.
Traditional media still has lots to teach new media, should traditional publications decide to play to their strengths in this new economy.
5. Share. The days of the news "scoop" are receding. These days, information moves quickly. Additionally, news subjects have become more savvy about the process, adopting for example the art of the "slow leak" or "selective leak" and closely monitoring the news cycle and releasing big but controversial news on "slow" days.
6. Train employees. A frequently overlooked aspect of new media is the fact that most employees really do not know how to use the technology. They are not educated about the tools beyond the basic PC and handset (cell phone or smart phone). And if they aren't educated and engaged, they probably won't understand the significance of social media–and thus its impact on what they do. Companies have to invest in their employees' education and tech resources and should encourage them to engage in social networking–responsibly, of course.
7. Reduce and lose the overwhelming dependence on advertising revenue. Consider licensing, custom marketing, custom printing—look to nontraditional revenue generating partnerships, such as the education space, for example.
Now, I'm sure that I am not the first to many, if not all, of these things. Frankly, I probably will not be the last. But as someone who has been in print and new media for more than 20 years, I've seen many a print publication go the way of the dinosaur. So until and unless print media chooses to use the tools at their disposal, that loud noise at their backs might very well be a meteorite announcing extinction.
