Impact of Slow Load Times on Mobile, Publishers’ Top Priorities, GoodHousekeeping.TV, 19th Century Listicles, Apple Watch: Am I Going to Like You?, TFP’s May Book Picks: Apple Watch, Women in Media, TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week, InDesign CC Tip: Using Next Styles
Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news and tips for media industry pros! This week, we’re sharing stories about how slow load times are impacting publishers’ mobile success, a survey highlighting what’s hot and what’s not among publishers, Hearst Digital Studios’ launch of GoodHousekeeping.TV, how 19th century newspapers mirror what we see on the Internet today, and more.
- What’s standing in the way of publishers’ success on mobile? Slow load times, according to a report from Digiday. In fact, that’s one of the hooks in Facebook’s pitch to let it host their content directly on its platform, the article said, noting that traditional publishers are generally more concerned with (and better at) producing content over optimizing the performance of their sites, which are often packed to the brim with a range of elements that greatly slow their load speeds. And for the rapidly increasing number of readers accessing their sites with smartphones, that’s a deal breaker. The report added that Facebook’s mobile edge is, however, highlighting the problem, pushing publishers to shift more of their focus to the back end.
- Indeed, that’s what a survey at the recent International News Media Association World Congress found. When asked what priorities are absolutely critical or very important, an overwhelming majority of respondents said digital growth (94%), followed by mobile development (93%), data analytics (92%), and improved mobile revenue streams (91%), according to Nieman Lab. What’s falling off their radar? Paywall development, consumer-paid content, e-commerce, and digital alternative revenue streams, it said.
- For all you creative people out there, Hearst Digital Studios announced it’s partnering with the editors of Good Housekeeping to launch GoodHousekeeping.TV, a digital channel featuring how-to classes on cooking, crafts, party planning, and other DIY projects. It will offer 30- to 180-minute classes, providing in-depth, step-by-step demonstrations, priced from $2.99 to $5.99 per class, as well as downloadable project patterns and instructions, according to NetNewsCheck. Along with the paid classes, the channel will provide free shareable video shorts highlighting DIY tips and advice from the directors of the Good Housekeeping Institute.
- Think listicles, aggregation, and viral content are inventions of the digital age? Not so, according to an enlightening article illustrating how 19th century newspapers looked very much like what you find on the Internet today. “They were more aggregators than producers of original content,” pointed out Northeastern University professor Ryan Cordell, noting that newspapers of the day were often produced by very small staffs who would fill their issues with republished poems, fiction excerpts, and—like the BuzzFeeds of today—lists of facts. He said one of those lists, which went by “Facts Worth Noting” and other titles, ran in at least 120 different newspapers between 1853 and 1899—and a good deal of what was published in those lists (and other places) wasn’t true, often changing from printing to printing. Sound familiar?
- On the Technology for Publishing blog: A busy week! First, to better understand the potential impact the Apple Watch will have for TFP clients, CEO Margot Knorr Mancini ordered one and tried it out, thinking at first it would be too intrusive. But to her surprise, she kind of liked it! Check out our blog for more on her Apple Watch experience.
- To go along with Margot’s review, TFP’s May Book Picks delve into everything from the different Apple Watch models and underlying technology to how to use basic and advanced features and build successful apps.
- We also bring you our Women in Media roundup, which this month focuses on top female earners, mentoring tips from CNET.com’s editor in chief, Tina Brown’s Women in the World Summit, and more.
- Wearable tech is big among fitness-minded users for tracking health and training information, but fashion still counts—and that’s true for men as well as women. See our Infographic Pick of the Week to find out what guys will—and won’t—wear.
- Finally, this week’s InDesign CC Tip from TFP’s Monica Murphy shows you how to use the Next Style command, which, when you type a return at the end of a paragraph, applies another defined style to the next paragraph.
Image: Digiday
Check out our blog for highlights of interesting and noteworthy stories from the publishing world every Friday, and sign up for TFP’s This Week in Publishing newsletter. Think we missed something great? Let us know! Leave a comment below or drop us a note.
Posted by: Monica Sambataro
