Meeker’s Internet Trends Report, Tech Media Consolidation, the Newsletter as a Platform, Factors Influencing Persuasiveness of Data Visuals, TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week, InDesign CC Tip: Go to Source
Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news and tips for media industry pros! This week, we’re sharing stories about the findings of Mary Meeker’s annual report on Internet trends, the continuing consolidation of tech news sites as Vox buys Re/code, how publishers are using email newsletters as a platform on its own, factors that influence the persuasiveness of charts and graphics, and more.
- Mary Meeker, a partner at VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer, presented her annual Internet trends report, a massive volume of data to get through but worth checking out, according to Business Insider, Forbes, TechCrunch, and other sites that posted the entire 197-slide presentation along with some highlights. Her analysis covers a wide range of topics related to the tech/media landscape, among them the explosive rate of content creation, why messaging apps is the space to watch, where ad spend is going, the rise of video and on-demand, and how tech is impacting the economy.
- It’s getting harder by the day for tech media companies to make money, as seen in a recent shift toward consolidation and even shutdowns of sites like Gigaom, noted Fortune in a report on Vox Media’s plans to buy Re/code, another technology-focused news site that, while highly regarded, was struggling to stay afloat. For example, it said while Knowingly has purchased some Gigaom assets and is planning a late-summer relaunch of the site, Verizon’s purchase of AOL brings into question the fate of popular AOL-owned sites TechCrunch and Engadget, though AOL has indicated that no changes are planned at this time. For its part, Re/code is expected to continue operations uninterrupted, the report said. Stay tuned.
- As platform-publishing strategies like direct to social start to take form, publishers are investigating other platform-like models that don’t require readers to click through to their sites—one of those being good old email newsletters. The idea is, instead of trying to drive traffic back to host sites, the newsletter itself becomes the publishing platform, explained Digiday, which highlighted successful examples like the Quartz Daily Brief and the Presidential Daily Brief from Ozy Media. As such, content is created specifically for emails, typically in the form of a digest of news stories from the publisher’s site and elsewhere. “One of the realities of the digital world is that people aren’t going to consume content on your site,” said Ozy VP Aneesh Raman. “We think about our audience as a group that’ll consume Ozy in different times with different means.”
- When creating content to make a case or present an argument, data visualization packs a punch, especially in the crowded, chaotic world of social media. But did you know the persuasiveness of your visuals depends greatly on the reader, not just on the charts and graphics you use to illustrate your points? That’s according to research highlighted in a Harvard Business Review article on what comes into play when we encounter visual materials. For one, the viewer’s initial attitude toward the message matters, along with mood, gender, personality type, and other factors, it said. Also important is the audience’s ability to make sense of the visual—if it’s too complex, with too many points, the viewer’s attention shuts down. A good read for all editorial and design team members.
- On the Technology for Publishing blog: Where are, in fact, all the digital marketing dollars going? That’s what this week’s infographic pick looks at, with a breakdown of paid, owned, and earned media spending.
- This week’s InDesign CC Tip from Monica Murphy focuses on Go to Source, a command that finds the source asset for any linked content, including opening a source document that’s closed.
- ICYMI: Get CEO Margot Knorr Mancini’s first impressions of the Apple Watch on the Technology for Publishing blog, along with our May Book Picks, which cover everything from the different Apple Watch models and underlying technology to how to use basic and advanced features and build successful apps.
Image: Forbes
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Posted by: Monica Sambataro
