Doing more with less in the B2B sector

Are B2B magazines lagging behind their customer colleagues when it comes to digital media?

Well the answers yes if you believe the survey by the American Society of Business Publications Editors (ASBPE).

They found that 80 per cent of respondents in the sector complained of a lack of training in the tools and techniques of digital media.

While b2b editors are working without much, if any, training for the digital world, their workload increasingly involves online publishing. The survey found that 38% of editors spend at least half of their time now working on digital content, and even more (62%) feel that spending more time on digital would benefit their publications.

Ht-Martin Stabe

Publishers attempt to get back control of content

According to today's Sunday Times,five of the world’s biggest publishers are preparing to launch a joint venture this week aimed at regaining control of their content on the new generation of online reading devices.

Dominic Rushe reports for the paper that

News Corp, publisher of The Sunday Times, has joined Time Inc, Condé Nast, Hearst and Meredith in the venture. Between them they publish titles such as Cosmopolitan, Time, Vogue and Vanity Fair.
With a new generation of electronic readers about to hit the market, the publishers are keen to gain a tighter hold on their content.

Ziltch-that's the value of newspaper's digital content

So according to Steve Outer,the digital content of a newspaper is worth.....nothing.

Writing at Editor and Publisher

he says that whilst there is some value for advertisers

who will pay to get in front of the audience assembled to consume the content.

for the ordinary person

consumers paying for news stories online, or on mobile phones, via micro-payments or subscriptions? Not likely

Steve explains further on his blog

my main point is that whether online or on mobile devices, news publishers need to figure out how to offer something that’s tangible, not ephemeral. Selling fleeting digital news stories is a non-starter. The mobile platform offers some alternative opportunities.