A website can serve as a community meeting spot for an industry. Business-to-business publications should know the tools and tactics needed to keep industry members coming to their web sites and staying there, said Sandi Brown, director of audience development, new media, for Penton Media, Overland Park, Kan.
Brown served as a moderator for a meeting titled “10 ideas for the Web that you can implement tomorrow” that took place Feb. 6 at the Brookridge Country Club in Overland Park, Kan. The Kansas City Chapter of the American Society of Business Publication Editors sponsored the event.
Repurposing content from print and creating a community are two aspects for online publications. Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro, Overland Park, Kan., categorizes content in its online “Resource Center,” said Stuart Goldman, managing editor. Stories are placed in such categories as for-profit health clubs; nonprofit facilities; and schools and universities.
Broadcast Engineering, Overland Park, Kan., offers a glossary of terms, including acronmyms, on its website, said Spring Suptic, associate editor. Editors originally came up with the glossary of terms for their own use and then decided it would be a good idea to share it with the industry on the website.
B-to-B publications may consider both in-house blogs and other blogs concerning their industries for their web sites, Brown said. Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro found its blog gets many hits even though few visitors choose to leave comments, Goldman said.
Broadcast Engineering pulls the RSS feeds from blogs written by people in the industry, Suptic said. Brown said it’s a good idea to ask the blogger for permission to use the blog on the website. This request may lead the blogger to add a link to your magazine on his or her blog, Brown said.
“There’s this whole click-through magic that happens,” Brown said.
Links from your website to other websites and from other web sites to your web site helps to improve your status on search engines, such as Google, Suptic said. It tells the analytics the search engines use that your site must be trustworthy with good content because others are linking on to it.
Companies should remember they have no editorial control of a blog that is not an in-house blog, Brown said.
“You just have to make that commitment that you are going to take on all-comers,” Brown said. “You have to know what works for your environment.”
10 ideas for the Web that you can implement tomorrow
1. RSS feeds
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a format for sharing and distributing Web content, such as news headlines. RSS feeds let readers know about new content on your site.
For an example see www.vetecon.com.
Free RSS applications are available at www.feedburner.com.
2. Polls and quizzes
Ask your readers what they think. The results can be used in print.
Free/cheap online applications are available at www.pollmonkey.com and www.polldaddy.com.
3. Online forms
Forms and handouts are popular reader tools. Posting them online brings readers to your site and doesn’t take up any valuable real estate in your book.
For examples see www.vetmedpub.com.
4. Reader comments
Allowing readers to leave comments at the bottom of a story can generate interest and activity on your website. But companies should designate somebody as the editor of comments. Posting comments on the site instantaneously could lead to problems, such as one company trashing another company.
For an example see www.kansascity.com.
5. Recycled content
Content is king! Make use of already written material by posting it all online.
For an example see www.broadcastengineering.com, which has all articles published in the U.S. and World editions going back to September 2000. All the content from the newsletters is used on the website as well.
6. Slideshows
Pictures are worth a 1,000 words. And posting extra photos online makes good use of photos that you can’t fit in the book.
For an example see www.vetmedpub.com/extras/caribou.
Free applications are available at www.slide.com.
7. Behind-the-scenes blog
Let your readers know what you’re working on by launching a magazine blog. Ask each of your editors to write a blog entry once or twice a week. With this blog, you can educate your readers about the inside workings of your magazine and also reach out to potential sources for stories.
For an example see blog.fitnessbusinesspro.com/fitnessbusinessproblog/.
8. Resource center
Group all of your related articles into sections on your website. Along with listing articles, you can also include other helpful tools and information for your readers.
For an example see fitnessbusinesspro.com/forprofits/.
9. Industry blog portal
Find readers who blog about your industry. Use the blogs’ RSS feeds to pull snippets of content to your site, creating a content portal.
For examples see broadcastengineering.com/be-roll and nashvilleistalking.com.
Free/cheap online applications are available at www.feeddigest.com and pipes.yahoo.com.
10. Top 10 lists
People visiting your site want your best content. Give them the 10 most read articles, most e-mailed articles, the 10 best interviews, etc.
For an example see www.cfo.com.
Brown served as a moderator for a meeting titled “10 ideas for the Web that you can implement tomorrow” that took place Feb. 6 at the Brookridge Country Club in Overland Park, Kan. The Kansas City Chapter of the American Society of Business Publication Editors sponsored the event.
Repurposing content from print and creating a community are two aspects for online publications. Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro, Overland Park, Kan., categorizes content in its online “Resource Center,” said Stuart Goldman, managing editor. Stories are placed in such categories as for-profit health clubs; nonprofit facilities; and schools and universities.
Broadcast Engineering, Overland Park, Kan., offers a glossary of terms, including acronmyms, on its website, said Spring Suptic, associate editor. Editors originally came up with the glossary of terms for their own use and then decided it would be a good idea to share it with the industry on the website.
B-to-B publications may consider both in-house blogs and other blogs concerning their industries for their web sites, Brown said. Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro found its blog gets many hits even though few visitors choose to leave comments, Goldman said.
Broadcast Engineering pulls the RSS feeds from blogs written by people in the industry, Suptic said. Brown said it’s a good idea to ask the blogger for permission to use the blog on the website. This request may lead the blogger to add a link to your magazine on his or her blog, Brown said.
“There’s this whole click-through magic that happens,” Brown said.
Links from your website to other websites and from other web sites to your web site helps to improve your status on search engines, such as Google, Suptic said. It tells the analytics the search engines use that your site must be trustworthy with good content because others are linking on to it.
Companies should remember they have no editorial control of a blog that is not an in-house blog, Brown said.
“You just have to make that commitment that you are going to take on all-comers,” Brown said. “You have to know what works for your environment.”
10 ideas for the Web that you can implement tomorrow
1. RSS feeds
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a format for sharing and distributing Web content, such as news headlines. RSS feeds let readers know about new content on your site.
For an example see www.vetecon.com.
Free RSS applications are available at www.feedburner.com.
2. Polls and quizzes
Ask your readers what they think. The results can be used in print.
Free/cheap online applications are available at www.pollmonkey.com and www.polldaddy.com.
3. Online forms
Forms and handouts are popular reader tools. Posting them online brings readers to your site and doesn’t take up any valuable real estate in your book.
For examples see www.vetmedpub.com.
4. Reader comments
Allowing readers to leave comments at the bottom of a story can generate interest and activity on your website. But companies should designate somebody as the editor of comments. Posting comments on the site instantaneously could lead to problems, such as one company trashing another company.
For an example see www.kansascity.com.
5. Recycled content
Content is king! Make use of already written material by posting it all online.
For an example see www.broadcastengineering.com, which has all articles published in the U.S. and World editions going back to September 2000. All the content from the newsletters is used on the website as well.
6. Slideshows
Pictures are worth a 1,000 words. And posting extra photos online makes good use of photos that you can’t fit in the book.
For an example see www.vetmedpub.com/extras/caribou.
Free applications are available at www.slide.com.
7. Behind-the-scenes blog
Let your readers know what you’re working on by launching a magazine blog. Ask each of your editors to write a blog entry once or twice a week. With this blog, you can educate your readers about the inside workings of your magazine and also reach out to potential sources for stories.
For an example see blog.fitnessbusinesspro.com/fitnessbusinessproblog/.
8. Resource center
Group all of your related articles into sections on your website. Along with listing articles, you can also include other helpful tools and information for your readers.
For an example see fitnessbusinesspro.com/forprofits/.
9. Industry blog portal
Find readers who blog about your industry. Use the blogs’ RSS feeds to pull snippets of content to your site, creating a content portal.
For examples see broadcastengineering.com/be-roll and nashvilleistalking.com.
Free/cheap online applications are available at www.feeddigest.com and pipes.yahoo.com.
10. Top 10 lists
People visiting your site want your best content. Give them the 10 most read articles, most e-mailed articles, the 10 best interviews, etc.
For an example see www.cfo.com.
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