Has Social Media Made Search-Driven Publishing Less Relevant?

The growing importance of social media, coupled with the powerful wrath of Google, have shaken the once-hot world of cheap search-driven publishing. About.com recently dumped its CEO. Yahoo’s $100 million acquisition of Associated Content (now Yahoo Voices) has yielded a network of 700,000 freelancers who produce secondary content on sites like Yahoo Sports and OMG, but advertisers say they haven’t heard about it in more than a year. Meanwhile, AOL’s Seed project is essentially in limbo. In fact, visitors to Seed.com are currently greeted with the message "We are in the process of reformatting Seed.com and new assignments are currently on hold." In a statement, AOL said it has reduced the number of Seed freelancers “as we evaluate how best to integrate its strengths within [the company].” And then there’s Demand Media, which pioneered the practice of churning out thousands of articles based on Google search data. Last week, three of Demand’s founders exited, a year after its underwhelming IPO. Its signature property, eHow.com, is still massive (around 50 million unique users) but has lost about 10 million users since Google adjusted its algorithm to weed out low-quality content. Demand has very publicly pivoted to celebrity-centric content and splashier design to attract advertisers. Typef.com, a site built around Tyra Banks, is just building its audience, while Livestrong.com, a health site backed by Lance Armstrong, has seen traffic climb by 19 percent over the past... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2012-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #necessarily viewed #selling point #horizon media #founders left #team monitors #fans react #specific characters #smart strategy

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Has Social Media Made Search-Driven Publishing Less Relevant?'


Access Intelligence Acquires Red 7 Media

Rockville, MD—B-to-b media company Access Intelligence announced today the acquisition of Red 7 Media, owner of Folio: Magazine and several other leading media brands. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lure of IPad Subscriptions May Outweigh Pain for Publishers

There may not be a ton of enthusiasm in the publishing world for Apple's new policy for subscription services--particularly when it comes to giving Cupertino a... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Atwood takes stage at TOC and tells publishers to keep feeding their authors

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 16/02/2011 - 07:06 Author Margaret Atwood used her Tools of Change keynote speech to warn the industry not to eliminate authors, and make sure they are paid enough to "pay for the cheese sandwiches". read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher demands delaying Borders liquidation

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 08:53 Publishers' demands for control of pricing in Borders' closing sales are delaying its impending bankruptcy ruling. Reuters reports the retailer is in discussions with liquidators over a plan to close around 20 of its 650... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple App Store subscription plan gouges publishers, eats their young

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews Somebody call the cops -- eh, antitrust authorities. Apple's subscription plan is here, and it's as bad for many, if not most, publishers as rumored. The first of several key sentences from Apple's press announcement: "Publishers may no longer provide links in their apps... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU Publishers Blast Apple's IPad Subscription Plan

European publishers have added their voice to the chorus of criticism of Apple’s plans for iPad newspaper subscriptions. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Maritime Museum looks to move into publishing

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 10/02/2011 - 16:00 The National Maritime Museum is looking to publish its "unrivalled" archive of images. The London-based museum has appointed the Creative Rights Agency to pursue publishing opportunities and also seek product licensees for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dorchester Media Puts Entertainment, Select Romance Mag Assets on the Block

New York City-based Dorchester Media LLC is fielding offers for the assets of its Lifestyle Entertainment Teen Magazine and Romance Groups. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At Dealmakers Summit, Execs Imagine the Media Company of the Future

Expect much higher capital expense costs and much greater need for in-house digital development skill. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Dealmakers Summit: "The Web Is Dead"

New York--There was a question during the morning session today at the Media Dealmakers Summit that crystallized what a lot of people are thinking about the future. "Are tablets and e-readers the future of media?" For George F. Colony, CEO of Forrester Research, the answer was simple: "Yes.... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Agency could be on hold for new publishers

Written By: Charlotte Williams and Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 04/02/2011 - 12:19 The transition to the agency model could be halted as publishers outside of the new terms could wait as much as a year for an Office of Fair Trading investigation into ebook pricing to be completed. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Check Google Books data for errors, publishers warned

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 04/02/2011 - 09:01 Publishers are being warned to check their Google Books data online as thousands of titles have been mistakenly attributed to publisher BPR. Independent UK publisher Children’s Story Publishers spotted the mistake after its... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iPad is a devil's deal for publishers

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews Apple's approach to magazine and newspaper subscriptions and third-party ebook sales stink of the kind of practices that got Microsoft into trouble with trustbusters on two continents during the late 1990s and early 2000s. A year ago, publishers embraced iPad as the... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury to publish ElBaradei memoir

Written By: Charlotte Williams Bloomsbury is to publish the memoir of Mohamed ElBaradei, the leading opponent to Egypt's President Mubarak, two months early as clashes continue between the president's supporters and those demanding regime change in Cairo. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Open Road to Publish Virginia Hamilton E-books

On February 15, Open Road Integrated Media will publish the first children’s titles in its “author branded program”: seven ebooks by Newbery Medal and National Book Award winner Virginia Hamilton, who died in 2002. Among the ebooks on the list are Newbery and NBA winner M.C. Higgins, the Great. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Humphreys takes over from Ayrton as Serpent's Tail publisher

Written By: Benedicte Page Picador senior editor Sam Humphreys is to join Profile as publisher for imprint Serpent's Tail, leaving Pan Macmillan after nine years. Former publisher Pete Ayrton now takes the role of editor-at-large. Humphreys, the editor who acquired Emma Donoghue's hit novel... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Hearst Makes Offer For Elle, Other Lagardère Titles

After a month of negotiations, Hearst has made an offer to buy 102 magazine titles from the French publisher. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstone's asks publishers to scale-back March orders

Written By: Lisa Campbell Waterstone's is cutting orders it makes on new titles from March to reduce its number of returns. The book retailer contacted suppliers this week asking them to reduce initial orders by about 20%. Publishers were asked to cancel existing pre-orders so that new orders... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fry Communications Builds Out Suite of Publisher Services

In two acquisitions this month, Fry Communications, a leading publication printer, has added to the array of services it offers customers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Now Public, Demand Media Has Bigger Market Cap Than NYT

Demand Media started trading on the New York Stock Exchange this week, making it one of the first IPOs of 2011 and certainly one of the largest media IPOs that will be seen all year. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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