Alex, KickApps’ CEO, was invited to participate in a breakfast roundtable by FOLIO Magazine about the ways that magazine publishers are using social media and online communities. The transcript of the roundtable was published as FOLIO’s September 2008 cover story. Joining Alex was Stephen Merrill, GM of BudgetTravel.com (a KickApps client and co-presenter of our webinar about creating a successful social media website), Jim Spanfeller, president and CEO of Forbes.com, Ted Nadeau, GM of CondeNet, and several other leaders in publishing.
Hosted by Matt Kinsman, managing editor of FOLIO, the roundtable addressed a variety of issues, many of which you, as web publishers are likely facing today. Here are some choice excerpts:
Why social media?
Alex: …with social media, it becomes a two-way communication. You’ve invited your audience to participate in the creation of the experience, and that develops a much richer, stickier relationship between the publisher and the audience.
What type of content works?
Stephen M: I think the idea that there’s user generated content and then there’s editorial content is already antiquated. Maybe we ought to be thinking about how you co-mingle and not just run it on the bottom of the site. There’s probably a pretty interesting space where maybe an article is never finished. Maybe an article begins and you start to report on it and then people start to say, well, actually that’s incorrect. It’s a frightening time in that way. But not confronting it is probably a mistake.
Monetizing social media
Spanfeller: We’re having to educate people that not all user generated content or social media oriented sites are created equally. The ad world tends to put everything into one bucket. So social media inventory is equal to YouTube or equal to MySpace, where it’s 10 cent CPMs at best. If it’s part of a mega-generic, no-context sort of social network, somebody’s profile has no value.
When you’re done reading the article, come back here and let us know what you think of the issues that are discussed. We and the KickApps community would love to hear what you’re experiencing as a web publisher.
Nick O’Neill of The Social Times and All Facebook hosted the Social Ad Summit in New York City yesterday. Nick pulled together a terrific group of panelists to address many of the most pertinent issues that the industry is facing today.
I) Social Network Advertising
II) Media Buying on Social Networks III)Branded Experiences on Social Networks
IV) Social Ad Network Solutions V) Social Advertising Metrics
VI) Widget Monetization VII) Alternative Social Advertising
Panelists include Ian Schafer of Deep Focus, Mike Lazerow of Buddy Media and our very own Alex Blum.
Read David Berkowitz’s notes on Alex’s panel: Alternative Social Advertising here.
Jennifer Jones interviewed me about social strategies for web publishers and brands for her weekly podcast, MarketingVoices. We talked about how marketers should go about using social media, Facebook, and more.
Marketing Voices provides weekly, fresh perspectives from innovative technology and marketing leaders examining how social media is changing the world of marketing.
Jennifer Jones is the creator and host of MarketingVoices and is a 25-year technology marketing veteran. Her career is broad and diverse: she was a marketing partner at Mayfield, a top-tier venture firm; an executive vice president and general manager of Regis McKenna Inc, where she oversaw work with Apple and Intel; the creator and host of the first television show in technology called High Tech Visions and a broadcast executive with CBS News affiliated stations.
Yesterday KickApps made an appearance at Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast here in New York at Friend of a Farmer. We met lots of great people, ate tasty breakfast and talked about widgets.
The above widget was made in our Widget Studio which enables you to build custom widgets in an easy to use Photoshop like application.
If you’re in New York City next week stop by the KickApps booth (1804) at Web 2.0 Expo where we will be giving tours of the Widget Studio and helping people build widgets on the spot.
UPDATE: We’ve pushed this webinar to Wednesday, October 8th, 2008, at 2PM ET/11AM PT. Also joining us is Bob Hamilton of New Radio Star.
Our next webinar has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 24th, 2008, at 2PM ET/11AM PT. If you’re in the radio industry or are interested in how social media and radio are colliding, this is one you won’t want to miss. Presenting the webinar will be Eric Alterman, KickApps’ founder and chairman, and Jim Kerr, vice president of digital development at the Pollack Media Group, and Bob Hamilton of New Radio Star. Sign up here: www.kickapps.com/webinar.
Re-inventing Radio With An Interactive Web Presence Presented by KickApps, Pollack Media Group and New Radio Star
Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Time: 2PM ET/11AM PT
Social networking and Web 2.0 technologies have created a multitude of new online opportunities for radio stations and programmers. If you work for a radio station or in the industry, tune into this webinar to learn:
- How Social Networking and User-Generated Content can transform your radio business
- How video from the studio can increase interactivity between on-air personalities and your audience
- Integrated on air and online programming
- Revenue opportunities from online audiences
Presented by Eric Alterman, Founder, KickApps, Jim Kerr, Pollack Media Group, and Bob Hamilton, New Radio Star.
Blog 
