paulconley

• Rest in Peace, old buddy

  Number of comments: 0
  Last night, sitting in an airport and reading the news on my iPhone, I learned that a friend and former boss had died.
  And I want to take a few moments here today to remember him ... and to share with you why he was important to those of us [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 11:45am EST
  by Paul Conley

• A tale of two audiences

  Number of comments: 6
  I visited the campus of Northwestern University a few weeks ago to do some recruiting for a client. Things worked out OK. I met a few interesting students. And at least one of them may get a job out of it.
  But the overall experience of my day on campus [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 9:05am EST
  by Paul Conley

• Is the revolution over?

  Number of comments: 12
  I've written a few times this summer about my growing sense of Web 2.0 ennui -- this feeling I have that as B2B publishing bounces back from the recession, things just aren't as interesting as they were a year or so ago.
  And I'm beginning to get a sense' [...]
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  Posted: September 21, 2009, 12:51pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• A little bit about writing very little

  Number of comments: 4
  I've been so busy lately that this blog has gone without an update for weeks at a time.
  I apologize to anyone who is still taking the time to check this site or their RSS reader for something new from me.
  Today is no different. I'm swamped...working far from home [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 4:54pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• People, Prophets and Publishing

  Number of comments: 1
  Twice last week I learned about developments that sent me into frantic, obsessive pondering about the future of B2B media.
  Odds are you saw those same stories. Odds are you too have contemplated their significance.
  
  Both of these developments are about the technology of how news makes it way [...]
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  Posted: August 03, 2009, 5:00pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• New-Wave News

  Number of comments: 5
  I'm having one of those moments where I need to blog as a way to organize my thoughts. Longtime readers know that much of what I write here is less than perfectly organized. In a sense, blogging has become part of the act of thinking. This blog is less' [...]
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  Posted: June 26, 2009, 12:24pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Layoffs at IDG

  Number of comments: 7
  I'm hearing word that there have been a number of layoffs today at IDG.
  I don't have an exact number. Nor do I have any official confirmation from the company.
  But what I'm hearing is that number of folks being cut is substantial.
  And I'm hearing that many of the [...]
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  Posted: May 01, 2009, 2:33pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• The Nanny Diary

  Number of comments: 8
  I've been running an ad in recent weeks for a live-in nanny for my toddler. It's a part-time gig in exchange for room, board and a small stipend. And it seemed to me it was a nice job for someone enrolled in college.
  I've posted the ad in a number' [...]
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  Posted: April 29, 2009, 10:44am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Penton goes to four-day workweek to cut costs

  Number of comments: 10
  Penton is moving to a four-day workweek through the summer in an effort to cut costs.
  
  According to a memo sent to employees this afternoon by Penton CEO Sharon Rowlands, the move effectively translates into a 20 percent pay cut. However, the memo also says the company "we will" [...]
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  Posted: April 27, 2009, 9:53pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Journalism by any other word would smell as sweet

  Number of comments: 3
  March is academia month for me.
  Each year at this time I visit with college journalists and their teachers. And each year it is both a rewarding and frustrating experience.
  This year was somewhat unusual in that I did less college-focused stuff than usual. I had too much work to [...]
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  Posted: March 30, 2009, 12:45pm EDT
  

• Awards for the dead

  Number of comments: 3
  Congratulations to the folks at "Heavy Duty Trucking" for winning the Grand Neal Award from American Business Media.
  HDT, a monthly magazine owned by Newport Communications Group, picked up the prize for a special report called "Fuel Crisis Survival."
  It's a pretty good piece of reporting and writing. And' [...]
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  Posted: March 19, 2009, 5:40pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Layoffs and shortcomings

  Number of comments: 7
  The layoffs are coming so frequently in B2B media these days that the announcements have become little more than background noise. It's getting harder to remember who has lost their jobs, which publications have folded, what companies have had their debt downgraded, etc.
  
  But sometimes a piece of the' [...]
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  Posted: March 17, 2009, 7:01pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• What would you do?

  Number of comments: 0
  Could you handle a 13% pay cut?
  Could you pay your bills? Support the folks who depend upon you?
  
  American Business Media's Business Information Network released figures today showing that B2B publishers saw their advertising revenue fall 13.1 percent in the fourth quarter, essentially giving B2B magazines a' [...]
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  Posted: February 24, 2009, 4:56pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• Penton confirms layoffs

  Number of comments: 0
  Just a quick update to yesterday's post about Penton ... the company has confirmed to Folio magazine that it has laid off people at three of its magazines.
  
  A spokesperson for Penton declined to say how many people lost their jobs.
  
  You can read the details [...]
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  Posted: February 23, 2009, 7:27pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• Quiet please! People being laid off

  Number of comments: 3
  An anonymous reader of this blog added a comment to a recent post last night that said there had been layoffs at Penton. I started to respond via comment, but opted instead to write a new post.
  Anonymous,
  I don't know if more layoffs are planned at Penton ...' [...]
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  Posted: February 22, 2009, 7:20am EST
  by Paul Conley

• The most meaningful award in B2B

  Number of comments: 2
  Congratulations to Jim Prevor, the founder and editor-in-chief of Produce Business magazine. Jim is this year's winner of the "Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity" from American Business Media.
  
  Longtime readers of this blog know I've said the Timothy White contest represents "the most important award in B2B" [...]
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  Posted: February 19, 2009, 9:28am EST
  by Paul Conley

• The best among us

  Number of comments: 0
  It's not too late...but it's close to too late.
  Friday (Jan. 23) is the deadline for nominations for the most important award in B2B publishing: The Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity.
  
  If you know of someone who demonstrates the sort of ethical behavior in business journalism that can [...]
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  Posted: January 21, 2009, 1:41pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• Through a glass darkly

  Number of comments: 0
  (Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly named the magazine that Ziff Davis Media said it would close. The correct name is PC Magazine.)
  
  It's the end of the year, and time for Folio magazine to publish predictions about the industry.
  Once again Folio has been kind enough' [...]
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  Posted: December 18, 2008, 3:15pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• Slipping into darkness

  Number of comments: 3
  Just three days ago I published a post outlining why I thought the "B2B industry as we know it is about to collapse." Included in that post was a reference to predictions by Outsell that the industry would experience further layoffs, a reference by me to the impossibility of [...]
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  Posted: December 12, 2008, 9:04am EST
  by Paul Conley

• Doom and gloom and rebirth

  Number of comments: 13
  Last week I heard about a research report filled with the sort of bad news I've come to expect about B2B media.
  As I read about the report, something inside me seemed to give way. I realized it was time for me to say something I have hesitated to say:[...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2008, 10:05am EST
  by Paul Conley

• Self-knowledge

  Number of comments: 3
  Longtime readers of this blog, and many of the folks who have heard me speak at industry conferences, know of my interest in psychology, personality types and the insight that the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can provide newsroom managers.
  And anyone who knows me knows that on the MBTI test I'm' [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2008, 6:29pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• The best among college journalists

  Number of comments: 2
  I spent much of last week feeling sorry for myself because I had to miss the College Media Advisers Convention.
  
  And today I find one more reason to wish I had been there. The American Collegiate Press announced the winners of its annual Pacer awards at the show. [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2008, 9:35am EST
  by Paul Conley

• My sky isn't falling

  Number of comments: 1
  I'm in New York this week, as I am most days. But I'm finding this a particularly annoying place to be this morning.
  Because I'd really like to be in Kansas City as several hundred young journalists converge at the College Media Advisers convention. But I had too much' [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2008, 7:19am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Why would you use that thing? It's stupid

  Number of comments: 1
  I spent much of the past few weeks on the road -- meeting with journalists, executives and others to talk about the changing nature of media.
  I do a lot of that stuff. And I've found that meetings with publishing companies, with few exceptions, take a predictable path.
  
  The' [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2008, 1:29pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• The tipping point's tipping point

  Number of comments: 1
  The B2B industry has spent much of the past year or so obsessing over the "tipping point" -- that point in time when a brand's absolute growth in online dollars surpasses the decline in print revenue.
  Predictably, it happened first in the world of tech publishing. And it shouldn't [...]
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  Posted: October 06, 2008, 8:13am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• What's in a name? Circulation Management rebrands

  Number of comments: 3
  Circulation Management, the magazine and Web site that has covered the circulation end of the magazine-publishing business, is changing its name to reflect changes in the industry.
  Starting in November, the product will be rebranded as Audience Development.
  
  I applaud the move. There can be no doubt that [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2008, 11:02am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• ASBPE offers new Ethics Advisory service

  Number of comments: 5
  I just got some great news in my email in-box.
  The American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) has launched an Ethics Advisory program to offer answers to journalists seeking guidance on ethical practices.
  Under the program, journalists can send their "is this ethical" questions to [...]
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  Posted: September 24, 2008, 10:54am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Change of seasons

  Number of comments: 0
  If you've read this blog with some regularity during the past few years, you've probably learned more about me than any reasonable person would wish. For example, regular readers know that I am probably the only salsa-dancing, U.S. Army veteran in history to have worked as a roadie for [...]
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  Posted: September 19, 2008, 1:58pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• A valuable additon to the media blogosphere

  Number of comments: 0
  Just a quick note to make note of the addition of Harry McCracken to the world of media blogging.
  
  Anyone who pays attention to B2B publishing knows Harry and knows he recently left PC World to start Technologizer, a tech blog backed by Federated Media.
  
  Now Harry [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2008, 2:49pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Cygnus defaults on debt; Moody's cuts ratings

  Number of comments: 1
  I'm swamped today with business tasks and a family emergency. So I can't do much more than point to the news that Cygnus has defaulted on a portion of its debt. Credit-rating agency Moody's responded by cutting its rating on the B2B publisher.
  
  I expect we'll see a [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2008, 2:57pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• ASBPE and the next generation of journalists

  Number of comments: 1
  Anyone who knows me knows how much time I put into working with college journalists. It's the part of my career that I enjoy the most.
  And although it's true, as my wife likes to joke, that there's something fundamentally wrong with putting lots of effort into the part of' [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2008, 9:04am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Harry McCracken's Guide to Self-Employment

  Number of comments: 0
  Longtime readers of this blog know I began predicting years ago that low-cost Web technologies and open-source software would lead many B2B journalists to quit their jobs and strike on out on their own.And regular readers know that the highest-profile editor to make the leap to standalone journalist is [...]
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  Posted: September 02, 2008, 3:21pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• B2B blogger scoops world on Biden pick

  Number of comments: 6
  I'm feeling a wee bit proud today. Heck, I think everyone in B2B journalism should be feeling a little proud today. Particularly those of us who live and work in the B2B blogosphere.
  As Adam Tinworth has pointed out, perhaps the biggest news story on earth last week was broken' [...]
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  Posted: August 28, 2008, 7:15am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Wall Street finances and B2B publishing explained

  Number of comments: 0
  Borrow cash. Buy a publishing company. Choke on debt. Borrow more. Buy another publisher. Choke on debt. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
  
  tags: journalism, b2b, media, trade press, magazines, newsletters, business media [...]
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  Posted: August 14, 2008, 6:04pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Talking to ourselves and making little sense

  Number of comments: 0
  One of my many journalism obsessions is watching the internal communications processes at publishing companies.
  I follow this stuff pretty closely. I read the memos (when I can get them.) I check out Intranets and wikis (when they're available to me.) I read executives' blogs, publishers' sales reports and I' [...]
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  Posted: August 14, 2008, 1:16pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Source Media throws editors into the pool

  Number of comments: 0
  Source Media, publisher of a number of Wall Street-focused brands such as The Bond Buyer and Securities Industry News, is reorganizing into a team-based system.
  Under the plan, every title at Source will have an editor-in-chief, but won't have a dedicated staff. Instead, Source editors will be organized' [...]
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  Posted: August 12, 2008, 9:11pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• What We Know Now

  Number of comments: 4
  We're in a strange position in B2B journalism in 2008.
  As the Web has grown, altering forever the business and art of publishing, B2B has sometimes taken the lead.
  We are far ahead of our peers in the newspaper, TV and consumer magazine world in some areas. Other times we' [...]
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  Posted: August 05, 2008, 8:31am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• The voice of reason (on copyright) goes silent

  Number of comments: 0
  The media blogosphere is a slightly less interesting place today.
  William Patry is shutting down his blog on copyright law.
  And given that no less an institution than the Associated Press has apparently forgotten the basics of "fair use," I can't think of a worse time for this to [...]
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  Posted: August 04, 2008, 9:48am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Getting caught up

  Number of comments: 0
  I've been on the road for weeks ... and am just now settling back into my routine.
  I'm in my apartment. The baby is asleep. And in the past 24 hours I've managed to get caught up on email, feeds, tweets, bills, invoices, voice mail, paper mail and neighborhood gossip.
  [...]
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  Posted: August 01, 2008, 8:58pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Something in the air

  Number of comments: 0
  I'm on the road this week and next. And as I sit in hotel rooms and read my feeds at the beginning and end of each day, I get the feeling that by the time I get back home, I won't even recognize the media industry -- particularly B2B.
  Consider [...]
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  Posted: July 21, 2008, 10:44am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• PaidContent is sold to the Guardian!

  Number of comments: 1
  Wow!
  U.K.-based Guardian News & Media, publisher of the Guardian and the Observer newspapers, has purchased PaidContent.
  In a nutshell that means that arguably the most Web-savvy newspaper company on earth has purchased what is arguably the most important Web-only B2B property on earth.
  
  First, let me offer [...]
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  Posted: July 11, 2008, 8:34am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Bloomberg restructures. And I ask "why?"

  Number of comments: 0
  Today is a day when all of us in B2B journalism should pause, look at the news in our industry, and ponder what it means for each of us.
  Because it doesn't get any bigger than this: Bloomberg LP is restructuring.
  
  Bloomberg is arguably the smartest and most profitable [...]
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  Posted: July 10, 2008, 8:50am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Congratulations to the TABPI winners!

  Number of comments: 0
  TABPI, the international association for B2B journalists, has announced its pick for the best magazines and Websites in the industry.
  Congratulations to all the winners!
  
  As of this morning, the list of winners is available only on TABPI's Facebook page. But later today the list will appear on [...]
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  Posted: July 08, 2008, 10:36am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Tampa and an intern look to the future

  Number of comments: 5
  Much of the journalism world is abuzz today over the reorganization of the newsrooms at the Tampa Tribune and WFLA.
  In brief, the plan calls for merging the news-gathering functions of the newspaper and its Web site with those of the local television station. The plan also downplays the [...]
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  Posted: July 02, 2008, 12:55pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• A threat from an unlikely place

  Number of comments: 1
  I've been writing for a long time about the new competitors that traditional B2B publishers are finding on the Web.
  Whether we're talking about Web-only publishers, editors who strike out on their own, sources who become publishers, or marketers who become journalists, the days in which [...]
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  Posted: July 01, 2008, 4:37am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• The best of the best

  Number of comments: 0
  There's some breaking news in the B2B world...and in a change from the all-too-common news about layoffs and debt problems, today's news is good news.
  
  The American Society of Business Publication Editors has announced the finalists for Magazine of the Year, Web Site of the Year, and [...]
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  Posted: June 24, 2008, 3:40pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Wall Street worries about Cygnus

  Number of comments: 0
  The bad news just keeps coming for traditional B2B publishers.
  
  Credit rating agency S&P has lowered its outlook for Cygnus Business Media, a move that suggests a ratings downgrade is possible in the near future.
  S&P, citing concerns about the publisher's debt load, changed its outlook on Cygnus [...]
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  Posted: June 17, 2008, 3:09pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• The magazine industry gets connected

  Number of comments: 0
  There has been an interesting development in B2B journalism this week.
  
  Folio magazine launched a social-networking site for people in the magazine industry ... and much to my surprise ... it took off at a rate that I can only call extraordinary. Within a few hours of its debut, [...]
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  Posted: June 11, 2008, 4:59am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Now it's Penton's turn -- more layoffs in B2B

  Number of comments: 4
  I don't have much in the way of details ... but it appears that there have been layoffs at Penton.
  
  According to a comment on a post from yesterday about layoffs, 42 people at Penton have been let go. If true, the firings come two months after CEO [...]
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  Posted: June 06, 2008, 2:47pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• The model no longer works

  Number of comments: 3
  The media world is abuzz today with word that Sam Zell is planning a massive revamp of Tribune Co. -- cutting staff (which the company thinks it can do without hurting content after it began measuring the productivity of journalists and learning, presumably, who could be dropped), reducing the [...]
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  Posted: June 06, 2008, 9:53am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• More layoffs in B2B

  Number of comments: 2
  I'm back from a road trip and trying to catch up on all the stuff in my RSS feeds. But after glancing at the depressing headlines from Folio magazine in the past few days, I wish I hadn't bothered.
  
  First, there's been another series of layoffs at United [...]
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  Posted: June 05, 2008, 1:55pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Buy Dr. Paul's Magic Elixr! Solve Your B2B Woes

  Number of comments: 0
  The latest numbers from the Business Information Network show that things ain't looking good for print publications in B2B. Ad revenue and ad pages are down. And no doubt there's not a soul anywhere in the industry who is surprised by this latest bit of bad news.
  
  As [...]
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  Posted: May 30, 2008, 12:01am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Early adopters and late arrivals

  Number of comments: 3
  I like to think of myself as an early adopter of technology. I was a cell phone junkie when mobile phones were still considered a novelty if not a public nuisance. I lived in the online world back before there was a Web. I was running my own little news [...]
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  Posted: May 20, 2008, 7:50pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• More layoffs in B2B: Edgell makes job cuts

  Number of comments: 4
  According to a comment tonight to an earlier post of mine about job cuts in B2B publishing, Edgell Communications, the Jersey-based publisher of magazines such as RIS News and Hospitality Technology, has begun laying off staffers.
  I don't have many details, other than that six people have been handed [...]
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  Posted: May 14, 2008, 9:37pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• The growing ranks of entrepreneurial journalists

  Number of comments: 1
  Harry McCracken is leaving PC World to start his own technology Web site.
  That's big news for the world of B2B journalism for several reasons.
  
  Harry may be the biggest name in B2B editorial circles. Anyone who follows this industry will remember Harry's clash with management last year. [...]
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  Posted: May 13, 2008, 1:09pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• More on Web-first, and Web-only publishing

  Number of comments: 3
  Yesterday I posted my thoughts about the New York Times article on IDG's move to web-first publishing.
  And as I look through my RSS reader today, I see that a number of other folks have voiced their opinions as well.
  
  Perhaps the most interesting comments come from my [...]
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  Posted: May 06, 2008, 6:39pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Follow the Leader: Looking at IDG's move to Web-first

  Number of comments: 0
  Longtime readers of this blog, as well as the folks who have seen one of my speaking engagements, know that I often point to B2B publisher IDG as a guide to the future. No publisher I know has done a better job of understanding the Web and making the transition [...]
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  Posted: May 05, 2008, 9:23am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• I don't want people like that teaching my kids

  Number of comments: 4
  Last week I wrote a post about where "print" journalists could, and could not, find new work.
  Today I want to talk about where I'm hoping print journalists don't find work -- academia.
  
  According to an article in Editor & Publisher, the B2B publication for the newspaper business, [...]
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  Posted: April 24, 2008, 7:28pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Where can "print" reporters go?

  Number of comments: 2
  A few days ago I wrote a piece for this blog about the financial crisis in B2B publishing. I said that much of the industry had become "weighed down by the twin albatrosses of junk bonds and rising print costs." And I suggested that the "editors, salespeople and designers [...]
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  Posted: April 18, 2008, 12:01am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• More on CIO and the LinkedIn links

  ASBPE has not yet issued an official ruling on the controversy that began two days ago when I wrote about my concerns over CIO magazine's use of in-text links. That's understandable. Unlike the ad-in-links controversy that I've written about repeatedly, the CIO issue is more complex.
  If you're not familiar [...]
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  Posted: April 16, 2008, 8:46pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Breaking my heart: more unethical links in edit

  Number of comments: 15
  The B2B publisher that has perhaps the best reputation in the industry for ethical behavior is behaving unethically.
  And I'm sick about it.
  CIO magazine, which is owned by CXO Media, a unit of IDG, is adding links to editorial copy without the approval of editors.
  
  Longtime readers of [...]
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  Posted: April 14, 2008, 4:49pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Financial crisis in B2B publishing

  Number of comments: 5
  Things are awful and getting worse.
  That's my conclusion about B2B publishing as yet another company takes drastic measures after finding it can't carry an absurd debt load in a recessionary economy.
  Yesterday, in an email to employees, Penton CEO John French announced a companywide salary and hiring freeze. He [...]
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  Posted: April 12, 2008, 11:46am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Another B2B publisher announces layoffs

  Less than 24 hours ago I wrote a post about layoffs at Nielsen Business Media and said "I don't think today's layoffs will be the last we'll see in 2008."
  Well as much as it pains me to say so -- I was right.
  This afternoon Ziff Davis Enterprises [...]
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  Posted: April 10, 2008, 3:01pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Layoffs and leverage

  Number of comments: 1
  Bad news today in the world of B2B journalism. Nielsen Business Media, formerly known as VNU, has laid off a number of editorial staffers. Folio magazine says it's "not immediately clear how many employees have been let go." While the FishbowlNY blog at Mediabistro says between 40 and [...]
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  Posted: April 09, 2008, 8:41pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Going with the (copy) flow

  Every investment banker and media investor I've ever met reads PaidContent. But very few of the B2B reporters I talk to are familiar with the site.
  That perplexes me.
  First, PaidContent covers our industry. And I think that folks in B2B should be reading it for the same reason [...]
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  Posted: April 08, 2008, 6:11am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Mysteries of the (inverted) pyramid

  Before there was a Web, there was a news company that mastered the art of writing for a screen rather than a printed page.
  Customers of Bloomberg News consume stories on a Bloomberg terminal, a sort of souped-up, proprietary, multi-screen PC. Those customers pay an extraordinary amount of money [...]
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  Posted: April 07, 2008, 12:19pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Some holes can not be climbed out of

  Just days ago I urged journalism teachers to force students to learn about business and finance. In particular, I want students to understand debt financing, which has put a stranglehold on many publications.
  My hope is that by understanding the murderously difficult environment in which many publishers operate, students will [...]
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  Posted: April 04, 2008, 12:51pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• College Tour, Part 4: Show them the money

  Number of comments: 3
  I recently had the opportunity to visit a number of universities and to attend two conventions for college journalists. This is the conclusion of a four-part series on my experiences. You can see part one here. You can read part two here. Check out part three here.
  [...]
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  Posted: March 28, 2008, 10:00am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• College Tour, Part 3: The war within

  Number of comments: 3
  I recently had the opportunity to visit a number of universities and to attend two conventions for college journalists. This is the third in a four-part series on my experiences. You can see part one here. You can read part two here.
  
  One of the best things [...]
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  Posted: March 26, 2008, 4:47am EDT
  by Paul Conley

• College Tour: The very young are the future

  Number of comments: 4
  I recently had the opportunity to visit a number of universities and to attend two conventions for college journalists. This is the second in a four-part series on my experiences. You can see part one here.
  
  My annual college tour is over, and unlike years past, I'm [...]
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  Posted: March 24, 2008, 2:57pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Running late ...

  I've finished my annual college tour, in which I spend several weeks visiting universities and journalism-education events. It was, as always, both illuminating and fun. I've already published some preliminary thoughts on the state of journalism education. I'll share more about the next generation of journalists within a few [...]
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  Posted: March 20, 2008, 6:20pm EDT
  by Paul Conley

• Preliminary report from the College Tour

  Number of comments: 5
  "He slung his words at us like darts."
  
  That's the lead from an article in the student-run newspaper at the University of Tennessee-Martin about my recent appearance at the Southeast Journalism Conference, where I gave the keynote presentation (titled "Brace Yourself: What journalism is like in 2008. Why you're [...]
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  Posted: February 29, 2008, 3:19pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• The most important award in B2B journalism

  Number of comments: 3
  I want to offer my congratulations to my friend Harry McCracken of PC World for winning the most important award in B2B journalism. Harry is this year's recipient of American Business Media's Timothy White Award for editorial integrity.
  
  Harry has had a long and distinguished career. But there's little [...]
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  Posted: February 19, 2008, 7:47pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• The College Tour

  Number of comments: 3
  It's coming up on that time of year again when, as my friends and family remind me, I spend too much time doing too much work for free. Each year at this time I head out on the road to visit with college journalists and their instructors to share [...]
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  Posted: February 18, 2008, 1:16pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• Buying a staff for the future

  Number of comments: 3
  Late last month came news that B2B publisher Questex was buying FierceMarkets, the online-only publisher best known for its niche, email newsletters. I said then that I thought the deal had some major implications for our industry. Today I'd like to elaborate.
  
  First, I want to make it [...]
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  Posted: February 11, 2008, 3:29pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• Changing just one mind

  Number of comments: 6
  If you could change the mindset of only one person at your publication, who would it be? If you could get only one person to become part of the Web culture, who would it be?
  Perhaps you'd say the managing editor. Or maybe the head of ad sales. Maybe you'd [...]
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  Posted: January 31, 2008, 7:17pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• Announcements and milestones

  Number of comments: 9
  I've been running around like a crazy man for the past few days ... working, decorating my new apartment, selling my car, meeting with clients, pitching for new business and exploring my new neighborhood with my daughter. As a result, I haven't done much blogging. So there are a few [...]
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  Posted: January 30, 2008, 6:48pm EST
  by Paul Conley

• Getting wired and getting funded

  If you're a journalist who believes, as I do, that the best way to improve your skills is to teach yourself rather than wait for the boss to invest more money in you, there are a couple of interesting announcements today.
  
  First, check out Wired Journalists, a social-networking [...]
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  Posted: January 23, 2008, 11:02am EST
  by Paul Conley

• FierceMarkets sale may be harbinger of ...

  My friend Rafat at PaidContent is reporting that B2B publisher Questex is buying FierceMarkets, the online-only publisher best known for its email newsletters.
  I got an email a few minutes ago from FierceMarkets founder Jeff Gisea confirming the deal.
  
  I have a feeling that this particular deal has [...]
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  Posted: January 22, 2008, 10:31am EST
  by Paul Conley

• And the award goes to ...

  Number of comments: 2
  It's contest season in B2B publishing.
  If you're proud of the work done by you and your coworkers, now is the time to seek your rewards.
  
  First, there's only a little more than a week to nominate someone for what may be the most prestigious award in B2B journalism [...]
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  Posted: January 16, 2008, 1:41am EST
  by Paul Conley

• The care and feeding of my gigantic ego

  Number of comments: 4
  I opened my mailbox last night and found the January/February issue of "Editors Note," the newsletter of the American Society of Business Publication Editors. And much to my delight, the cover story was about me.
  I suspect that many of us got into journalism in order to see our own [...]
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  Posted: January 15, 2008, 11:56am EST
  by Paul Conley

• More reactions to "You Can't Teach Culture"

  My recent call for publishers to halt training in basic Web skills continues to generate a lot of conversation.
  If you're interested in this issue, here are some other voices:
  Take a look at what Bryan says at Innovation in College Media.
  Check out Pat Thornton's thoughts [...]
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  Posted: January 14, 2008, 9:59am EST
  

• Responses to "You cannot train someone to be part of a culture"

  My post from a few days ago in which I urged "employers not to offer any training in Web journalism" generated some interesting responses.
  If you care about these issues, I'd urge you to take a look at what others are saying.
  
  Rene` Edde said she had "an [...]
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  Posted: January 11, 2008, 7:23pm EST
  

• Fighting Hole Tactics: Part Two -- Finding Allies

  Number of comments: 9
  (Editor's note: This is the third in a series on building a "B2B fighting hole." I'm expecting difficult financial times in trade journalism in 2008. In this series I offer some suggestions on building a defensive position where editors and publishers can ride out the coming onslaught. You can read [...]
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  Posted: January 10, 2008, 4:27pm EST
  

• Fighting Hole Tactics: Part One -- No More Training

  Number of comments: 13
  If you've read this blog in recent weeks, you know I've grown very worried about what 2008 will bring for B2B publishing. A few days ago, I wrote that it's "time for B2B editors and publishers to build some fighting holes" -- defensive positions from where they could ride [...]
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  Posted: January 09, 2008, 5:08pm EST
  

• Out with the old; in with the new

  Here it is New Year's Eve -- albeit several hours before the ball drops in Times Square about 25 blocks north of my office -- and I'm scrambling to finish off a few projects for 2007. It looks as if 2008 is going to be a very busy year for [...]
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  Posted: December 31, 2007, 2:29pm EST
  

• Digging a fighting hole

  Back when I was younger and even more attractive than I am today, I was a soldier.
  And like other soldiers, I learned a set of skills that are sometimes difficult to transfer to the civilian world. I, for example, am a pretty good fighter with [...]
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  Posted: December 24, 2007, 1:40pm EST
  

• Joining (and re-joining) the conversation

  If you're anything like me, you never grow tired of thinking about and talking about the world of journalism.
  And for we obsessive types, there's now a new place to discuss one key area of of our world -- journalism education. Check out the new CICM member link, "where [...]
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  Posted: December 17, 2007, 10:18am EST
  

• The Year of Living Unreasonably

  Number of comments: 4
  I'm worried that 2008 is going to be an awful year for B2B publishing.
  I don't have any data to back up this fear. What I do have is a sense that something is about to go wrong.
  
  In the past few weeks I've spoken with a number of [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2007, 3:28pm EST
  

• It's time to fire my friends

  Number of comments: 3
  "Listen, the Web is the most exciting part of a modern journalism enterprise for ambitious writers and editors. If they haven't figured it out by now, to hell with them."
  Those are the words of Jon Friedman in a column published today on MarketWatch. You can read the rest of [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2007, 11:51am EST
  

• I'm a famous personality

  Number of comments: 3
  If you're anything like me, you like to visit B2B magazine Web sites -- particularly those that cover the industry in which we work (publishing.)
  But if you're anything like me, you have been consistently disappointed that the sites that cover our world are such poor role models. Certainly the [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2007, 10:33am EST
  

• Improving our reputation

  Number of comments: 2
  B2B journalism has many problems. But certainly the largest problem we face is our reputation. The ugly truth is that trade journalism is often thought of as second-rate and unethical.
  Back when I launched this blog a few years ago, I did so with one primary purpose -- to call [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2007, 5:15pm EST
  

• Be an expert in less than an hour!

  Number of comments: 1
  What new-media skill can a print-based journalism student -- graduating in December without a job -- learn quickly enough to avoid having to move back home with Mom and Dad?
  
  That's been the question bouncing around in my head following my recent meetings with journalism students at the [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2007, 3:26pm EST
  

• Good news on the ethics front

  Number of comments: 4
  I'm in a good mood.
  Just a day after I noted in this blog that Ziff Davis' PC Magazine had broken its word and once again violated industry ethics by using ads-within-edit, a reader of this blog sent me some good news.
  American Business Media has changed the rules [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2007, 11:31am EST
  

• Ziff Davis breaks its promise: Ads return to edit copy

  Just a day after I noted with disdain that ABM and ASME have yet to respond to the ads-within-edit scandal, I find that Ziff Davis has apparently gone back on its word.
  
  The offensive and misleading ads from Vibrant Media -- which appear as links within news stories [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2007, 2:15pm EST
  

• ASME arrives late to ethics debate

  In the past year, B2B journalism has suffered one of the most embarrassing scandals in its history, as several companies -- including VNU and Ziff Davis -- began to sell ads within editorial. Words in stories were marked as hypertext links. But the links didn't lead to other news or [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2007, 3:31pm EST
  

• More on the next crop of journalists

  Number of comments: 2
  Leonard Witt at PJNet is concerned by some of the advice that I, Bryan Murley, Doug Fisher and Rob Curley give journalism students.
  This is important stuff. And if you care about the future of our industry, you should be involved in this discussion.
  
  If you haven't been [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2007, 11:02am EST
  

• The next crop of journalists

  Number of comments: 6
  "In almost every newspaper I've worked in, the most close-minded person I've ever come across is the 23-year-old recent grad."
  Those are the words of Rob Curley, arguably the smartest guy working in journalism today. Rob's comments came last week during his keynote speech at the National College Media [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2007, 3:09pm EDT
  

• All You Need Is Love

  Number of comments: 4
  Long before "Lost," there was another television show about being stranded on a mysterious island and held captive by strange characters. "The Prisoner," starring Patrick McGoohan, aired in the 1960s and later became a cult classic in repeats on public television. In that show, McGoohan [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2007, 3:01pm EDT
  

• Five important questions for B2B media: Part Five

  Number of comments: 4
  This is the final post in a five-part series in which I pose questions about the state of B2B media.
  You can find the earlier installments here, here, here and here.
  
  I spoke at the Folio:Show a few weeks ago, sharing my thoughts on hiring [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2007, 4:15am EDT