Editorial Skills in Demand
Posted on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 9:45 AM
In the news: What editorial skills matter most to hiring personnel?
Last
week, Foliomag.com posted a roundup of lucrative editorial skills. So
what skills do top editors seek in new hires? Strong editing skills and
ability to work under tight deadlines are no longer enough. According to
Peter Moore, editor of Men's Health, new hires must be
technologically savvy and conversant in social media. His magazine tends
to hire graduates from journalism schools, but more important is wide
experience across multiple platforms (print, video, web, blogs, etc.).
Meg
Majors, editor-in-chief of Progressive Grocer, emphasizes that
candidates should have a "sound business reporting voice." Charlene
Fink, Farm Journal Media's senior vice president of editorial and
content development, seeks candidates not only with basic journalism
skills, but the ability to deliver content across multiple platforms.
Candidates tend to be former interns or graduates of top journalism
schools.
All three editors agree that multiplatform content
delivery is the name of the game. Read
more.
Tumblr and Subscriptions
What is the next
social networking wave for magazines? According to some editors, the
answer is Tumblr. Much like Twitter, the microblogging site allows for
interaction between the magazine and its followers. GW, The Economist,
Entertainment Weekly, and dozens of other publications are already on
board and experimenting with the platform. Some editors believe that
Tumblr can attract readers (particularly younger ones) otherwise
unfamiliar with a given magazine brand. Perhaps more importantly, high
traffic Tumblr sites can generate enough buzz to make a story or brand
go viral. And, in today's frenzied social media world, all you need is
buzz. Read more.
Are
Static Websites Passé?
In a recent article on Editor
& Publisher's website, Upstream Digital Media managing director
Keith Jordan poses a scenario: "Imagine that major news breaks -- the
kind that changes everything in the areas your publication covers. Your
editorial team wants to throw normal design out the window and create a
unique treatment that conveys the news event's importance." A static
website, says Jordan, can't accommodate such a spur-of-the-moment need.
The solution is metadata. Read
more.
Report: Reader Engagement and App Users
A
recent Yudu study finds a higher level of reader engagement among ebook
and digital magazine app users. According to the results, 64 percent of
app users visit the app multiple times -- 3.7 times on average. Could
this trend mean digital revenue growth for magazines in the near future? Read
more.
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