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[GWL]: new media online/voices and rant

At 09:07 AM 9/25/2001 -0300, you wrote:
>Hello all:
>     Doug, I can relate to you in the university/computer experience!
>     My concern with new media, especially on-line, is that people aren't
>used to paying for it. (i.e. when you started charging for your q&a
>newsletter).

Yes, that's a problem. I'm on several other lists that are currently 
discussing content and making money on that content and there is no 
question that this is a problem.  I can tell you that conversion rates from 
free newsletters to paid subscriptions are usually well below 5% (if you 
have a 1000 person list, you *might* get 50 to pay) In my case, when I 
moved to a paid list, I did better than 5 but less than 10%. ;-)   It's not 
the conversions that matter, it's the churn. Any magazine marketer will 
tell you that.   Even the marketing pro's can't quite get a grip on what to 
do with these problems and can't agree on working models when it comes to 
the Net.    There's a history of paid subscriber sites (salon etc) having 
major problems trying to make money.

I note that the only segment of the Net that has figured this out and is 
actually making tons of money is the pornographic industry. People will pay 
to see whoever nude doing whatever to somebody. :-)   Not that I'm 
suggesting you do your research on this topic by visiting porn sites but 
they do have the answers and quite frankly some of the most aggressive 
programmers and marketers around.  You can learn a lot by seeing what those 
folks do. ;-)  (so to speak) :-)


>  While computer users will go to the net for their gardening
>information, they seem to want it for free. Where does that leave garden
>writers?

In the same boat as every other writer and content producer. Trying to 
figure out how to make money.;-)

I'll let you in on a little secret though. I no longer believe that it is 
the content/data itself that sells or keeps any content seller in 
business.  I firmly believe that any magazine or writer has a "voice" and 
it is this voice that sells rather than what the voice is saying.  Any 
gardening site on the web has hard data - how large is that perennial, how 
far apart do you plant a petunia, etc.etc.  That is only database 
management.  What they don't have is the essential narrative produced by 
the writer's voice.

As an example, we've had a few rants here about OG.  In many ways, what you 
are complaining about is the fact that you think OG is losing its voice. 
You think it is losing its special way of talking to you.  (this may be 
right or wrong I make no claim here one way or the other given I'm not an 
expert on OG)  When any publication loses its voice, it loses readership.

A writer to be successful - to stand out from the pack - has to have a 
voice.  If you have that voice, you can work on selling it.  It is hard to 
sell data now that data is free. IMHO (and not so HO) :-)  I think we'll 
more and more make our money selling our voices - our unique slants on the 
data - in a narrative manner.  If you have a voice for a specific audience, 
then you'll be able to sell into that audience. If you don't have a voice, 
or can't develop one then you won't be as successful.

<insert Plug alert! > One of the reasons that my latest book "Gardening 
Wisdom" won the GWAA Award of Excellence this year was because of the voice 
that it was written in.  There are other books with similar information but 
not my specific voice.  I make no claims that it is the best gardening 
voice out there but at least this year it was seen to be pretty good. 
;-)  (Actually, I think its the best damn thing going but I'll let the GWAA 
tell you that.) :-)) <end plug alert!>


>Unfortunately, our major Canadian gardening website  www.icangarden.com does
>not pay its writers. I'm still trying to figure out how they get so many
>people to write for them, and some are well-known writers too.

Well, Donna is a great person and I'm a fan of what she does.  I've got a 
few things over there but not on any regular basis and as she's here she 
can speak to her own business model and how rich she's getting on all that 
free content. ;-)  Personally, I think it is because she whines so nicely 
that people write for her but I could be wrong on that. :-))

What is crystal clear (and will be more so when Donna weighs in) is that 
many advertisers will not pay for advertising on the Net when given the 
choice between the Net and print.  They pick print each and every 
time.  That too is an ongoing conversation on the  i-sales marketing 
list.  It is a hard sell to get website advertisers.  This is the consensus 
from pro marketers so if you are having problems, you're in great company.

I'm not sure why my posts are getting longer and longer. It must be that 
"voice" getting too happy seeing itself in print. :-)

Back to lurking.

Doug




Douglas Green,
Freelance writing: You've got a story to tell - I can write it.
http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/clips/clipmaster.htm

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