A Man’s Got to Know His Limitations…
December 22, 2008 by Marcus
So last week the Observer wrote a story about the Web writers at Fortune losing their jobs. Here’s a choice selection:
“I have to tell you, fortune.com is working out brilliantly,” said Mr. Serwer, according to one former staffer.
After his opening remarks, he
Well, less than two months later, the Web team at Fortune has been all but disbanded."
Now I ask you: When was the last time you read Fortune for "breaking news"? I haven’t and I wouldn’t. What most magazines do well is long-format expository writing. One reason most digital magazines have longer engagement times than their sister websites is because the digital magazine is a representation of what the brand does well while their website is about what they think they need to do. And while that’s certainly a generalization, there’s ample proof around.
Why – I wonder – do I often complain about FOLIO’s website, while I think the magazine covers the space far better than their competition? Maybe because FOLIO’s magazine is well thought-out expository writing with points and counterpoints whereas the website seems to be a strange menagerie of dressed up press releases and lay-off notices (in my opinion).
At the end of the day, the challenge may not be so much about figuring out what the audience wants but in figuring out how to be true to what you’ve already figured out they want.
Sorry, Marcus. Folio: Magazine is the “how-to,” Foliomag.com is the “what-is.” Foliomag.com reports the news, not the feel-good puff pieces some advertisers seem to increasingly feel entitled to.
Matt Kinsman
Managing Editor
Folio: Magazine
Thanks for the comment, Matt, though I’m a bit more confused than ever. I wasn’t asking about the difference between the proposition for advertisers, but for readers. In my opinion, “feel-good puff pieces” seem to sneak onto Foliomag.com far more than they show up in the magazine, but maybe I’m looking at this wrong… Could you please elaborate on the definition of a “feel-good puff piece” and provide an example or two? And – more to my point – do you believe readers want your website to be something different than they want your magazine to be or are you seeking out a different reader?