Why Buy a Website When You Can Rent to Own One?

We’ve found that lots of people need a great looking website that plays great on mobile and tablet devices. That said, a lot of these same people have relatively small needs. Maybe you’re a consultant or a single practice attorney… in that case, you need to look good, but you don’t want to spend a ton.

Did you know that we’ve recently launched Rent-to-Own websites? For as little as $999 down, you can have your site launched in under a week. Click here to read the details, or enjoy the video for more info.

Where Your Search Traffic Has Likely Gone

Like most of you, we pay attention to how people find us. I’m talking about the Nxtbook corporate site, as well as our (and your) digital editions. On our corporate site, in particular, we’ve noticed a drop off of search engine traffic, which would be disturbing if not for the fact that overall site visits continue to rise.

The culprit, according to this article, may be new browsers that block some of that vital search referral data, and instead lump those visitors into that big nebulous bucket we all have called "direct traffic."

On one hand, this isn’t a problem. After all, you’re still getting the visitor. But on the other hand, those of us who like to understand why that visitor came so they can replicate the success… well, things have gotten a bit harder for us.

Blackberry CEO Thinks Tablets Are a Fad. Also Wished Those Kids Would Get Off His Lawn

From Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heims:

“In five years I don’t think there’ll be a reason to have a tablet anymore," Heins told Bloomberg’s Hugo Miller and Nadja Brandt. "Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model.”

And we wonder why Blackberry is an also-ran?

Then again, if the only tablet I’d ever owned was a Blackberry Playbook, maybe I’d feel the same way.

If You Could Do This For Your Advertisers’ Website Traffic, What Could You Charge?

The image you see above is real. It’s an example of what happened to the Nxtbook Creative website after our unique web-in-page ad came out in the FOLIO digital edition supplement. That’s how powerful this new ad unit is. If you could do that to your advertisers’ websites, ask yourself, "What would they be willing to pay?"

Ron Matejko Means Well, Is Still Wrong

Ron Matejko is a publisher of some great digital-only magazines. He also writes periodically for Publishing Executive. Yesterday, he posted his opinion of how major news outlets "misused" Twitter during the Boston Marathon tragedy. While most of his objections were spot on, in my opinion, he whiffed on this one:

"By far, the most frustrating and head-scratching decision was announced by the New York Times, which took down its paywall during the height of the news cycle. What is the sense of having a paywall if it is going to be removed at a time when its content is most valuable. Are we supposed to believe this is a corporation with a conscience? The Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal dropped their paywalls as well." 

Whether or not the Times has a "conscience" or not is debatable, though as a reader I tend to think there’s more than a little virtue in what they try to do. But more important, I think, is that the Times correctly assessed the situation and responded.

Truth is, the NY Times is rarely – if ever – a contender for "breaking news." That’s what TV is for. Instead, they are purveyors of thoughtful detailed news, and their paywall exists to cater to customers seeking quality, not immediacy.

The events at the Boston Marathon drove readers to seek breaking news, which – fortunately or not – tend to be a commodity product. The Times responded by allowing readers the ability to consume that commodity before they had the opportunity to provide the insight readers will desire in time. 

What readers wanted Monday afternoon were the facts and Times removal of their paywall allowed them to provide them without frustration to readers, desperate for answers. 

On the ABM Merger Or… if a Tree Falls in the Woods

So ABM is merging with SIIA. If you didn’t know (and don’t feel bad, because I didn’t), SIIA stands for the Software & Information Industry Association.

Appararently, I’m not alone in this wonderment. The article referenced above says that less than 10% of ABM’s membership is also in the SIIA. It’s not that I have anything against SIIA; I’m just saying I never heard of them until today so a merger with a major association directly in our industry is somewhat stunning. And judging by the news that’s displayed on their homepage, I’m not so certain that will change. I’m sure the articles are fine – they’re just not in the wheelhouse of what we’re into.

Then again, one could say the same for ABM in recent years, so perhaps this match make more sense than it would seem. 

Give Us Feedback – Win Cool Stuff!

Nxtbook Media is proud to announce the immediate opening of our Friends of Nxtbook site. This portal is designed for those of you looking to give your feedback regarding our company and our service.

In return for your participation, you’ve got the opportunity to earn points, badges and other cool swag. But the best part is that you can cash in your points for real awards, including this month’s special feature: a limited edition "How to be Creative" poster.

Here are just a few of the challenges live on the Friends of Nxtbook site: 

1. Like us on Facebook: That’s right: 1 click gives you 25 points right out of the gate!
2. Speak at an Upcoming Webinar or Event: This one’s for our top stars, and that’s why we pay top dollar – 5000 points for your participation
3. Recommend us on LinkedIn: People listen to what you have to say. That’s why we want to hear you say it!
4. And more! New challenges added regularly.

More than winning cool stuff, we also hope that Friends of Nxtbook gives you the opportunity to interact with others like yourself, who are motivated to push the envelope of their digital endeavors. Truth is, we’ve got the best customers around and we want you to have the chance to meet each other!

So don’t wait. Head on over to Friends of Nxtbook right now, and start racking up the points!

Enough With The Banner Ads & The Praying for Clicks

When we released Nxtbook Ubiquity, one of the most groundbreaking features was our new Web-in-Page, which places fully functional websites inside digital editions. This means advertisers don’t have to rely on people clicking on their ads. Why is this important? Because people don’t click on ads. In fact, you’re 475 times more likely to survive a plane crash than you are to click on a banner ad. Click here for other shocking stats re: our most worthless digital commodity.

Hey, We Do Other Stuff, Too!

Were you aware that Nxtbook does other things besides digital editions? I mean, you’re probably aware that we do layout and design of optimized digital editions, but we’re talking about things, like social media campaigns, video productions. Heck, these days we’re even involved with website design.

But because those stories don’t fit perfectly on this site, we’ve made an entirely new place for them to go.  Check out the new Nxtbook Creative site here.

Here’s a Survey You Should Take

There’s no denying it: we’ve been known to highly criticize surveys that we don’t feel get to the real answers of what publishers need to know. But here’s a survey you really should take.

FOLIO just released their 2013 Tablet Publishing Survey, which details how you as publishers are putting your content on tablet devices. Looking at the questions, I think they’re asking the right stuff and we can’t wait to see the results. Click here to take it now.

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