We have been working nearly around the clock to bring you this brand new version of our website. The site overhaul is directly influenced by our desire to serve visitors – like you – better, and we have made some significant upgrades.

One of the biggest changes is our Solutions section. (Click here to view.)
We created the Solutions section knowing many publishers face the same types of problems, whether it’s growing circulation, generating revenue, decreasing the sale cycle, or navigating mobile options. Rather than giving you a list of features and benefits and expecting you to decide what to do with them, we’re giving you real life examples of how publishers solved these issues. For example, click here to read how Henry Schein got creative with advertising and navigation to push readers deeper into their catalog.

We’ve also made it easier for publishers to find the resources they’re craving. We feature three top downloads on our new homepage, and we have a section dedicated to resources. For instance, click here to be taken to our white papers page in resources where you’ll find 5 white papers ready for FREE download.

So go ahead! Dig in! Dive deep in the website, and let us know what you think.

Recently, the Association of Magazine Media (MPA) did just that by surveying over a thousand tablet or e-Reader users regarding their mobile reading habits. The results followed the trends we’ve been seeing, but one question I was glad they asked was how readers found the magazine apps they now enjoy. While there are differing strategies about how to get your app in front of eyeballs, it’s always good to take a moment to check with readers:

Of course, if crystal-ball-gazing is something you enjoy, I’d recommend "16 predictions for mobile in 2012." An interesting read, even given its strong focus on Microsoft.

While defined benchmarks for social sharing of publications remains to be determined, sharing remains an expectation of your readers. It is becoming ever more intuitive. This means not only does your brand need to be shareable, but so does your product.

To that end, digital editions are inherently more shareable across a broad audience, and Nxtbook’s digital editions have always been shareable on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Delicious, etc. Whether your readers are viewing it on a tablet, phone, or computer, it’s quick and easy to post it on a wall. To take it a step further, we also enable shareable bookmarks and notes. Readers can stick a note to an article, and when they email it to a friend, the friend will see the note as well. A quick "Thought you’d like this article!" can go a long way. (Click here to try it out yourself.)

Make it easy for your readers to share as much as they want, as intuitively as they expect. Otherwise, you might end up looking like this guy: (video)

The Nxtbook quiz feature works on computers, tablets, and smartphones. Show readers the number of questions they got right, the questions they got wrong, and their percentage.

Already it has been a natural fit for magazines with continuing education, for training manuals, and higher education magazines such as this one. The feature works cross-platform, so talk to your Project Manager about adding an interactive quiz to your next edition.

And though, when they counted down the list and finally named our company as #1 we exploded into cheers and applause, it was more from pride than surprise. Since its inception, Nxtbook Media’s owners have actively and intentionally created the best place to work. As CEO Michael Biggerstaff put it, they try to make Nxtbook, "the place we always wanted to work but could never find." Being one of the top 3 companies to work for the past 4 years is proof this mentality pays off.

Of course the success of this business depends wholly on everyone’s participation in making it great. Winning #1 is simply an external representation of the pride everyone takes in their jobs. When we get to work, it isn’t to drudge through 8 hours and go home. We care about what we do, about serving our clients, creating work we can be proud of, and about caring for each other. Think about how much better it is to work with someone who is glad to be where they are (and have an award to prove it) rather than trying to get through to someone in less optimal conditions. (Think of "Peggy" in those customer service commercials.)

So the next time you call us, you can be proud that you’ve partnered with the best company to work for in the state of Pennsylvania.

That’s AOPA’s opening line introducing their new iPad app, available for download. What did you say to introduce your magazine or app to the world?

AOPA, or the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, is phenomenal in their continuous pursuit of conversation with their readers, and in using that conversation to grow their audience. For instance, take this newscast video released by AOPA: Editor-in-Chief Tom Haines explains in detail some of the new features readers can look forward to in the iPad app, giving it an official and newscast feel. Within the article below the video, they link to a FAQ page and they provide a chart of App Tips for readers who are unsure of the new technology.

Of course, their app is also very newsworthy as AOPA takes advantage of several cool features enabled in the iPad. Across its publications, AOPA has included polls, extra images, and tests which give you the results as soon as you submit your answers. This is beyond the other videos and imagery they typically include.

Consider your app: Have you made it exciting for your audience? Is it broadcast worthy? 

Want a preview? Here are a couple snippets from the seminar:

1.) FOLIO is a top-notch publication and while Kinsman was probably the sharpest crayon in that box, truth is there are several bright colors. While it remains to be seen if they can reach Matt’s calibre, I’m optimistic they can. Bill Mickey, in particular, has come to understand the digital edition space nearly as well as Matt, and can be counted on to contribute to the public understanding of our industry.

2.) ABM on the other hand, needs help on the content side, and badly. Look how rarely we link to their stuff. Pretty much never; not because we don’t want to but because they either don’t represent what our publishers tell us they care about OR the things they do say are so far afield from reality as we know it. As my kids would say, ABM’s content is all jacked up, and if anyone can right that ship, Kinsman is probably the guy.

So in the end, this could work out well for all of us. FOLIO will be strong enough to stay strong and ABM has the potential to become relevant to those of us in the digital edition space.