DISQUS

Geezy G · 5 months ago

It was interesting how she seemed to have a attitude even though she was trying to defend a dying product. Felt like she new ya'll were asking the real question, but she wanted to give a fantasy answer. Kind of puts me in the mind of another idea that didn't seem to have it all figured out cough cough..Rushmore Drive.

facebook-25506863 · 5 months ago

First and foremost, this woman is a person to be respected. She has been on the journalism grind for a minute. One of the first articles I have ever read about 2pac was from her. So at the end of the day we cant fault her for being the dinosaur that she is. The web is a concept that she cant fully grasp. I honestly dont think she even plans on being in the game for the next 10 to 15 years. So she is holding on to her print baby for dear life. Having said that I agree with all the questions Marcus asked and what Geezy is saying. Have we noticed a pattern with these audio interviews of representatives of stable brands? Bob Johnson doesn't have an email, Daynel Smith refuses to accept that she works for a dead tree company, and is killing the environment. I honestly hope her project succeeds, but to not embrace the internet which is free publicity for your print product is beyond me. Long story short she doesn't embrace the web for the same reason the record companies don't. She is right barnes and nobles and borders are still around (for now) but their main source of revenue is not magazines. Good luck to her and her endeavors

rmcaldwell · 5 months ago

Geezy, I think it's just her job to be enthusiastic and cheer for her product. I appreciated her response to the question about their future and the future of print and digital. It will be interesting to see how and if TheMost.com pushes gossip bloggers to step up their games in competition. Or are they competitors? Time will tell.

Geezy G · 5 months ago

Its fine to be enthusiastic for your product, but be realistic. If you really believe that print will really be able to compete, grow, and become profitable then you are not really monitoring the industry. These days consumers are looking for different ways to get information at a quicker, more reliable pace. Instead of going out and buying an issue that comes out bi-weekly or monthly and then having to wait for new content or hoping you/kids don't lose or destroy the issue in the meantime. I just don't know if they've done all of their research to understand that times are changing and that they may be throwing money at a dying product that won't be profitable in the long run.

Veronica · 5 months ago

The Most = YBF, Bossip, Crunk and Disorderly, Concrete Loop, Media Take Out and Sandra Rose - so why would I buy a print magazine? I can hear about Nas and Kelis all day and as news is released - so why wait to hear "their take"?

Also, I think they don't understand print and online are extremely different machines and online is about relationships and connections.

If Vibe and its staff are not personable or transparent then it's not going to work. Online entertainment blogs/sites are mostly done out of LOVE and readers know that and that's why they support them -- support = traffic -- then it turns profitable.

They (print magazines or past print exec's) are coming into to fill the void and MAKE MONEY - that's all and readers online get that.

Markus - GREAT QUESTION - Why the print magazine? That just shows they still don't fully understand the changing times as we thought previously with their new additions to Vibe.com.

She (VIBE) doesn't get that the online portion should be their main focus over their print.

"We will end of beating them" - who? the gossip sites online - nope - you won't and you can't. Even with a 24/7 staff and a newsstand. Cause it's a passion that turns into a biz opp not just a biz for those of us online. Check their stats and how sites like Media Take Out and Bossip are continuously rising while Vibe properties are holding steady and decreasing month to month.

The best point of this convo "things exist in different ways/forms with time" .....clearly ---- Vibe and Danyel don't understand that the new form is the web.

Honestly, I think they need to focus on the parenting magazine since that is a MAJOR void that is missing and even with that they have sites like Black and Married with Kids to compete with. Why? True Lamar and Ronnie may not have traffic like that right now - but we online know them and love them - hence relationship/connection that makes you wanna support.

But, I wish them the best...

Liz · 5 months ago

I don't think you can assume that in all cases, Gossip Blogging is a "passion" for those who write gossip blogs. There is certainly "passion" for money, but I doubt the people at the top two gossip blogs are really Beyonce and Rihanna stans and do this for the love of celebrity stanning, or even Black media for that matter. Don't get it twisted. In fact, I think those who are able to discern their emotion from the business side are able to execute more effectively within their vertical.

I need everybody to log on the compete.com and run your favorite gossip blog's stats against VIBE.com and tell me that VIBE Media group can't run a competitive website, traffic-wise.

Please all the web nerds need to take a seat at the table and listen to "old media's" side. I think old and new can learn from each other, versus each other pointing the fingers at eash other and assuming they can't succeed together or in tandem.

Dede @ Clutch · 5 months ago

I agree 100% with Veronica. Though it is a void in print, it doesn't seem smart to try to fill that void at this time, especially with the host of popular online portals covering it so well. I would think they would at least wait until the rocky times in print are over or worked out before launching something else in print.

The Twitter question by Angela is very on-point. Most of us that work online [and live and breathe online as well] find out about things right as they happen or few moments after.

Example: Lala Vazquez cuts her hair like Cassie - we know via her TwitPic and post immediately - by the time "The Most" in print gets it it's old news and I could care less about their take when I heard 10 takes from online destinations already. Now, take that same scenario and do it for "The Most" online - it's faster, shows they are relevant and are up on what's happening in the world of entertainment/gossip. But as Veronica stated, it's about connections.

If I love the way Sandra Rose writes or Natasha from YBF I am going to go hear her take on news and gossip daily cause I like the way and tone she reports [ you also have to remember we as black people pick favorites easily. Almost like picking sides]. And for me it makes me want to give her my traffic/impressions over Vibe cause I know she started out of love and to fill a void as well and she came up from nothing to something online.

I do think the print industry is overly protective and defensive when it comes to this conversation and I really think they need to just let go and let change happen. Print will always be here - true. But, in our demo we are not buying mags like that. So if your audience is not supporting you like they use to via buying a print magazine then you have to find a way to keep them and whether they want admit it or not - it's online. I think they are getting caught up in paper and the money that comes from print ads [ understandable but not proactive and smart].

It's also VERY funny to me how most print executives/employees look down on "blogs" - "oh they are just a blog" - but they are on our sites daily and we are their feeders for content and ideas. Now, they have to become one of us and they still want to bring a print mind state into a very different game.

I would think advertisers would know better. Yes Vibe is a tried and trusted brand/outlet, but the [the advertisers] have to know they get more brand visibility, campaign results, feedback and ROI when advertising online. But, that's another issue via the multicultural black agency/media planner.


My two cents....

Netdoc66 · 5 months ago

I agree, "Why the Magazine?" Print IS dead.

Liz · 5 months ago

I think some of you are missing the point about the print part--the actual magazine is printing twice a year, from what I can tell. So, for that I'd give them a pass because the print issues in turn become a marketing agent--advertising for the site. What web-original properties have issues on stands? What gossip blogs have any kind of advertising inside Barnes & Nobles or in the aisle at Kroger? If the gossip blogs could do some media buys on old media (TV, radio, print) their traffic would explode even further. Ask Russell Simmons about GlobalGrind's traffic in relation to mentions on MTVs Run's House. I'm pretty sure YBF has seen an uptick in traffic with being on Big Boy's Neighborhood syndicated across the country.

Now, if VIBE published this magazine WEEKLY, I'd give them the side eye. Once or twice a year? Not so much...

At the end of the day I think VIBE Media Group is making a smart move to help save themselves in this climate. In theory, they should have better resources and connections than your average gossip blog (publicists, advertising, celebrities, photographers), and that is why they have a chance to hold up against your MediaTakeOuts, Bossips, and YBFs. Can the most mag take out these other blogs? Not sure, time will tell, but they are def light years ahead of any Joe on the street who starts a blog on BlogSpot/WordPress today (which is incidentally how most of the current kings of black gossip started, years ago).

facebook-706665238 · 5 months ago

Loved Markus question of "Why the mag?" because I was asking the same thing only I was yelling at my laptop. I actually think there is a business in the mag but not in it's currentl monthly format. Had a great conversation the other day with my friend @bevysmith who actually used to work at Vibe and we both agreed that a higher end, glossy that came out 4x per year with beautiful photos and could live on your coffee table is a better look. Angela-GREAT QUESTION about how to compete with celebrity twitter. While I think there is a place for TheMost.com in covering the culture, mags (and all media) have to realize that celebs are creating their own media channels and finally getting that these tools enable the ability to "tell their story" all the time. My new agency EVERYWHERE has a few celebrity clients who are doing this. One of my clients is Jane Fonda; different audience but we are using her blog and twitter to tell her story in her own voice. In fact I had her live tweet The Tony Awards and we were scooping traditional media outlets and their "twitter squads" b/c Jane obviously had better access.

Great interview guys. I wish my friend Danyel Smith (who has become a great twitterer and podcaster) all the best and I'm confident that she will do well if supported by the current regime. LIke me she too is from the Bay Area and we are just built differently than ya'll.....LOL.

HypnotiqOne · 5 months ago

1. It seems like BlackWeb 2.0 and its readers have been blinded by their own web savvy. There are SO many people (particularly urban) who don't know nor give a damn about Twitter and only check C&D and Concrete Loop from work, if then! Those people will STILL buy magazines. It seems evident if the "lifestyle" model works as Danyel described with Vibe's previous "tabloid" issues.

2. I have Twitter and I'll be damned if I start checking for EVERY celebrity's tweets that I'm interested in. I'd rather have TheMostMag do that ish for me! Sorry, but I'd be happy to read a round up of what is going on on Twitter because I (and I know not many of us) am not on it ALL DAMN DAY! I think that that point by the interviewer is therefore moot.

3. Danyel's point about new technologies (radio -> television) remains her strongest. e-Readers like the Kindle and other Internet technology has existed but there remains room TODAY for the printed word. And just in case ya'll might be right...and the tables turn, it seems like Vibe Media was smart enough to partner each magazine with a sister/brother online edition. Now that sounds like a WIN|WIN, right!?

4. I'm rather shocked that the conversation would be about the future of print when she told ya'll there was an accompanying website. Shouldn't the conversation have focus on that particular content...in depth?!

5. I'm sorta disappointed in how combative the interview turned. She should have been allowed to promote her product not debate technologies. Just being honest...

Wise_Diva · 5 months ago

Great points Damien! Let's not forget the revenue that is generated from the "tabloid" style mags like US and People, the same ones that largely ignore people of color and their culture, interests. there is a niche, but it remains to be seen if it how MUCH revenue is generated

rmcaldwell · 5 months ago

Based on the infrequency of its printing, The Most is much like a lifestyle magazine rather than a gossip tabloid. It's on the order of a Year in Review type of publication that has its own value apart from the website content. When I think of competition I'm thinking that the online edition (with content changed daily) is going to present a problem for gossip bloggers b/c Vibe is the established brand. (There's that word brand again.)

Nokware Knight · 5 months ago

Damian, Liz, and Wise_Diva bring up some very important points. Many of the high-traffic online magazines get as much attention as they do because they converted a portion of the audience from print brand or other old media to their websites. Vibe, YBF, National Geographic, etc. are great examples.

From what I remember the most is only being printed twice a year. Even if the print magazine isn't a success it can do wonders to draw traffic to the website in ways other blogs can't. And if the real focus is on the coupling of the website and magazine or the website and not the magazine, they don't need to make a ton of money off a print version. If they make money, great. If they break even or lose money, it can be seen as a marketing write-off for the website. No biggie if it's managed right. And if they make money off a marketing vehicle for the more frequently updated product (the website) then they really come out on top. How many other companies do you know that get their customers to pay them to advertise other products to them? If this works, it will make Danyel and the rest of the Vibe/The Most team look pretty good.

There are some advantages that print has over web in terms of content. One is there is far more time between print editions than web updates. Another is successful magazines can often bring in relatively higher gross profits (though smaller margins) than websites. This means that magazines often have the time to do more in-depth, well-investigated pieces than websites and sometimes actually have the money to pay writers to do so. The Most can use that to their advantage and offer something that no other blogs can... More detailed and unearthed insights related to the same things everyone is already talking about. It's one of the most notable reasons why some print mags still have legs despite all the free content on the web.

Would the magazine turn a profit and sustain a whole lot of interest and anticipation for their bi-annual gossip publication? Who knows? The better question is is that even of much concern to Vibe. If they see the print mag as a marketing expense for the website, they shouldn't care. And in the end, the focus does not seem to be on making the print version of The Most a success on its own, but seeing how the bi-annual magazine and daily website can work together to support each other, offer a mix of content that is of value to the consumer and differentiating from competitors, is cost effective (which is easier with a 2X/year print mag with a coupled website than a 12/X a year print mag with a website that just copies and pastes what is already in print), and ultimately profitable.

I really need to work on making my comments shorter....

Loving Life! · 5 months ago

This interview was definitely a spirited interview. However, I'm not sure why Danyele didn't understand the question about "why print". I'll be honest...now a days I'd rather go online to get news instead of going to a news stand or into a store to buy a magazine when I have it at my finger tips. But my question is why both online and print? Why don't they just choose one? Why waste the money on resources and printing a magazine? Especially, if it's only being printed twice a year....according to Liz. So, if the mag will be printed twice a year than I will definitely continue to get my news from the celebrities themselves on twitter since there tweets are in real time. I am not going to waste my money on buying a magazine to get information on their lives when that mess is old as hell. In any event I definitely feel that they will have to compete with twitter, bossip, ybf, concrete loop, and other celebrity blogs. Both Markus and Angela did a great job with this interview and they handled themselves accordingly and professional.

@Damion
It's unfortunate that you are disappointed with the interview. I believe that if you listened to the podcast closely, you would have seen that they did give her opportunity to promote the recent launch of the mag. They did not purposely ask Danyele a question to get her rawled up. I believe that she needs to be more prepared to answer any question that is thrown at her. It's not their fault that she fumbled over her words and didn't understand the question that was being asked. The reason why blackweb conducts these interviews is to give their audience a look at what's going on with African Americans in media and technology and that alone is enough promotion!

Great job!!

Slim · 5 months ago

@Liz I think the whole Magazine as a marketing tool makes sense, though I do believe they’re s more creative and less expensive ways to promote the brand (especially if your goal is to attract web viewers). You’re right, its only 2 issues a year, not a big deal, but it seemed like Markus’s question was attempting to ascertain Vibe’s strategy, and it looks like Danyel’s answer was in defense of a print. It just seems as if their signal’s got crossed. The same goes with the question about Twitter, some people need the filter, and others don’t. I just think the interview could have been soo much better if Danyel wasn't so combative.

Netdoc66 · 5 months ago

No disrespect to Danyel or Vibe it will be interesting to see the outcome of this venture. My inner "will it work?" voice tells me it's got less than six months to become a blip on the net and year before it's gone. And while I like looking at magazines the practicality of them has diminished greatly. Unfortunately, for Vibe, the current economics of the publishing game is like gravity. Gravity always wins.

BlackAdAgencyGuy · 5 months ago

Damian couldnt be more right

There is a humongous sect of the black online surfing population (including a great deal of young people) that can't rattle off 10 entertainment blogs (hell even 5) and dont have the time to live on them daily (there are over 20 million african americans online but even these so-called top blogs (all of which reach less than 500k people per month and have a great deal of shared traffic).

markusrobinson · 5 months ago

I agree most of the views pertaining to relevance of the magazine industry, but I would be remiss if I didn’t correct one misconception about this interview, Black Web 2.0 has nothing but love for old/print media, and the last thing I wanted this interview to be was battle between the mediums. I believe we all can learn from each other, and our intentions going into the interview was to foster that learning process by creating a conversation that would focus on understanding, and sharing Vibe's strategy during the creation and launch of a brand new property. I’ll be the first to admit that I did not do a great job controlling the interview, but I don’t want to leave you all with the impressions that our interviews are anything more than our opportunity to learn and share from industry experts, and folks we believe are doing it right!

I want to also mention, that I really appreciate all of the comments! It’s not about agreeing or disagreeing, it’s about creating a civil dialog. Regardless of if we agree or no I want to hear your opinions. Your comments are what help complete the conversation. Thanks again!

Netdoc66 · 5 months ago

@markusrobinson, homie. Any interview that sparks dialogue is a GOOD interview.

Nokware Knight · 5 months ago

Candid Q&A is a good thing. There are agreeable and abrasive ways to address issues, but its most important that the questions actually be asked. Everyone, especially the audience/community, comes away learning more than they might have otherwise.

The most interesting thing about the Q&A on this site is that top players at these media companies seem to actually feel accountable for their answers and Markus and Angela ask the important questions. That is something you don't seem to get much of on sites like allthingsd.com or bnet.com, despite how good they may be. That only benefits the community.

Wayne Sutton · 2 months ago

Interesting