Black Web 2.0: http://www.blackweb20.com/2009/02/23/smooth-mag-blog-struggles/
markusrobinson
· 9 months ago
Content is king, and there's nothing smooth about Smooth's online content. The website has no clear vision, and looks more like soft porn than a men's magazine. I think if anything, they need to focus on quality online content and sprinkle the cover girls in the mix.
As for their social media aspirations, I agree, adding their content to a Ning site is far from a social media plan. Social media, like you mentioned, creates conversations around content, and this content is not worth talking about.
boarding
· 8 months ago
Indeed it is, there's no second thoughts about it, content is the king! I have observed it so many times!
Dede @ Clutch
· 9 months ago
I'm no guy - but is this all Black men care about? I don't think so. Markus is right - content is king - not boobs and booty -- at least not all the time guys -- right? I think they will bring lots of new readers to their sites but mixing up their content with other interests of Black men and do it without pushing booty in their faces - they will be surprised who would show up. I know lots of guys that read these pubs and I know lots that don't and that is main reason. HipHop+Female Body Parts - Black men are so much more than that.
ok..im done...
Dj Hyjak
· 9 months ago
Smooth has always seemed like the mens magazine that was ashamed to be a mens magazine. And a website/network aimed at men shouldn't be filled with post about hot bags, heels, and oscar dresses. Smooth need to follow the lead of mags like Complex and Maxim who's sites and blogs are great extensions of their magazine
BlackAgencyGuy
· 9 months ago
Complex gives free magazine subscriptions to major agencies. I love my subscription. I'm not sure if this is the best strategy because it kills more trees than anything else (most of the women in the office toss the magazines in the garbage or just out in a common area -- especially the white girls). It has won them some ad dollars though....that I can confirm.
BlackAgencyGuy
· 9 months ago
@markus...there is nothing wrong with a company using an existing platform to build a site (don't have to re-build the wheel all the time).
@dede...yes there is a market for high end booty and the lifestyle that surrounds it (smokes, cigars, cars, music, bling, and fashion -- those categories in and of itself represent 10s of millions per month in ad spend even in a recession)....will all advertisers want to align with it? of course not. The problem for many of these sites is that they always have to walk a tightrope of not going over into what would be considered risque to keep quality advertisers
Their problem is just that its too much free risque model content online and entertainment blogs are nothing new at all.
@DJ .... 100% agree ... a better focused vision would be better
markusrobinson
· 9 months ago
I agree. I don't have a problem with the site using Ning, but Ning alone just wont do it. You have to create content worth talking about and Smooth's content isn't worth talking about.
BlackAgencyGuy
· 9 months ago
regular exclusive model interviews and interviews of hip hop celebs could turn things around and make them a creator of content and not regurgitator like 98% of urban entertainment blogs are.
I hope to see more black men's interest magazines...there are not a lot of well done options out there today
janu
· 8 months ago
PS. You should seriously STOP REFERRING TO COMPETE in your articles. Compete is as unreliable as Alexa. At least check traffic data on Quantcast and compare, some of the sites you write about might be directly quantified by Quantcast. Sorry about the all caps, this compete thing as the new benchmark is getting old, but enough is enough.
Nokware Knight
· 8 months ago
Janu. - You are right. Compete is not the only source available and should not be used as such. But it is still is a reputable tool that should be used and not ignored, especially when the traffic is directly measured,. I agree that it should be used with responsibility and in context of whatever else is available.
In this case we did use Quantcast as well. At the time of the post Quantcast and Compete has similar numbers. The only difference is that Compete allows for comparison on a single graph at once. The only thing thing that has changed since this post is that dimewars.com is now measured directly on Quantcast. They have much more traffic than originally estimated by Compete or Quantcast. But again this was after this entry was already posted.
It's also the reason that we use other ways to evaluate media properties. In the case of smoothblogger, this included number of members, active members, content on the site, and interaction between members.
But please feel free to share whatever tools you may find. The input is always appreciated and I for one always look to provide readers with the best information available.
Nokware Knight
· 7 months ago
The thing I find most interesting about smoothblogger.com is its disconnect from Smooth magazine, as far as content goes. Despite what you anyone may think about scantily clad women, I always thought that quality Smooth Magazine's content was pretty good, dear I say underrated. (Like BlackAgencyGuy said, "there is a market for high end booty and the lifestyle that surrounds"). It's not phenomenal or quite on the level of King, but Smooth generally had fairly well written pieces that identified with their audience.
Smooth should already know what its audience likes from Smooth Magazine. It doesn't seem like it would take much to package similar themes into bite-sized blogs on smoothblogger.com. But, like DJ Hyjack pointed out, most of the current smoothblogger.com posts consisted of "filled with post about hot bags, heels, and oscar dresses. " Besides that, a lot of the current content is the gossip found on the likes of The YBF, MediaTakeOut, and Concrete Loop. Before that, smoothblogger.com seemed to take a good bit of content from 50 Cent's website. But neither quite encompass Smooth's audience.
I'm only making assumptions here based off of what I see, but it's as if smoothblogger just takes content from the most popular sites in black online media. The problem is, that content isn't necessarily of interest to Smooth's readership. It's a matter of paying attention to the audience and getting a little more focused, creative, or less lazy when it comes to content, whichever it may be. I only can decipher so much since I am not behind the scenes.
D.Michael Lee
· 7 months ago
I was having this same discussion with a friend of mine over the weekend. with King Magazine closing it's doors, Smooth and Black Mens should see an increase in readers. Whether or not that will spill over online is another story. Smooth has never impressed me with their online product, and the alternative online black mens interest sites that dont have the backing of a national publication is far more attractive.
If a company like Harris Publications, who ran King, and has other properties in urban media, such as XXL and Slam Magazine, could pull the plug on a once profitable brand like King, could Smooth be next?
All Comments
As for their social media aspirations, I agree, adding their content to a Ning site is far from a social media plan. Social media, like you mentioned, creates conversations around content, and this content is not worth talking about.
ok..im done...
Smooth need to follow the lead of mags like Complex and Maxim who's sites and blogs are great extensions of their magazine
@dede...yes there is a market for high end booty and the lifestyle that surrounds it (smokes, cigars, cars, music, bling, and fashion -- those categories in and of itself represent 10s of millions per month in ad spend even in a recession)....will all advertisers want to align with it? of course not. The problem for many of these sites is that they always have to walk a tightrope of not going over into what would be considered risque to keep quality advertisers
Their problem is just that its too much free risque model content online and entertainment blogs are nothing new at all.
@DJ .... 100% agree ... a better focused vision would be better
I hope to see more black men's interest magazines...there are not a lot of well done options out there today
In this case we did use Quantcast as well. At the time of the post Quantcast and Compete has similar numbers. The only difference is that Compete allows for comparison on a single graph at once. The only thing thing that has changed since this post is that dimewars.com is now measured directly on Quantcast. They have much more traffic than originally estimated by Compete or Quantcast. But again this was after this entry was already posted.
It's also the reason that we use other ways to evaluate media properties. In the case of smoothblogger, this included number of members, active members, content on the site, and interaction between members.
But please feel free to share whatever tools you may find. The input is always appreciated and I for one always look to provide readers with the best information available.
Smooth should already know what its audience likes from Smooth Magazine. It doesn't seem like it would take much to package similar themes into bite-sized blogs on smoothblogger.com. But, like DJ Hyjack pointed out, most of the current smoothblogger.com posts consisted of "filled with post about hot bags, heels, and oscar dresses. " Besides that, a lot of the current content is the gossip found on the likes of The YBF, MediaTakeOut, and Concrete Loop. Before that, smoothblogger.com seemed to take a good bit of content from 50 Cent's website. But neither quite encompass Smooth's audience.
I'm only making assumptions here based off of what I see, but it's as if smoothblogger just takes content from the most popular sites in black online media. The problem is, that content isn't necessarily of interest to Smooth's readership. It's a matter of paying attention to the audience and getting a little more focused, creative, or less lazy when it comes to content, whichever it may be. I only can decipher so much since I am not behind the scenes.
If a company like Harris Publications, who ran King, and has other properties in urban media, such as XXL and Slam Magazine, could pull the plug on a once profitable brand like King, could Smooth be next?