A very interesting development took place this Monday. The World's biggest online social network Facebook launched a high-end Print magazine 'Grow'.
The quarterly high-end magazine offered in both print and online, is launched for business leaders in the UK and Northern Europe markets.
It is surprising because it throws at us a number of questions?
Why a print magazine in 2018?
Is it a Facebook's marketing brochure for selling its premium content online?
Is it changing the entire content industry by restricting access to premium content?
etc.
There are so many questions.
But the most important question for me is -- Does Facebook's print magazine tell us something about where premium content is heading in coming months and years?
This is an important question because in the last 12 years, the proliferation & growth of content and social networks at the same time, made premium content really cheap. Almost everyone online got access to quality content sooner than later.
Although this democratization of content was quite logical and welcome from a web user's perspective, it took a heavy toll on the content business or more specifically original content creators. The same content was being offered for different objectives -- to increase followers, to increase influence, to make small money, to market small businesses etc. -- by content creators down the line. All this resulted in -- the task of creating Original content quite expensive. If people and businesses creating original content are made inconsequential (both revenue and skill-wise), then why will they create any content.
So does Facebook's print magazine in 2018 point to a separation of premium or exclusive content from ordinary content online?
It seems so.
And when seen this way it is not surprising at all.
We are already seeing payment windows on major original content creators' websites.
We are also seeing the development of an alternate ecosystem where ad blockers are blocking automatic context based ads on majority of websites. These non-original content creators have two options to remain afloat -- 1) Enter some revenue generating subscription model OR; 2) Pay the major Ad blockers to be white-listed.
So exclusive or premium content is already being segregated online. The content is heading this direction in coming months and years.
Who knows, Youtube also brings one such model in coming days and months.
And finally, going back to Print in 2018.
As far as Facebook's Print magazine is concerned it seems more like a marketing brochure for business leaders in premium markets; and the complete offerings will still be offered behind premium windows online.
But can it be a revival of premium business marketing content in Print?
It can be. After all what business leaders look at most times is concise summary. The print magazine can always be glanced one time and put into shredder immediately.
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The quarterly high-end magazine offered in both print and online, is launched for business leaders in the UK and Northern Europe markets.
Facebook print magazine "Grow" points at the direction where premium business decision making content or premium marketing content is heading"
A print magazine from Facebook in 2018 is surprising for any blogger or online content creator.It is surprising because it throws at us a number of questions?
Why a print magazine in 2018?
Is it a Facebook's marketing brochure for selling its premium content online?
Is it changing the entire content industry by restricting access to premium content?
etc.
There are so many questions.
But the most important question for me is -- Does Facebook's print magazine tell us something about where premium content is heading in coming months and years?
This is an important question because in the last 12 years, the proliferation & growth of content and social networks at the same time, made premium content really cheap. Almost everyone online got access to quality content sooner than later.
Although this democratization of content was quite logical and welcome from a web user's perspective, it took a heavy toll on the content business or more specifically original content creators. The same content was being offered for different objectives -- to increase followers, to increase influence, to make small money, to market small businesses etc. -- by content creators down the line. All this resulted in -- the task of creating Original content quite expensive. If people and businesses creating original content are made inconsequential (both revenue and skill-wise), then why will they create any content.
So does Facebook's print magazine in 2018 point to a separation of premium or exclusive content from ordinary content online?
It seems so.
And when seen this way it is not surprising at all.
We are already seeing payment windows on major original content creators' websites.
We are also seeing the development of an alternate ecosystem where ad blockers are blocking automatic context based ads on majority of websites. These non-original content creators have two options to remain afloat -- 1) Enter some revenue generating subscription model OR; 2) Pay the major Ad blockers to be white-listed.
So exclusive or premium content is already being segregated online. The content is heading this direction in coming months and years.
Who knows, Youtube also brings one such model in coming days and months.
And finally, going back to Print in 2018.
As far as Facebook's Print magazine is concerned it seems more like a marketing brochure for business leaders in premium markets; and the complete offerings will still be offered behind premium windows online.
But can it be a revival of premium business marketing content in Print?
It can be. After all what business leaders look at most times is concise summary. The print magazine can always be glanced one time and put into shredder immediately.
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