Publishing & Media: Content for Dollars
for marketing computers by jennifer saba
january 1, 1999

Who would have thought that, while sparsely gathered in an offbeat venue for an
industry conference SoMa's Transmission TheaterÐa group of indie web 'zines
would rally against the dearth of integrity and vision among more mainstream
web publishers? Can't you just see it? In a quest to champion each other's
freedom, the little guys plan their attack on corporate webdomÐbut only just
long enough to work up a thirst.

Yup, if you missed the God Complex web 'zine conference in San Francisco
recently, and you're a marketer, you should feel lucky. The evil whipping boy
at this pow-wow was marketing. And the primary complaint was that the big guys
are turning the web into one big suburban shopping mall.

It would be easy to write off such disenchanted fray as socialist whining. But
the point of the conference was not to put a halt to commerce on the Internet.
Rather, it was a forum to bemoan the rapid blurring of editorial and commercial
walls.

For the most part, it's trueÐthose lines do seem to be blurring. Gone are the
innocent days of having a book review flanked by a hyperlink to Amazon.com.
That's child's play. Why should the content providers encourage readers to
leave their sites when they can get a piece of the action themselves? After
all, in a world unencumbered with the weight of brick and mortar, commerce is
nothing if not portable.

Perhaps the most egregious example of content provider as storefront is
Ziff-Davis' Computer Shopper. After waiting minutes for the site to download
(an eternity on the Internet), viewers are rewarded by being bombarded with
links to 20 gazillion productsÐall screaming for clicks.

But Computer Shopper doesn't mince words about its mission. Officials want the
online version of IT's yellow pages to be the most comprehensive place where a
potential computer buyer can find everything in one fell swoop. "Where people
buy PCs direct, we want to be that platform," says Al DiGuido, executive vp and
group publisher.

The site, which has seen its number of impressions grow as the holidays
approach (Dec. 9 alone garnered an impressive 500,000 impressions), has various
revenue models for myriad vendorsÐbut commerce is always top of mind. "You
don't need to go to 15 to 20 different sites to do comparison shopping.
[Computer Shopper has] the widest selection of shoppers and vendors and all the
top editorial information that will help you make a buying selection," he says.
At least a user knows what to expect from CS. Other content providers,
howeverÐlike Salon Magazine, whose edit puts CS to shameÐare more sly on the
shill. Salon, one of the best-designed and editorially sharpest online
magazines, on any given day boasts as many as three online banners, two
commerce engines, three logos, a sponsorship and a pull-down sweepstakes
menuÐall on the front page. What's more, the magazine has created its own
online storefront, Salon Emporium, where readers can order products ranging
from tote bags to Salon blended coffee.

Remarkably, the site pulls off the mish-mash of advertising and content with
the help of a clean design. "We want the site to look like an editorial
product, not a billboard or race car," says Michael O'Donnell, Salon's
publisher and president. 

The only problem is that the advertising is so well integrated into the site
that readers might not know which they're clicking on. Depending on your
prospectiveÐthat might no be such a bad thing. "It can be dangerous for a kids
site," says Jupiter Communications analyst Anya Sacharow. "But with adults
there isn't the same kind of buffer zone. Generally, [it's] one of the
advantages of the Internet."

The magazine has also taken a "PBS on steroids" approach to pledging, according
to O'Donnell. The thinking is that the content is so good that a reader's
conscience will command him to pay for itÐonly PBS goes that route instead of
getting ad support. "[You] can't ignore how important e-commerce is to the
industry," O'Donnell says. 

Newsweek Interactive vp of e-commerce Paul Pappajohn likewise makes no
apologies for his initiatives. Publishers for years have been figuring out how
to justify giving their wares away on the web. Perhaps this is the answer.