Maureen Alley's Blog

I’ve been in my new routine for two months now, and I’m loving it. I spend most of my days as Content Manager for WoodIQ.com, CountertopIQ.com and FinishingIQ.com, but I also do other consulting/freelance as well as teaching this fall. I have to say, I love that most of my time is managing web editorial instead of being tied to print. There is so much more freedom with the web. Even though I’ve been a web/content geek for a while, I’m really seeing this more as I am much more focused on it in my daily tasks.

When I started with the NueMedia’s brands, I was taking over for a colleague who decided to pursue other business opportunities. It was a huge risk on my part. I was leaving a full-time pay check to jump over to a privately-owned venture that is relatively new (been around for two years).  This was going to be a big change. All I could think about was the risk involved.

I have an eight month old who I still send to daycare a few hours every day because I believe it’s important for him to socialize and learn in that setting. But that also means, I have the expense of an eight month old, plus daycare expense. Which if you saw the news this morning, daycare costs more than the average rent expense. It’s not cheap that’s for sure.

But with this risk, came the possibility of something very exciting. And I kept thinking about that too. I would be able to work part-time, allowing me to spend more time with my son. Instead of seeing him three hours a day because I was working full-time, I could now spend my afternoons with him. I could actually get the house clean, keep food stocked in the house, and do laundry. Who knew that was possible?!

In addition to the perks, I was excited to be part of something that was new, growing and positive. After speaking with the president and CEO a few times, I quickly realized we see the world and media the same way. This is the future. We were no longer tied down by print pages. We could adjust content based on what our readers are ACTUALLY reading because we can see the clicks. We can provide concrete, accurate information on what our advertisers are generating by our visitors. It’s just smart business. And to top it off, this industry is very technical with very smart people writing for the properties. I love B2B because it’s all about business, learning, growing and succeeding. I could learn so much by jumping to this property.

But then again, it was a huge risk. Huge. I’ve had a few bad experiences in the past where I accepted positions that I thought were going to be exciting, and allow me to grow. And then it ended up being a train wreck. The bosses were horrible, the atmosphere was extremely constricting, the management sucked, and I quickly regretted my decision.

I could not have this happen again. For one, I didn’t want to go through that experience again. I had been there twice in my career and it sucks. And two, I had my son and my family to think about. I wanted to move somewhere I would be for a while, that I could grow, learn and succeed.

So for me, I had to seriously consider the risks, the opportunities, and the possible rewards. Two months in and I’m glad I took a risk.

For four years, I learned the ins and outs of traditional B2B magazine publishing as an editor. I was good at my job and I loved mostly every aspect of it. Except the struggle and push back from so many at the company regarding the Web. The common response to new duties included, “That’s not my job” or “What’s the point of that” or “That’s a waste of time” or “I don’t have time for that.” By the end of my time at the company, I was so frustrated and dismayed by the lack of ambition to move publications into today’s technology.

I still don’t understand why so many B2B editors refuse to move forward. Maybe it’s the lack of desire to do more, maybe it’s the scary thought of change, or maybe it’s really they just don’t have the time. However, ultimately I bet it lies in the fact that people don’t understand the technologies, how they can help brands or how to streamline processes.

In the fall of 2008, I wrote a grad paper on the B2B and the Web. I interviewed Paul Conley, owner and president of Paul Conley Consulting – an industry heavy-hitter who pushes B2B execs and editors to move forward. One highlight (among many) from that paper is this quote from Conley: “There are no easy jobs left in b-to-b. Every job in journalism is much more like a journalism job. You don’t have monthly deadlines any more, now you have daily newsletters. Now you need to write shorter and learn new things. And for a certain group of reporters, this is a nightmare.”

I also interviewed Prescott Shibles, CEO of Vital Business Media and publisher of eMedia Vitals. Shibles is another industry heavy-hitter who saw the writing on the wall a long time ago. The content coming out of Vital Business Media and eMedia Vitals mixes B2B with the Web industry – content coverage that more B2B publishers should notice. A highlight (among many) from my interview with Shibles:  “There was a rush to news content. The news content is a model getting hammered so you have to be careful on how you approach the news on the Web. Frequency is important but being relevant is more important. Creating a re-write of a press release and putting it on the homepage when the product isn’t relevant to the readership is not what you should do.”

While I’m still in dismay by the many numbers of B2B editors and executives who still don’t understand the new opportunities, there are some of them out there moving forward. There’s a saying among the editors who do understand: They “get it.” Talk to any editor who is utilizing new tools and they will tell you about the ones who “don’t get it.”

This time may be a challenge for most editors, but it’s exciting. B2B editors are no longer left with “easy jobs.” And who wants an easy job?  That’s not any fun!