Full Version: Publishers should be scared "witless"

From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#1]
 1 Jul 2006
To: ALL

Craig's List, a popular internet company, specializing in the listing of free classified ads, was the focus of a recent TV news piece, in which one observer stated:

"Publishers should be scared witless!"

It seems the free classified (internet) ads are taking a serious toll on the revenue of newspaper and magazine publishers.

This trend hasn't escaped the attention of Google, and other companies, who are mounting their own "slicked up" versions of the Craig's List approach, though, oddly enough, the rag-tag, relatively-unsophisticated Craig's List remains more popular.

Interesting. :-) 

From: AnthonyC [#2]
 1 Jul 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#1] 1 Jul 2006

Hey David
I totally agree. craiglist is awesome. And there are alot more out there
As you know I follow this stuff day to day.
What I have heard, right now is that people reading the newspaper tend to be a qualified buyer. Meaning any newspaper ads that are working tend to have a higher conversion rate.
Hope this makes sense
Anthony

From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#3]
 1 Jul 2006
To: AnthonyC [#2] 1 Jul 2006

Anthony,

I know you follow all things internet-related. :-) 

The news piece I was referring to, dealt more with classified ads, i.e. buy/sell etc., where, instead of being limited to two or three lines of copy, the seller could be much more descriptive. For no charge.

I don't know if it's purely coincidental, but I've found the classified sections of the awards and engraving industry trade magazines, to have much fewer entries, than in years past.

I'm sure ebay has a lot to do with that, which is another example of how the internet has affected newspaper/magazine publishers.

From: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#4]
 1 Jul 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#3] 1 Jul 2006

Newspapers are pricing their classifieds out of reach. A couple of years ago I placed a classified add with about 6 lines of text (in those really narrow lines) and it cost over $100 to run it for a week. And that's in a mid sized town, not one of the major cities.

From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#5]
 1 Jul 2006
To: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#4] 1 Jul 2006

Dave,

There are still a large number of people who aren't internet savvy, or internet-interested.

I run into them all the time. No way to get them interested, no matter how valuable the information.

Good news for the publishers.

Did the $100 ad pay off?

Hope you weren't selling a $75 item. :-) 

From: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#6]
 1 Jul 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#5] 1 Jul 2006

I was looking for employees. It paid off real well. The two people I hired are still with me and great people.

From: Engravin' Dave (DATAKES) [#7]
 1 Jul 2006
To: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#6] 1 Jul 2006

Dave,

Classified ads for employment are always substantially higher than those where you might be selling a product. Running an ad for a garage sale might cost less than 25% of an employment ad.

From: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#8]
 1 Jul 2006
To: Engravin' Dave (DATAKES) [#7] 1 Jul 2006

Well it sure caught me by surprise. It's been the only ad I ever placed for employees.

From: UncleSteve [#9]
 1 Jul 2006
To: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#8] 1 Jul 2006

Since they actually READ the ad, it guaranteed they were at least semi-literate... >.< 

From: Doug (JDOUG5170) [#10]
 2 Jul 2006
To: Engravin' Dave (DATAKES) [#7] 2 Jul 2006

Anytime to let it slip that you are a commercial entity, you are at the mercy of the service....no matter if it is the newspaper, your local electricity provider, phone service or even the trash pick-up. Commercial rates are always higher than residential or private. After all....folks in business don't really pay it anyway...they just pass it on to the consumer...that's not inflationary, is it? (devil) 

From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#11]
 2 Jul 2006
To: Doug (JDOUG5170) [#10] 2 Jul 2006

quote:
After all....folks in business don't really pay it anyway...they just pass it on to the consumer.


Doug,

You forgot to mention that all business owners are filthy rich. :-) 

From: Mike (MIKEN) [#12]
 2 Jul 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#11] 2 Jul 2006

David:

I use Craig's list and perceived it to be rather sophisticated rather than unsophisticated. In any event I have purchased items there (much safer than ebay) and presently I'm trying to sell an item there.

It's their city by city approach I like.

EDITED: 2 Jul 2006 by MIKEN

From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#13]
 6 Jul 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#1] 6 Jul 2006

quote:
This trend hasn't escaped the attention of Google, and other companies,



Google bought Craigs list.

From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#14]
 6 Jul 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#13] 6 Jul 2006

Chuck,

If you can't beat 'em, acquire 'em. :-) 

I didn't know that.

From: Bieb (HABIEB) [#15]
 6 Jul 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#14] 6 Jul 2006

And... MySpace.com was purchased by Rupert Murdoch and News Corp, for a measly $580million. Read about it here:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.07/murdoch.html

Now if I could only come up with the next Myspace, or Craigs list... hmmm..


Harold

From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#16]
 6 Jul 2006
To: Bieb (HABIEB) [#15] 6 Jul 2006

Very interesting Harold.

Murdoch has an interesting challenge ahead, in trying to mildly tame anarchy, without killing it. :-) 

He says, "We'll figure it out."

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