Four Internet usage trends in India that magazine publishers need to know about
Internet usage in India is growing, with greater opportunity and challenge for magazine publishers targeting an Indian audience. At Magazine Training International’s Introduction to Digital Publishing workshop in Bangalore, November 5, 2011, Stacy Wiebe, former senior editor of ChristianWomanToday.com, presented four trends in Internet usage in India with significant implications for magazine publishers. 1) In four years, Internet usage in India is expected to triple. There are between 65 and 100 million Internet users in India, and that number is expected to triple to 350 million by 2015. This will make India’s online population larger than the entire current population of the United States.
2) Internet users in India are mostly young and mostly male. Fifteen to 24-year-olds are the heaviest Internet users. Studies indicate that only one in four Internet users in India are women.
3) Internet usage in India is social. Nine out of 10 Indian Internet users utilize some social media. In 2011, India experienced a 16 percent growth in social network usage (from 73% in 2010 to 85% in 2011).
4) Mobile Internet usage is on the rise. India’s high growth (233% year-on-year) in terms of mobile Internet usage has been driven by cheaper data rates and much-improved handsets. By 2015, more than half of the anticipated 350 million Internet users will access the Web from their mobile phones.
Wiebe encouraged magazine publishers in India to embrace the digital revolution in their country and to develop strategies for delivering their content via the Internet. In her presentation, “Digital Reality in India,” Wiebe provided links to all the sources of her research. Download her slides here to study the data personally.
Wiebe also provided a closing case study about SheLovesMagazine.com. Idelette McVicker, editor of SheLoves Magazine, attended a Magazine Training International conference in 2003. Since that time she has launched two online magazines, one of which is continuing to thrive. In an interview with Wiebe, McVicker shared the lessons she learned that helped SheLovesMagazine.com become a success.
Stacy Wiebe served five years as senior editor of ChristianWomenToday.com. She has also worked as a staff writer and freelance reporter for a number of publications in Canada and reported in Latin America, Asia, and the CIS countries. She currently lives in Chennai, India.
–Jolene Robinson, Magazine Training International (www.magazinetraining.com); January 24,2012
Digital revolution in the developing world
The digital revolution is raging full force in the U.S. Each day is seems another magazine announces its latest and greatest digital app and new digital devices are released regularly. Is this same frenzied pace true for the majority of the world, specifically for those in developing economies? A study published in February 2011 by the International Alliance of Independent Publishers provides compelling observations and answers to the question. Developing economies’ contribution to the electronic age
The study, conducted by Argentine philosopher and digital publisher, Octavio Kulesz, opened with his objection to the conclusions of many who say that countries of the “South” [developing economies] have “no choice other than to await the arrival of successful models from the North [in particular the US, Canada, Europe, Japan and South Korea].” Kulesz pointed out that a “successful system” of digital publishing has not been easy to identify. Rather, even the major players appear to be experimenting with sale prices, formats, and the application of digital rights management (DRM).
Even if an ideal model could be identified, in most cases it would not be useful to reproduce the systems developed in the North. “In addition to the disparities in infrastructure,” wrote Kulesz, “there are enormous cultural, linguistic and even religious differences.“
Finally, despite the lack of news coverage and acknowledgement by mainstream sources, imitation of the North is not necessary. “Given the enormous population, and above all the accelerated economic growth observed in many countries of the South,” wrote Kulesz, “it is hard to believe that the developing world isn’t making its own contribution to the electronic age.”
Emphasis on specific regions and countries
Kulesz drew his conclusions based on information gathered by a survey and in-depth interviews conducted over 5 months. Most printed data available was already out-of-date, so additional information and statistics were found in online articles and papers. The data and conclusions were then compiled into segments by the following countries or regions: Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Arab world, Russia, India, and China.
Current status and future opportunities
Each of the six segments include observations per area regarding:
• historical and regional context for the digital revolution
• quotes from local publishers and/or experts
• current availability of nationally or regionally developed digital devices
• development of local digital platforms and software
• infrastructure
• the acceptance or resistance of the general population to digital media
• the involvement of the public sector in digital developments
• possible trends in digital publishing,
• specific challenges for each region
• action points to encourage growth of digital publishing in the area
The specific results and observations included in the more than 80-page study could not possibly be published here. However, the full study is available online at http://alliance-lab.org/etude/archives/67?lang=en.
The International Alliance of Independent Publishers (the Alliance), based in France, was founded in 2002. The purpose of the non-profit association is to coordinate an international network comprising 85 publishing houses and groups of publishers from 45 countries. The Alliance organizes international meeting and carries out advocacy work to foster independence.
–Jolene Robinson, Magazine Training International (www.magazinetraining.com); September 23, 2011
mediaIDEAS dataPoint: How long do we use our iOS and Android Apps?
This week's mediaIDEAS dataPoint chart
presents user retention for iOS and Android Apps. Recent data from
Flurry shows that users very rapidly stop using apps they download. From
100% of users using their new app the month of the download, only 38%
of them use the app 1 month later, and only 14% six months after
download. So how do you keep your app relevant and your users engaged?
Regular updates. It seems to help Angry Birds et al. For more research, visit mediaIDEAS and our blog.
Improve digital readership with effective email announcements
 |
| Sample email announcement from Christian Retailing. Click image to download PDF. |
In his TH(ink) Notes, Renard discusses simple but important steps magazine publishers can take to make their email announcements more effective. For example, the format of the email should emulate a newsletter, should be sent “From” the magazine, and have a short subject line that includes key words about the particular issue being announced.
The content of the email must be carefully written and designed to grab attention and promote click through. Renard offers several suggestions for what information and graphics should be included and where they should be placed.
A one-time email announcement is not sufficient. Rather sending a series of two or three emails that focus progressively tighter on individual spreads, features, or articles within the issue is a more effective strategy.
An email list is only as useful as the addresses within it. Effort should be made to create a list of clean, active addresses that can then be sorted and segmented by demographics or interests. This allows the magazine to promote different articles or features of the issue to various reader segments.
Finally, publishers must test their email compositions and processes continually.
To read the full details of Renard’s suggestions, download his TH(ink) Notes here.
–Jolene Robinson, Magazine Training International (www.magazinetraining.com); August 30, 2011