Web Publishing
Comparison of publishing on the web as opposed to traditional channels.
Advantages of web media
In the pre-internet days if an individual wanted to broadcast to a mass audience they basically had to spend their whole life trying to make it happen. But communicating through the web is not like any other communication medium available before. Although everyone uses the web, it is important to look at what web publishing is so you can better understand the environment you will be working in to get your message across. Some of the advantages of web publishing are:
- Lower cost
In the B&M world, if you wanted to create a platform to write about your views you would have had to either start a newsletter, magazine, TV show, or radio show. Newsletters tend to be efficient when it comes to transferring non-urgent information (e.g. health tips) and also have lower cost. That's why newsletters have always been an outlet used by the smaller guys. But if you wanted something more substantial, then you would have to start a magazine, TV show, or radio show. That's great but who has the money to do that? Nobody. The internet has changed the rules because the lower costs have allowed everyone to start a web site.
- More Longevity
I remember 10 years ago when I first started reading books about business and investing, I read some truly great books but when I am in bookstores today I see those books aren't on the shelves. The thing about books is that they have a limited life. Sure, the really popular ones get re-printed and the other books can physically last forever but people don't walk into a bookstore wanting to take another look at books published 10 years ago. They want to see books about the latest hot topic. If you publish a book there is a 99% chance it will be forgotten in 5 years.
- Continuity
Unlike books, newsletters, or magazines, web sites can be continually updated. This makes providing information through the web much easier than providing it through other channels, like books. You can add or change information as you go as well as change information you've already published. This lets you create on a marginal basis as opposed to having to write 500 pages on paper and have to wait until they are perfect in order to proceed with the publishing process.
- Control over distribution
You don't need the permission of the "establishment". Look at some of the liabilities of going through a 3rd party channel: Howard Stern got kicked off radio, Bill Maher lost his show "Politically Incorrect" for saying something politically incorrect, Mariah Carey went from being the highest-selling female recording artist in history to getting dumped on the curb by her record company, the American Idol contestants signing their lives away, Kanye West being denied a chance to become a rapper by the record labels because the industry wanted to relegate him to being a producer while they took advantage of his musical talents. As a webmaster the only distribution channels you will have to worry about is hosting.
- Easier & quicker distribution
A web site allows you to transfer information much quicker than other mediums. If time-sensitive information is your product - like stock market tips for example - then a web site allows you to have an advantage over other distribution channels.
- More profits
When I say "more profits", I'm not talking about total profits. Obviously NBC will make more money than your web site will. I am talking about the share of profits. You get all of your revenue. There are many websites out there with 99% profits margins. They don't have to give a cut to everyone they make a deal with along the way.
- Residual (and sometimes cumulative) Income
With some web sites you can build a business where you are making money from traffic you got a long time ago. With affiliate programs that have profit-sharing, you can even build a cash flow that grows higher every year even if your site doesn't grow. If you sell a book you probably won't be making much money from it 5 years down the road.
- Complete ownership of your creation
Web sites allow you to own your own creation. When you publish a web site you own your own words. When you go through traditional media, you are giving up the ownership of whatever you created. This is huge. When someone publishes a book or album they are effectively selling it to the publishing company and no longer own it. Imagine spending years creating something valuable but the only way to recognize the value is to sell it to someone else?
- More Control
Owning your own web site is not like owning your own radio talk show. It is not even like owning your own radio station. It is like owning your own unregulated TV station. Other than general laws of copyright and defamation, you have total control and don't have to go through any third party approval filters. You don't have "company rules" you have to abide by. You won't get fired for writing something on the internet like so many bloggers getting fired by their bosses because of their blog - or journalists who gets fired for saying something politically incorrect because their parent company is a slave to public opinion.
- Technologal Benefits
Web companies can take advantage of technology even though other mediums can't. The internet will eventually broadcast sound (like radio) and video (like TV), but radio and TV can't take advantage of the technological benefits of the internet like interactivity.
