BlogWest in Edmonton in One Week

Attention Bloggers!

BlogWest 2012 takes place next week, March 8 to 10, in Edmonton. It's a comprehensive blog conference showcasing hands-on workshops to give bloggers the skills to build, grow and develop their niche. 

Keynote speakers include:

• Angela Saclamacis (@asaclamacis), Manager, Public Relations and Broadcast Programming, The Walt Disney Company (Canada), Parks and Resorts
• Tanis Miller (@redneckmommy), Author, Redneck Mommy

Session speakers feature a mix of local bloggers including Dr. Jared Tabler, Fashion Editor At-Large for Avenue Edmonton magazine whose popular blog is www.styleguyjared.ca, as well as Calgary author and writer Sarah Deveau (@sarahdeveau). She runs her own blog at blog.moneysmartmom.ca and blogs for YummyMummyClub.ca.

--- Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence 

Top 12 Alberta Magazine Blogposts: AMPA’s 2011 Year at a Glance

We're past due for an unscientific and entirely-biased selection of Alberta Magazines blogposts from the past year. More specifically, excerpted highlights from each month’s biggest AMPA news, industry insight, plus “a few of my favourite things” that we did in 2011:

 

January
Tips for those Magazine Tweets
[January 28, 2011, posted by Rebecca Lesser]

AMPA hosted the seminar "Social Media Fundamentals" with guest speaker Liz Hover, digital media manager for Canada's National Screen Institute. I've decided that—after two awe-inspiring hours (no exaggeration, this was a lot of info) of tips on everything from twitter and facebook to website and blogging... 

 

February

Editor of the Year; Who's Gonna Win?
[February 24, posted by Colleen Seto]

Forget the Oscars; the real contest to watch is the Alberta Editor of the Year Award (EYA), presented by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts... Can we say “all over the board” in regards to this year’s field of nominees? The EYA has always been immensely tough to judge largely because the variety of magazines in Alberta is so expansive…

March

Everyone's a Winner, Baby! Well, internally speaking...
[March 24, posted by Colleen Seto]

Okay, so not everyone can win. But that doesn't mean we can't all have a good time. And that's precisely what happened tonight at the Alberta Magazines Conference gala where winners of the Alberta Magazine Awards were announced to a full house amid swanky live jazz tunes and prime rib dinners…

April

An Idiot's Guide to Blogging
[April 20, posted by Colleen Seto]

Yesterday, AMPA hosted a blogging session with Granville editor Hilary Henegar in Calgary, and she’s doing it again today in Edmonton. Here’s a recap of what she had to share. First, set your online editorial mandate to parallel that of your magazine’s…

May

To Post or Not to Post?
[May 30, posted by Rebecca Lesser] 

Say what you want about the role of Canada's postal service in our "e-nabled" age of online billing, banking, emailing and socializing, but there's no time like the present day state of postal union negotiations to contemplate the reasons we'd miss our snail mail…

June

The Future of Digital Publishing (Part One of Two)
[June 27, posted by Rebecca Lesser]

There are no certainties when it comes to predicting the future, especially when it comes to digital publishing. Understandably, some prefer to sit back and see how this all plays out before launching headfirst into the unknown. It can’t hurt, however, to hear the perspective of some of the bigger players... All of this is to say that there was much to be learned at AMPA’s “Publishing in the Digital Age” luncheon with Evan Hansen, editor-in-chief of Wired.com…

July

Sayonara, or until next time...
[July 17, posted by Colleen Seto]

Some of you may be wondering about the posting for the AMPA E.D. position. Yes, it's official. I've resigned and will not be returning to steer the AMPA ship this fall. I thought I'd take a moment on the AMPA blog to share a fond farewell…

August

New Canada Periodical Fund Formula Based on Circulation
[August 31, posted by Colleen Seto]

After what may seem like an eternity for many publishers, Canadian Heritage has released its new formula for support under the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for the Aid to Publishers (ATP) component… While the case remains that few Alberta magazines qualify for any funding at all given our largely controlled circ marketplace...

September

AMPA AGM 2011: Fond Farewells, New Beginnings
[September 23, posted by Andrew Mah]

I’ve been to more than a few AMPA AGM's over the years—back when I was an intern, later as magazine editor, and then as AMPA’s incoming executive director last year… The spirits did flow, but I also attribute the atmosphere to some of my favourite people: magazine people. I’m clearly biased, but those who work for magazines are, with remarkable consistency, friendly, creative, savvy and good hearted…

October

Alberta Best on Page Celebrated the Power of Magazines
[October 27, posted by Rebecca Lesser]

We laughed, we cried, we oohed, we awed. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but this past month we truly were inspired by the creativity on display at the Alberta Best on Page travelling exhibition. The show (held in Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton) featured Magazines Canada's annual Best on Page display of national and international award-winning print ads…

November

Connecting Local Talent with Local Magazines
[November 21, posted by Rebecca Lesser]

The Alberta Magazine Publishers Association is thrilled to officially launch the AMPA Contributors Directory, an initiative to connect local talent with local publications! Search the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association's comprehensive database of magazine creatives available for freelance and contract work for your publication or media organization...

December

How to Integrate Your Magazine with Social Media
[December 12, posted by Colleen Seto]

Now that Facebook is up to 800 million active users, (confess already, you just logged in and checked your Facebook, didn't you?) it really does make sense for magazines to use it for promotional purposes...

 Happy New Year AMPA Friends and Followers!

--- Rebecca Lesser

AMPA Communications & Programs Coordinator

May MagaScene: Awards Season Highlights, New Grant Deadlines, Publishing Workshops...

FEATURE
Magazine Award Season Highlights: Your Guide to Events and Finalists

Awards season is upon us! Join in the celebration and recognition of our industry’s talents and accomplishments... 

NEWS

Business Innovation Grants Offered through the Canada Periodical Fund

Alberta Cultural Industry Grant Program New Guidelines and Dates!

Venture Publishing Welcomes New Editors

Routes Awards Short Story Fiction Prize

2011 Summer Publishing Workshops at Simon Fraser University  

EVENTS

Alberta Literary Awards Shortlist Celebration May 24, 2011
MagNet 2011: Canada's Magazine Conference June 7-10
Magazines West and Western Magazine Awards June 17

Oilweek Rising Stars Awards Celebration June 29

3rd Annual Sugar Bowl Fundraiser August 27  

CONTESTS/CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS 

Canadian Online Publishing Awards June 24
Alberta Views Annual Short Story Contest June 30 

BLOGS

Fellow Industry Blogger's Outstanding Achievement posted May 2

Arts and Lit Mags: Alive and Well posted May 3

AMPA Goes to the Edge of Print posted May 11

Share Your People News! posted May 12

LawNow Goes All Digital posted May 16 

JOBS

Intermediate Web Designer, Soul Integrated Solutions Deadline May 26

Project Coordinator, Soul Integrated Solutions Deadline May 26

AMPA Goes to the Edge of Print

This past weekend I loaded up my wee Yaris with boxes of member magazines, and hit the road (literally, that poor bumper was weighed-down) for At the Edge of Print, the 2011 Get Publishing Conference at Grant MacEwan University.

This was my first time at the bi-annual conference, which this year reached a record 100-plus participants. It was also my chance to meet more of our Edmonton members, interact with the larger publishing community, and ultimately get the word out about Alberta's magazines.

The Friday night keynote address connected our Edmonton audience via live video-conference (a brave a/v feat that went off without a hitch) with Andrew Steeves in Nova Scotia, the founder, owner, publisher, printer, editor (you name it, he does it, and it's all self-taught) of Gaspereau Press.

I missed the Saturday keynote, Minister Faust, to set up AMPA's tradeshow booth, but I hear it was a hit. And so was our booth! Writers, editors, publishers and students crowded to get their hands on the free samples of Alberta magazines, and to pick up their colourful AMPA swag (many compliments on our branding, courtesy of Gillian Bishop):

I started off my professional developing for the day by attending the AMPA-sponsored "Tales from the Blogosphere: Passions, Politics, and Profit" with panelists Dave Cournoyer (daveberta.ca), Jennifer Cockrall-King (foodgirl.ca) and Kathryn Burke (LDExperience.ca). Each panelist shared their unique blogging stories, and you can read the highlights on twitter (through @albertamags and/or #GPEdge).

I was also keen to hear from Joyce Byrne (@joyce_byrne), associate publisher of Venture Publishing Inc. (think Alberta Oil and Alberta Venture, amongst many others) with her session "Shifting Gears: New Trends in Magazine Publishing." Here are a few of her many quotable tips for writers (with my own comments included, of course!):

• Many editors no longer read the resume with your pitch, they just Google you (LinkedIn and blogs are the new resume)
• As a writer, breadth can be as important as your ability to write in different styles (specialization is so 1990)
• No Dumping Online: take care with your online writing, ensure that it's well-groomed & edited

Never fear, however, you aren't dependent on me to glean the gems from this presentation, since Joyce has kindly posted her presentation for you to read in all it's glory: http://portal.sliderocket.com/ARCJX/My-Presentation-1

The evening ended with a banquet and entertainment, as all evenings should, to cap off a great event. Kudos to the Get Publishing Communications Society, and the many volunteers who helped pull off this year's conference!

--- Rebecca Lesser
AMPA Communications & Programs Coordinator

Fellow Industry Blogger's Outstanding Achievement

I'm thrilled to share the news that fellow magazine industry blogger D.B. Scott has been awarded the 2010 Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement from the National Magazine Awards Foundation.

This may come as little surprise, but D.B. Scott's Canadian Magazines blog has proved invaluable to me as a resource for industry news to share with our readers, and I can't thank him enough for providing a model for my own Alberta Magazines blogging. Congratulations D.B., it's well-deserved!

I thought I'd share an excerpt from the NMAF awards announcement:

"With a dynamic career spanning four decades, D.B. Scott has earned his reputation as an eminent authority in the Canadian magazine industry [...] D.B. presides over the industry’s most widely read and go-to blog, Canadian Magazines.

Kat Tancock, senior web editor at Reader’s Digest, says 'I remember poring over his archives when I was new to the industry to try and glean as much information as possible about the world I was trying to inhabit, and it was like reading a textbook on how things work and how people interact.'

In calling for his nomination as this year’s Outstanding Achievement recipient, John Macfarlane, editor and co-publisher of The Walrus called D.B.’s blog a 'public square' and noted, 'when [D.B] chooses to mount his soapbox, he is invariably informed, fair-minded and wise.'"

--- Rebecca Lesser
AMPA Communications & Programs Coordinator

Blogging for Magazines: A Strong Example in Western Horse Review

AMPA’s Blogging Session

On April 19 (Calgary) and April 20 (Edmonton), AMPA hosted the session "Best Blogging Tips for Editors" with speaker Hilary Henegar, the web whiz editor behind GranvilleOnline.ca. You know your speaker has addressed the needs and interests of a broad audience when they're congratulated afterwards with the comment: "the best investment of my time in months." Way to go, Hilary! AMPA Blogger Colleen Seto has done a great job of summing up Hilary’s tips in her post "An Idiot's Guide to Blogging" (and yes, one of the tips was that certain words, idiot for instance, bring in traffic).

Western Horse Review Magazine Offers Strong Example

All of this blog talk had me thinking about one members’ blog efforts that stand out for me as exemplary of everything Hilary emphasized at the sessions: the four blogs (that’s right, four of them!) from Western Horse Review (WHR). I’ll admit, I have little personal knowledge of or interest in horses, but that doesn’t stop me from truly appreciating all that goes into these regularly updated, often personal and always informative blog posts.

And it’s not even always horse-speak! A recent post in “My Stable Life” by Jenn Webster offers a photo-filled glimpse into her personal life; this is one of the great ways that WHR builds relationships with their readers, bringing to light the personality behind the blog.

 

So You Want to Be a Blogger? I wanted to learn more about all of the work that goes into keeping WHR’s four blogs current and engaging, so I posed a few questions to Ingrid Schulz, WHR magazine editor and “Screen Doors & Saddles” blogger.

Do you pay your bloggers?

Our bloggers are paid either on a monthly salary or "per-post." We don't have a large budget for paying bloggers, they themselves generally have an interest either in promoting the western riding world, and having their writing published.

How is blogging beneficial to your magazine/business?

We deliver a lot of content through our blogs. It's been a real journey partnering up our online voice with our magazine voice. We're still finding our way, but it's coming together, the path is presenting itself. Blogging has tremendously raised the awareness of our magazine.

Do you have any specific instructions, tips or advice for your writers?

• My request of all potential bloggers is that they submit 10-15 completed blog posts to me. I don't hear back from 99% of them. It's simple, but it's a great exercise in understanding the commitment involved in this venture.
  

• I composed posts for a year, prior to going live. Not only did the store of posts help me get through busy times at the magazine, but this method allowed me to develop a real voice for myself. It gave me a stronger start out of the gate.

• Bloggers are not an "online journalists." Successful bloggers are more like interesting, entertaining and opinionated friends, but they need to be trustworthy as well. We have to know our stuff. I feel very accountable for what I write.

• Finally, impassivity about your subject matter will translate to your readers. It's hard to fake it as a blogger. Be passionate about what you've chosen to blog about. If you're not, really, what's the point?

--- Rebecca Lesser
AMPA Communications & Programs Coordinator

An Idiot's Guide to Blogging

Yesterday, AMPA hosted a blogging session with Granville editor Hilary Henegar in Calgary, and she’s doing it again today in Edmonton. Here’s a recap of what she had to share.

First, set your online editorial mandate to parallel that of your magazine’s. Even though you’re on a different platform with different tools, your website should reflect the same voice and brand of your print product. This may seem obvious, but I’ve seen a number of websites that seem like completely separate entities from their print mags.

Recruit bloggers who can and will take ownership. Reliable bloggers help generate traffic by building relationships with readers, and they often use social media to spread the word. Regular contributors are one source. In return, you have to pay these folks. But it may not cost as much as you think if they want that publicity and credibility. If you can’t pay a lot (or at all), try using contra; offering training, exposure and feedback; or develop partnerships instead. But be forewarned, free can often mean more work and less control on your end.

Of utmost importance, Hilary emphasizes how the online space is a community that’s all about karma. If you invest in it, you will get the return. This can come in the form of dollars, time and links.

Overall, blog content should be:

• Concise and visual
• Short bits of high-impact content (e.g., infographics)
• Sharable
• Clickable
• Chunky (use subheads and captions)

She offers a few examples of magazines with strong websites/blogs:

GOOD

YES! Magazine

New York Magazine

The New Yorker

BC Business

Uppercase (an example of a local mag doing a simple, yet effective blog for its niche on the free tumblr blog software)

You’ll probably notice that many of the mags have more than one blog organized by subject and/or writer. That’s right folks, whether to have a blog is no longer the question. It’s now about how many blogs and on what topics.

Thanks to Hilary for some good tips. I’m testing her theory about using the word “idiot” in my headline. Apparently it means we’ll get 10 times the traffic. We shall see!

--- Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence

Next Friday, Stephen Osborne of Geist fame, will be in Calgary to run a seminar about publishing models for cultural magazines.  

Geist has long established itself as one of the most successful independent cultural mags in Canada with Stephen at its helm. No doubt he’ll impart sage advice for managing and circulating cultural mags, not to mention paying the bills and negotiating those ever-challenging grant applications. He always doles out good info (think Alberta Magazines Conference 2009; remember his lovely blog post about the event?), but how can Alberta cultural mags best apply this knowledge? 

Methinks the session is already full so for those lucky folks already registered, please share Stephen’s jewels of wisdom with the rest of us and tell us how you plan to employ Stephen’s tactics at your mag.

---Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence

AMPA's New (sort of) Blogger-in-Residence

Hello Alberta magazine enthusiasts!

(Photo by Sarah Millan)

Some of you may know me from my work at AMPA. I’m currently on mat leave, but that hasn’t diminished my interest in reading the pages of Alberta magazines as well as following what’s happening behind the scenes. 

So, thanks to the thoughtfulness of my stalwart pinch hitter, Andrew Mah, I’m going to take up residence on the Alberta Magazines blog to bring to light noteworthy goings-on in the industry as well as to voice my opinion on said events. I invite you to do the same. 

Let me know what you’d like to hear about. Interested in upcoming trends? Wanna know what magazine is doing what? Are you doing something innovative you want to share? Have concerns about particular aspects of publishing? Got a question and want some third-party feedback? Or just itching for a juicy piece of gossip? Yes, I know that last one is what you’re all really after. Ha! 

Well, whatever your fancy, email me at setocolleen(at)gmail.com and I’ll do my best to find the information you seek and share it with you and your fellow magazine buffs.

Can't wait to hear from you!

Colleen

Tips for those Magazine Tweets

On January 26 in Calgary, and January 27 in Edmonton, AMPA hosted the seminar "Social Media Fundamentals" with guest speaker Liz Hover, digital media manager for Canada's National Screen Institute.

I've decided that - after two awe-inspiring hours (no exaggeration, this was a lot of info) of tips on everything from twitter and facebook to website and blogging - it's safe to declare Liz Hover the Social Media Maven. Just check out her website www.lizhover.com, especially the Resources page, and you're guaranteed to agree that this gal has done her homework.

Every great presentation should have at least one quotable, that catchy line that succinctly sums it all up and has you scrambling for pen and paper. You really know your speaker is a pro, and a tweetophile at that, when you're left with pages of quotes of fewer than 140 characters. Thanks to @dibegin, who tweeted her fave tips throughout the seminar, for sharing these gems: "If your website isn't kick ass, you shouldn't start with social media," and when it comes to that tweet content, "Share good shit" (and if it ain't good, why bother?).

Here are a few of Liz' other tips for magazine tweets:

• Don't be afraid to post non-magazine content - reach out to your followers by sharing links and info on anything that may be of interest to your magazine's readers
• Run contests through twitter, drawing people to other social media or to your website
• Seek out reader/follower opinions and encourage them to contribute story ideas
• Engage and interact with your followers, respond to their inquiries
• Never post a link without explaining what it is or why you've posted it
• Do a keyword search on Twellow and find twitter registrants who fit your magazine's target audience and niche interests
• Find out (live!) what your fellow tweeters are saying about your magazine, or a topic of interest, by searching for keywords in tweets at Monitter.com

For more twitter ideas, or for insight on any social media (and I mean any), visit www.lizhover.com.

There will likely be a social media frenzy from AMPA for the next few months as I work through my new tips and tricks, and then I'll probably be hooked and the frenzy shall continue. So I'll see you here again soon ... and on twitter @albertamags ... and on our facebook page ...

--- Rebecca Lesser
AMPA Communications & Programs Coordinator

Social Media Maven's Magazine Insight

"Get your website ducks in a row before you attempt social media marketing." With these wise words AMPA's latest guest speaker Liz Hover sums up her sentiments about social media and magazines.

There was so much fabulous info that I need another day or so to succinctly present the highlights to you, but in the meantime here's more of what Liz had to say on her website www.lizhover.com (great resource for all!):

Thanks to the AMPA website I was able to look at all their member magazines online. One thing struck me – like a minus 44 windchill – social media is a waste of time if your website sucks. Yes, I know, there are website naysayers who predict the end of blogging and websites as we know it. But I love a good website. And I think I can say with 100% certainty that the good ‘ole website is here to stay for a while. Perhaps you’re even scratching your head saying ‘Of course social media is a waste of time if your website sucks.’ I think I’d just taken it for granted that folks knew that. I’ve learned that they don’t... 

Read more at www.lizhover.com

--- Rebecca Lesser
AMPA Communications & Programs Coordinator

On Blogging and Op-Ed with Andrew Potter

This past week AMPA sponsored the LitFest session "Making Your Opinion Matter: On Blogging and Op-Ed Columns," and I thought I would share just a few of the many gems of advice offered by Andrew Potter, public affairs columnist with Macleans magazine and features editor with Canadian Business Magazine.

Potter co-authored the international bestseller The Rebel Sell with Joseph Heath and has just published The Authenticity Hoax. He also blogs regularly for Macleans.ca and at authenticityhoax.squarespace.com. In other words - he's a man who knows what he's talking about when it comes to writing, specifically opinion writing, and the wild world of blogging.

First, I have to share Potter's wryly proffered definitions of his journalistic specialty, the op-ed column, as "complaining in an entertaining way" and "the empty calories of journalism." On a more serious note, he also shared his belief that "good opinions can fundamentally change the way you think about the world." His advice to the many emerging writers in the audience? "Do not write for free!" or risk undermining your work.

The topic of blogging quickly became the focus of the session, beginning with Potter's advice that a blogger must identify their purpose and their goals by answering the question "What is your brand?" Everything on the blog should promote this brand, offering a kind of predictability for readers.

Then Potter dropped the bomb, stating that "blogging is dying." Twitter has fundamentally changed blogging by becoming a micro-blogging platform in and of itself, a forum for the small tidbits of information and links that used to be blog fodder. Blogging is now just one aspect of brand building online, one branch of a "unified space" of social media cross-promotion.

I'll leave you with one of his especially resonant statements in response to a question about how to drive blog traffic: "Link and be linked to. Follow and be followed. Quote and be quoted."

So, Andrew Potter, if you're out there and reading this, I've taken your words to heart. Note my link to your blog[s], my many quotes of your sage words, and the fact that AMPA now follows you on twitter. I'll be watching those traffic stats carefully!

--- Rebecca Lesser
AMPA Communications & Programs Coordinator