Fuller to Invade the Already-Full World Wide Web

If Bonnie Fuller's book last year was called "The Joys of Much Too Much," Ed can't help but wonder if the well-known magazine editor will feel the same way about attempting to carve a space in the digital world...which is reportedly her next venture. After all, there is definitely MUCH too much on the web already, especially when it comes to celebrity "news" and general women's interests.

In a nutshell, the 5850 Group is seeking to raise "tens of millions" to back Bonnie as an online brand. Her company is called Bonnie Fuller Media, is based in New York, and "will be heavily digital and offer a variety of femme-friendly products that will include, but not be limited to, gossip, fashion and romance." By the way, Ed got all this great info and quoteyquotes from an incredibly long NYT personality piece on Bonnie, which is linked above.

"Is she trying to be like Atoosa?" a fellow mag-hag asked Ed.

Ed doesn't think so. The 'Toos has her quirky Alpha Kitty brand, complete with a cult-like following, but Ed suspects Bonnie's got something big tucked up into her sleeve (other than investors!).

Thoughts? Have at it, kids.

Print vs. Web: The War Continues?

Why are red carpets red? Will humans ever live on Mars? How does Angelina Jolie always look so damn good? There are some pretty important questions in life but right now, Ed wants to know just one thing: Why is there so much unspoken animosity between magazine edit staffs and their web counterparts?

Magazine editors acknowledge the importance of having their own online presence (Heck, Ed even has a website and a Facebook account!) and even take pride in the prettiness of their creations yet most seem to shun the idea of working on a magazine's site. Some, even go as far as to ostracize themselves from their online team. Ed's seen quite a few publications where the two editorial staffs are so disjointed, you'd think they worked for different companies—They don't sit in on editorial meetings, they don't know what the other entity is working on, some staffs don't even know the names of the others! Ed wants to know why! It's 2008, people. The Internet is not going away. In fact, some magazines (ahem: Teen People and ELLEgirl) now exist only on the web. So why don't the two mediums work together more often? (Look how well it worked for New York Magazine!!!) Why are more print editors not willing to work on the web? Why can't one conglomerate staff do the print and web job?

Ed Speaks readers, tell Ed: How's the print/web vibe at your publication? Would you ever consider working online? Why or why not? After all, it seems like a valuable skill to have.

Signing offline (for now!),
Ed

The Wikipedia Question

So, Ed was just re-reading this rather interesting article from the American Journalism Review about Wikipedia and how media writers, reporter, and editors use it today. The story focuses mostly on how the internet, user-edited encyclopedia has been affecting newspapers, but Ed knows it's undeniably an issue that pops up in magazine offices everyday. (There's this funny reference to magazines, too: "And when Time Inc. Editor-in-Chief John Huey was asked how his staffers made sure their stories were correct, he jokingly responded, 'Wikipedia.'") In fact, Ed often goes to Wikipedia first when he's doing research for a story. Not that he ever uses any of the information without confirming elsewhere, but it's a good place to start. Its broad, often seemingly random information can be helpful as an overview. Don't know anything about solar power? How to weave a basket? The chemistry of hair dye? You can quickly find out and also figure out where to get the legit information.

But, as we all know, information on Wikipedia can be wrong or made-up. Ed knew an editorial assistant who used Wikipedia to confirm movie release dates for a calendar page one time. When her editor found out—at the very last minute, of course—she was floored. The chance of that information being correct wasn't good at all. You don't want people showing up for Indiana Jones a week early!

So Ed has questions for you all: How do you use Wikipedia when writing or assigning stories? Do you go there daily? Does your research department have an official policy about the use of Wikipedia and what is it? (Or maybe the question is: Do you even have a research department anymore? And if the answer is now, is there an increased use of Wikipedia because of that?) Can you use Wikipedia as a source in a story as long as you cite it? Do you think most folks in the magazine industry—most of all, interns and less experienced people—understand that Wikipedia is not a totally reliable source? Speak up, Edsters!

To the truth (or almost truth) of Wikipedia,
Ed