good2gether

Newspapers' 2007: Worst Ad Drop In 50 Years.

Ouch.

Widely reported in multiple places – here's the update on the state of the newspaper advertising business from Silicon Alley Insider:

Newspaper print ad revenues dropped 9.4% in 2007 to $42 billion, the worst one-year drop in more than 50 years. That's according to the Newspaper Association of America, which started keeping track in 1950. 

This is usually the point in one of these items where we insert a silver lining, in the form of rising online revenues. Unfortunately, that's slowing for newspapers, too. Online ad revenue grew 18.8% in 2007 to $3.2 billion. That's down from 31% growth in the each of the prior two years.

Total revenue in 2007--including online revenue--dropped 7.9% to $45.3 billion. Not helping: classified ad revenue dropped 16.5% to $14.1 billion. Thanks, Craig!

good2gether overview: we deliver new hyper-local content – information on nonprofits – in a hosted Web 2.0 platform that can be monetized through advertising and sponsorships…so the good news is that we bring a brand new revenue stream to our newspaper partners. And that explains why we're getting the traction we're getting.

No. You're not losing your mind.

This video does keep reappearing on the blog. We get such great feedback on it - people watch it and get what we're doing. And they get it in six minutes and ten seconds. Watch it and you'll dig what we're doing. You'll dig it a lot.

eTours!

Part of the giveback that I do for the nonprofit space is speaking to groups about using the net to effectively engage the Millennial Generation.  The ePhilanthropy Foundation runs a great seminar series called the eTour.  I'll be speaking at several upcoming eTours on "Connecting the Net Generation With Your Cause: Facebook, MySpace & Millenials".   If you're interested in attending, click the links below to register:

• Detroit, MI  May 1, 2008
• Bakersfield, CA  May 6, 2008
• Denver, CO  May 14, 2008
• Eastport, ME  May 17, 2008
• Sacramento, CA  May 20, 2008

MySpace vs. Facebook

From Silicon Alley Insider:

"We see plenty of evidence -- both anecdotal and statistical -- that MySpace's growth is sputtering. But it's good to remember that slowing or no, News Corp.'s social network is still ginormous. In February, for instance, MySpace rounded up 68 million uniques, or 2x Facebook's traffic, according to comScore."

Read the whole thing.

Sign from Austin, TX.

Photo_032508_001, originally uploaded by Middlesex Fells.

Out for my walk the other day in Austin and came across this sign on a door at a bar. Hmmm..."equipted"?

Luggage update.

Yesssss!!!!!

Continental found my bag.  Of course not in time for me to wear clean clothes this morning.  But at least I got it back.

I hate.

Continental Airlines.

How hard is this?

I'm flying from Austin to Houston yesterday. Single leg flight. About a half hour in length. And I arrive at the airport in Austin two hours before the flight.

So naturally Continental lost my bag. No idea where it is. None.

Fan_freakin_tastic.

So, no shave this AM. No clean clothes. And a big meeting with The Houston Chronicle and a number of prominent local nonprofits.

You'll be able to recognize me…I'll be the one in the chino's and shirt from yesterday.

Austin, TX.

Running all over Austin today. We have meetings with:

• Texas Association of Nonprofits
• Austin Circle of Theaters
• United Way of the Capital Area
• The Round Rock Volunteer Center
• The Austin American Statesman

And then flying down the Houston tonight for meetings tomorrow with nonprofits and The Houston Chronicle.

Boston to Austin to Houston to Boston.

Off to Austin this AM for media and nonprofit meetings tomorrow and then to Houston for the same on Thursday. Then back to Boston.

Updates coming from the road – watch for them.

Also, sign up for the webinar today. Learn about how good2gether can help your nonprofit reach more people.

I'm giving a good2gether webinar tomorrow - join me!

Normally Kris handles our webinars (and does a simply amazing job) but I'm doing our webinar tomorrow (Tuesday 3/24, 3PM Eastern).  If you have some spare time and would like to learn more about what we're doing (and how it can help your nonprofit), go here and register.  I'd love to have you join me.