What really bugs me is that all these print publications are transitioning to be digital first, but none of them really understands what that actually means. Most of them, Forbes notably, are completely reliant on social media traffic and Google to get views. They rely on clickbait titles and SEO to get traffic, but none of them really own a community. Time.com, Forbes, CNN, all interchangeable because none have fostered a community around themselves nor built themselves as the place to consume the news.
Eventually they're going to get smacked hard by the browsers when they really start cracking down on user hostile advertising patterns, and they're going to be in a lurch. Not to mention that Facebook could change their algorithms tomorrow and suddenly half the traffic would disappear.
What really bugs me is that all these print publications are transitioning to be digital first, but none of them really understands what that actually means. Most of them, Forbes notably, are completely reliant on social media traffic and Google to get views. They rely on clickbait titles and SEO to get traffic, but none of them really own a community. Time.com, Forbes, CNN, all interchangeable because none have fostered a community around themselves nor built themselves as the place to consume the news.
Eventually they're going to get smacked hard by the browsers when they really start cracking down on user hostile advertising patterns, and they're going to be in a lurch. Not to mention that Facebook could change their algorithms tomorrow and suddenly half the traffic would disappear.