I remember being in high school and listening to the ‘motor-heads’ argue back and forth over why Chevy was better than Ford or why Mopar was the way to go. Last I checked Ford, Chevy, and Dodge were all still battling it out for market share. Each one determined to continue to differentiate from the others, winning some and losing others.

This is what’s happening in the tablet and Smartphone market. There is a groundbreaking brand’s technology that leads the day. Then shortly after there is the competition’s version of a product meant to serve the same purpose. The newcomer puts their spin on it to try to stand out, but then out comes someone else. You get the idea.

Differentiation won, differentiation lost. All based on individuals deciding who/what they like or don’t like, who they liked before, or who they didn’t. I’m pretty solid on the idea that the same forces that drive market competition on every level are going to perpetuate in the tablet market. A technological game of leapfrog where consumers drive who’s on top today and who’s on top tomorrow.

The difference lies in the content providers. Their challenge is to evaluate who their target market is behind and be where they are. The even bigger challenge is to understand that it’s likely to be a multi-way tie. While there may be tens of thousands of people with similar interests, they all like to get there in a different way. I go to the beach in my Ford; you take your beloved Chevy. Puts a new spin on the downstream effect of the product. A bit we should consider just as much as we do what the hardware is.

What they are trying to do is basically impose a tax on retailers for the privilege of being present on their devices. Apple seems to feel that they own exclusivity to how people use their devices. Taking away the choice of where to purchase merchandise ties users to Apple more securely than ever. Owners of Apple products become completely beholden to Apple’s way of doing things. No you can’t buy from them or use their gift cards, you must buy from us or use our gift cards.

Apple’s position on this seems rather short-sighted. They are already in a position where alternative operating systems have gained more market share in the smartphone market. As more alternatives arrive in the tablet market the trend toward increasing competition will likely continue. This heavy-handed push to remove user choice in purchasing could put Apple at a disadvantage. People like their in-app purchase experience, whether it’s through iTunes or not. Forcing them to the web to interact with their preferred retailer may just be too bitter a bite for those who aren’t full indoctrinated into the Apple way of life.

The android marketplace will be all too happy to welcome retailers and users onto their platform. The draw to Android is its flexibility and open market, this situation just highlights that and draws comparisons that benefit Android and create image issues for Apple.

Tablets, particularly the introduction of newer models running varying operating systems are opening the markets for consumers and publishers. Tablet browsers remove the restrictions to app-only viewing of content. The beauty of the internet is its diversity and its lack of reliance on specific software to perform to reach the masses. This makes web-based publishing options more appealing in these evolving spaces. Creating more interactive publications that allow readers to control their experience lets publishers be more expressive in how they present their message. This also lets publishers, especially in the magazine space find new ways to monetize ads and sponsorships using rich media and reader response mechanisms to generate leads for advertisers.

Publishers who actively pursue multi-channel publishing using apps, browser presentations, ereader formats, and print have more options for monetizing content than do those who restrict their distribution models. Making each of the different channels attractive to different types of users will take not only smart marketing, but also technology partners who can be flexible and leverage publisher content into these channels efficiently. Interestingly enough, there are a number of these partners available. Publishers simply need to be open to the idea of generating multiple outputs from their publication content and seek out solid partners to get their goals met.

Take the time a finished project, a challenge conquered, or really productive day gives you and plan how you will accomplish your next task or goal. Don’t dive in head first, relax and check the water first.

Though some of us feel or act like we know everything, we don’t. It’s just not possible. This is why social media, digital publishing, online communities, and support forums are the most fantastic things. Each of us has the opportunity to share the things we do know and to look to others for help with what we don’t.

The best part is it’s a symbiotic relationship. I help you, you help me, she helps me, I help him just by sharing what we know and what we have found to be true. We make our knowledge available to others so that we can all grow. I’m always so excited when I come across a question I can’t answer. I go to my favorite search engine (begins with a G) and in about 2 seconds I have a screen full of details, tips, how-to’s, and commiserative stories about others with the same question and how they handled it. Amazing.

Whether the reason we do this is self-less, selfish, or otherwise doesn’t matter. We do it and all of us are better for it. No one has to feel the pressure to know it all, not that some of us won’t self-impose it. We have an infinite community to which we can pose our question or concern and get help and support. All this happens because we are willing to share, to be available, and to admit we don’t know it all.

I hesitated. I sat on what was a great idea with the best of intentions of getting it on paper and presenting it to the right people, and for all my good intentions I never took the shot. Today I saw someone else’s shot hit the back of the net. The red light is now spinning for them, and I’m left frustrated with myself for not taking the shot. Heck, never getting over the blue line. (For those scratching their heads, these are hockey references.)

It was a really great idea. I had a plan, a goal, and the right skill set to make it happen. I was worried that it would be tough, but I was prepared for that. What I wasn’t prepared to do was to get out of my own way and take the chance. I know there are 1000 examples and metaphors for the same idea, books written on it, and songs sung about it. But I’ll add my voice to the cacophony and say, TAKE THE SHOT!

The worst that can happen is you miss the net, but if the idea really has legs you may be able to snag the rebound and still light the lamp. So, to echo the masses; Go for it! Do it! Shoot! Don’t let fear of failure, fear of criticism, or fear of embarrassment hold you back. And most of all, get out of your own way and take the shot!

I met three kinds of people at the show; those there to learn, those who came to share, and a few who came to teach. Yes, the exhibit hall was full of those ready to happily impart all they know about their products. Our team was there too, trying to show how our services could be of value, and how we could help with sales, challenges, or new opportunities. But there were also a number of folks there simply to share what they know.  I spoke to a number of them who just wanted to chat about what I thought was right and wrong with the current way we all do things and to share their point of view with me. Not all of us agreed, but we were still sharing and trying to expand each others sphere of understanding. We got that there is more going on out there than any one of us can grasp, and by have conversations like ours we can expand our knowledge.

I sat in on a fantastic workshop on social media. The speaker was engaging, entertaining, and informative. But he also did something I thought was different than most sessions I participate in. He brought the audience into the conversation all through the presentation. He asked questions. He looked for opinions on the information he was discussing. He gave real tangible answers that the audience was able to see a clear application for. He was teaching, not just speaking. There was great take-away items that we were all going to be able to come home and try right away. And we know how to do it. We know where to get the tools and examples of how to apply them.

What he did was help me realize that regardless of what I know now, there is exponentially more I don’t know. Our ever-expanding digital world makes it’s impossible for us all to know it all. We need to want to know more and be prepared to change our minds about what we do know. We need teachers like Mr. Sundeep Kapur to help us understand those things that we haven’t yet grasped. And I hope there are more like Mr. Kapur who will continue to help all of us keep learning, so that come tomorrow we are still students. And the day after that we are teachers as well.

Taking that authority and power from tangible pages to digital formats presents some serious challenges for content creators. How do they convey that same authority and credibility digitally? Research is showing the industry that readers respond better when they can identify the provider of content in a way they recognize. Websites that maintain publication or outlet brand, digital magazines that maintain the brand look, mobile and application presentations that still let them know they are reading content from someone they trust.

The challenge is recognizing that readers read in different ways at different times. Each of these reading experiences needs to further the relationship between the reader and the brand. Otherwise, were does the trust come from?

Take a peek at our white paper to see some of the current research on this topic and other relating to digital publishing.

We’re feeling that same sense of breaking out of winter’s frozen grasp and into a brand new season. The season is warming up here for trade shows and the opportunities to meet with clients, friends and prospective clients and friends. First is Publishing Expo in New York City April 4th through 6th. This show is wonderful every year. We’ve gone as attendees and taken away so many useful ideas, and we’ve gone

as vendors and met some truly amazing people. We’d love for you to join us there. The speaking tracks promise to be enlightening and entertaining and you can download a free exhibit pass compliments of us.

We will also be exhibiting and speaking at the Publishing Xchange conference in Washington, D.C. on March 22nd through 24th. This is a new gathering for us and we are hoping we have as wonderful a time as on past Expos. It will be our first time exhibiting with the entire family; Fry Communications, Inc,. Trifecta, Aysling, and Thumb Media Group. It’s probably shameless to promote us via the blog, but sometimes you’ve just gotta get the word out. As soon as I get hands on passes for this show I’ll tweet those for everyone.

We are also looking at the City Regional Magazine Show for this year. This is another event where attendees and exhibitors walk away with ideas to grow their businesses and how to better leverage their relationships to get more done.

I’m hoping that those of our friends who have attended these shows in the past will post comments on their experiences at the conferences. I’m always looking for an opportunity to improve not only as an exhibitor, but also as a business. I think these types of venues helps us all make the connections that make growing possible.

Spring is also a good time to start seeds that will grow your business. For publishers there are a number of conferences in spring to attend, many of which offer great information and ways to meet potential partners and clients. Our favorite so far, though we’ve not been to them all is Publishing Business Expo. This year the Expo is being help April 4th through the 6th at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.

Because we think it’s such a fantastic show, we are offering our clients and friends complimentary passes to the event. Click the image below to download your pass compliments of us. And if you’re able to get to the show, stop over and say Hi. I’d love to hear about what you intend to plant this year.

Click to download your pass