12 Reasons Why Every Traditional Publisher Should Be Blogging
I attended the O’Reilly Tools of Change Publishing Conference in New York City on February 9–11, 2009. The conference itself was fantastic. The focus—as it is every year—was on how publishing is changing and what you must do to survive and thrive in the coming digital world. There was a great deal of discussion on new technologies and what people are learning. It was extremely stimulating and helpful. In addition, I made several valuable contacts.
On Wednesday I spoke on the topic of “Blogging as a Tool for Change.” The O’Reilly production team video-taped the complete presentation. It is embedded above. (If you are viewing this blog post via email, you may have to actually visit my blog to watch the video.) Among other things, I discussed 12 reasons why every traditional publisher needs to be blogging. I firmly believe this. It is one of the tangible tools you can employ to experience first-hand where publishing is going.I also one of two traditional publishers who participated in the “CEO Panel.” (The other one was Tim O’Reilly himself.) Surprisingly, I did not see any other CEOs from traditional publishers in attendance. Perhaps I just missed them. Perhaps they sent people to attend. Frankly, I think they need to attend themselves. This is not something you can afford to delegate.
If you are a traditional publisher, you need to be there next year. The world is changing fast. This is the only conference I know of that is totally dedicated to exploring the future of publishing. In the meantime, you can watch many of the presentations from this year’s conference online—for free. (Check back periodically, because not all the videos have yet been posted.)
Posted on April 3, 2009
In: Social Media
MICHELE CUSHATT is a communicator and storyteller whose speaking experience includes Women of Faith, Focus on the Family, and Compassion International. As emcee and communication coach, Michele is in her sixth year on staff at 
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