For 13 years,I was privileged to serve as an editor at PC World magazine,the last four of which I spent as editor-in-chief. PC World’s success in print and online provided me with resources that most editors would envy. We had a team of more than 50 editors,writers,designers and product testers. Our editorial budget let us devote months to investigative projects when we thought the payoff would be worth it. And,in recent years,as we ramped up our ambitions online,we had a dedicated team of talented Web developers who turned our ideas into reality.
I loved my job,and knew I was lucky. But in May of last year,I decided to scare myself: I resigned my position at PCW and launched Technologizer.com,a site with one full-time employee (me) and extremely limited resources. My goal was to take advantage of the unique opportunities the Web presents to enable tiny media companies to compete with the largest media companies in the world on an equal footing.
Actually,I think small media companies built to thrive online have an advantage on the Web in some respects. After a year of this adventure,I’ve discovered that thinking small can be very powerful. And even if I were back at a major publisher with substantial resources,I’d call on the lessons that Technologizer has taught me,such as:
Guest column in Publishing Executive – The former editor-in-chief of PC World offers 6 tips for online success.
Harry McCracken is the founder of Technologizer.com,a technology news site and blog. In 2008,he received American Business Media’s Timothy White Award. Contact him at Harry (at) Technologizer.com.