Some takeaways from our November / December issue

The November / December issue of InPublishing magazine was published last week. Here are some of my takeaways from it:

1. Being a tabloid journalist isn’t easy: they have to know exactly what they want to say and write in single clause sentences with no relative pronouns and absolutely no circumlocutions.
2. Great new product idea? Then make sure you implement swiftly, but competently. Many great strategies flop because the boring task of project management is an afterthought.
3. When preparing pictures for your Instagram feed, editing on your phone is the perfect way to ensure you engage with the viewer because you are seeing it exactly how they will.
4. Copyright in AI publishing is beginning to look analogous to the equally mundane issue of insurance in autonomous vehicles. Both are legal issues that could potentially derail a new technology, or at least delay its adoption, but no one yet knows where it will go.
5. If your target is net-zero, then the right approach is twofold – first measure, then reduce. As Peter Drucker said, “you can’t improve what you don’t measure”.
6. In the Maldives, too many journalists, particularly at the editor level, don’t understand the intricacies of the climate crisis or the country’s geographical vulnerabilities well enough to discern, or translate into general reporting, how multifaceted the problem is.
7. One of Jon Slattery’s media quotes of the year was from Jane Mayer, praising being in newsrooms rather than working from home: “You could see history happening. People would cluster over a reporter’s desk, pile into the boss’s office, and sometimes break into incredibly loud fights. There were weirdos in newsrooms, and fabulous role models occasionally, and the spirit of being part of a motley entourage. Now, it’s just you and the little cursor on your screen.”
8. Don’t be afraid of letting go of doing things the way they have always been done, of breaking down traditional ways of working or structures. Done right, it can be empowering and drive real growth.
9. Once you embed a new process, product or service, how often do you check to see if it’s still working? It’s important to revisit your processes.
10. At consumer events, visitors value hands-on involvement because it offers them a more enriching, educational, and interactive experience, enabling them to develop their skills, expand their knowledge, and connect with others who share their passion.
11. High-resolution images convey clarity and professionalism, but low-resolution images can devalue an article in seconds.
12. When it comes to building a robust roadmap for your brand, the best place to start is at the end. You need to know where you want to get to before you can work out the best way of getting there…
13. The average age of most companies is getting younger. This is bringing in new skills and new attitudes, but there are downsides to this greening process, one of them being the loss of corporate memory and valuable experience.

If you want to read the full issue, then please register here. Once you’ve completed your registration, you’ll be provided with a link to the digital edition.