I’m proud to say that I will be taking on the full-time position of assistant publisher at Orange Appeal, a magazine targeting affluent women in the Orlando area. Although this breaks away from my typical blog posts, I feel the need to share it anyway.

I’ve been recently stressing out looking for jobs, applying for ones I really wanted, and ones I didn’t. I never heard back from any. Depressed and feeling self-conscious about my skills as a journalist, I realized that in this industry you have to know someone to get ahead, so I went to someone who I knew couldn’t deny me, my mom. I mean she couldn’t deny me a job right?

In 2008, my mom created Orange Appeal, in which I helped her launch it. However, I soon had to move to Gainesville to finish my degree at the University of Florida. I never really thought about coming back to work for Mom because I wanted to prove myself elsewhere.

However, instead of settling for some low-level position in an unfamiliar city, I realized that Orlando is my community, and Orange Appeal is a family business and a quality magazine that I want to be apart of. So in May, while some are headed to New York or other cities far from their parents, I can proudly say that I will be moving home to start work on something I truly believe in with someone I truly believe in: my mom. (Don’t cry Mom if you’re reading this).

I’ve learned several lessons on my journey to this decision. Although my situation is a little different because my mother happens to be in magazine publishing, I can’t stress the importance of networking with anyone in this industry, including professors, former editors or even your peers. Many of the internships I received in Gainesville came through knowing someone who interned before me
Finally, I encourage anyone looking for job to find a company or publication that aligns with your passions or beliefs because you will definitely not only enjoy your job more, but will also perform better. On that same note, as I mentioned in my previous blog post, never choose a job based on money. I’m forgoing a salary to be able to help further develop Orange Appeal, but like I said earlier, I couldn’t be happier

~Mag Gab Girl

However, we had a great discussion in one of my classes the other day about negotiating salary, and Mike Foley, UF Master Lecturer and former editor of the St. Petersburg Times, shared some great tips.

First, he says figure out what the prevailing rate is at your potential employer. He suggests calling and asking others who work there. I also recommend looking at industry salary reports at ed2010.com or foliomag.com.

Based on what you find from other employees or industry reports, Foley says have a number in mind.

Another important tip he stresses is don’t be the first person to bring it up. As we all know money is a sensitive subject, especially these days.

Under salary requirements in any type of application, always list “negotiable.” Foley warns that if you put a number it might be lower than what the employer was going to pay and might try to get away with offering you the lower amount.

Finally, Foley says be professional and don’t demand. He recommends using the best word when you don’t get what you want: disappointed. Even though the employer is doing the hiring, Foley says they’re humans too and don’t enjoy disappointing people. It’s a cardinal rule: people like being liked.

Before giving up on a job because the pay is too low, Foley says to fight for other things if more money is not an option. Negotiate for more vacation or health benefits, such as health and dental insurance.

Even though the industry is sort of upside down right now, there ARE jobs. Job sites that I live by for journalism include ed2010.com, journalismjobs.com, foliomag.com and mediabistro.com.

Happy hunting, and negotiating. It’s good to be back!

~Mag Gab Girl

Sports Illustrated and Time Inc. created a prototype of a magazine tablet, similar to a Kindle, where you can download issues of SI. The possibilities are endless on this thing! You can stretch it, zoom it, and rearrange it. Watch the video below to see all the capabilities.

The tablet allows readers to touch interactive tabs and flip through the magazine as they normally would, or rearrange the contents to their liking. Another cool feature is instead of viewing only one or two photos with each story, you can click the photo and have access to multiple galleries. The cover also turns into a full video, as well as several of the photos.

On a side note, I love how Tim Tebow is featured as the cover story. Go Gators!

While some are arguing this could be the future of ‘print,’ nothing beats the paper product to me. On the Internet and with this tablet, the information never ends, whereas printed products do. In such a high-tech, busy world, a printed product forces some of us to sit down and just relax.

Don’t get me wrong, I think this new technology is great, but I hope it doesn’t replace the printed product, instead acts as a supplement. I give props to SI for strategizing their digital destiny. And this should make us all wonder where magazines are headed in the future…

Let me know your thoughts! Have a Happy Holidays and wonderful New Year!!!

~Mag Gab Girl

While most magazines don’t have the funds to experiment like Esquire, he says, “A more realistic pattern is going to be how we can integrate all of our media forms into one brand, so that the reader resonates with all brands.”

But Esquire’s cover begs the question: What exactly is augmented reality?

According to tech-faq.com, augmented reality superimposes graphics, audio and other sense enhancements, such as 3D technology, from computer screens onto real-time environments.

Basically, Esquire readers can use Webcams and AR software from their Web site to display special features by holding an AR label on the magazine up to their webcam.

The magazine will feature about six AR components, as well as two ads from Lexus and an introduction to the issue by cover star Robert Downey Jr. Others include a fashion feature where you control the weather, and Gillian Jacobs tells different jokes depending on the time of day. Editor-in-Chief David Granger demonstrates in the video below.

This isn’t the first time Esquire has experimented with its cover. For its 75th anniversary cover in October 2008, Esquire featured digital scrolling coverlines. More recently, they did a mix and match cover with the faces of George Clooney, Justin Timberlake and President Barack Obama.

“Esquire prides itself on being one of the smart magazines that is out there, they should be doing this stuff, and it’s cool,” Spiker says.

Although I don’t think augmented reality is the answer to the print industry’s problems, I give kudos to Esquire for trying to mix things up.

~Mag Gab Girl

~Mag Gab Girl

ASME's 2009 Cover of the Year

The cover was nominated for best Obama cover, but won the most votes overall. The photo was taken by photographer Peter Yang in Raleigh, N.C., just a few days after Obama won the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.

Earlier this month, Orlando graphic designer Rita Tyrell commented on the top 10 finalists, but said she liked the Rolling Stone cover the best saying, “to me it is a surreal image — the colors and the pose distort an eerie atmosphere. And the best thing about it is no text.”

This was the first year ASME opened up voting to consumers. People could vote at Amazon.com, and according to a Folio article, more than 100,000 votes were counted. Peter Larsen, Director of Magazines at Amazon.com, expressed his happiness at the Summit in which he announced magazine subscriptions spiked as a result of the partnership.

According to Magazine Publishers of America, the 2009 Magazine Innovation Summit drew more than 400 magazine industry executives and other leaders. The event, which was held Oct. 14 and 15, is devoted to discussing innovation in the magazine industry.

Here’s some of the key topics discussed:

Michael Kelley, partner, Advisory Services for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Entertainment, Media, Communications and Technology Sector, (quite possibly the longest title ever) discussed the importance of tapping into portable technology, such as offering a daily download, a recipe at 4 p.m. or daily yoga exercises in the morning to subscribers.

The future of Amazon’s Kindle e-reader was also discussed with most agreeing the next generation could appear in early 2010.

“You’ll see a lot of very exciting portable-type devices coming out,” said Doug Carlson, CEO of VIV Publishing LLC. “That’s the future of our magazine industry.”

Another session talked about how niche Web sites can create big opportunities. For instance, David Lou, co-founder and CEO of top-rated wedding site The Knot Inc., created more than 200 niche sites to better reach his audience and expand his brand.

However, the Summit didn’t just discuss digital media; it also looked into new printing technologies. John Loughlin, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Hearst Magazines showed several examples of how Hearst was incorporating new print technologies, including a removable page that sticks to the refrigerator so people can track their diets, as well as Food Network Magazine’s triple cover that showcases each course of a Thanksgiving meal.

Main Dish Cover

Side Dish Cover

Dessert Cover

For more details about the Summit, visit magazine.org. It’s important for us magazine lovers and future magazine executives to keep up with the changes within the industry, and my goal is to help.

~Mag Gab Girl

Gourmet Magazine

However, Gourmet’s closing seemed to hit readers the hardest with avid reader Tilly Starling saying, “I liked everything about Gourmet.”

Gourmet was considered the cream of the crop of food magazines with its lavish spreads and recipes that created its own culture. Starling says she grew up reading it and her mother tackled everything in Gourmet.

“One summer when I was in seventh grade my mother decided she must make the very best éclairs, so we had éclairs morning, noon and night as she perfected the pastry, then the perfect custard filling, and of course the dark chocolate glaze,” she remembers. “We had a house at the beach and that was all I ate for one whole month!”

Starling admits she was heartbroken to hear about the closing and says the magazine’s arrival was a monthly treat.

The closings came after an in-depth cost-cutting study by McKinsey & Co. consulting firm. A New York Times article cited a lack of advertising and money as the reason for the closings. According to the same article, food and celebrity now seem to dominate the market with magazines such as Every Day with Rachael Ray and Food Network Magazine. Conde Nast has seen dramatic decreases in advertising and already shuttered Men’s Vogue, Portfolio and Domino.

However, CEO Chuck Townsend told Folio blogger, Jason Fell, that there wouldn’t be any other Conde Nast magazine closings. He also commented that it wasn’t about which magazines to shut down, but about focusing on the magazines with the most long-term growth, including Bon Appetit.

Conde Nast plans to keep Bon Appetit, more of a middle class food magazine, and Brides. And Gourmet followers can dry some tears because recipes will continue online at epicurious.com, as well as books and television programming. And although Conde Nast still has Bon Appetit, Starling says nothing will compare.

Although these closings may come as shock, but I think it’s just the industry’s way of evolving.

R.I.P. Gourmet, Cookie, Elegant and Modern Bride

~Mag Gab Girl

The Resume
The one thing to remember is there is no one set of rules for writing a resume, but Foley suggests journalism and communications majors should put pertinent experience first, such as newspaper and magazine experience.

“It’s an art, not a science,” he explains.

Follow relevant experience with secondary experience, and Foley also recommends adding interesting life experiences, like travel. Education should be listed last.

I asked the often debated question: references or no references?

Foley responded: “Have some and list them. Do not under any circumstances put ‘references upon request.’ ”

Having worked at the St. Petersburg Times for 30 years, Foley admitted he was always too lazy to ask. He adds employer conversations with references could lead to bigger opportunities.

And as far as whether a resume should be only one page, Foley says, “bullshit.”

The Cover Letter
The cover letter gets your foot in the door, Foley says. It’s all about grabbing the employer’s attention, and making sure you stand out from other applicants.

“I believe all writing should be interesting,” he says.

Foley recommends telling a story, revealing an interesting fact or raising a question. He says the best cover letter he ever read started, “I’ve been doing PR since I was 5.” The cover letter went on to say if the student didn’t have anything interesting, she didn’t talk at dinner.

I find that in the magazine industry, cover letters should tailor to the specific publication for which you’re applying. Foley agrees saying your letter should hint you know something about the publication and why you want to work there.

“One size does not fit all,” he says.

For an internship at INsite Magazine in Gainesville, Fla., I wrote in my cover letter how the publication was my guide to the city. I remember the editor appreciating the fact that I specifically wrote a story about INsite.

Clips
Foley says a variety of clips work best, such as a personality profile, opinion piece, news feature and breaking news story.

His best advice is use “clips that travel well over time and distance.”

He explains your clips should leave a lasting impression. They should be interesting and error free.

Resources
To all my fellow UF students, the College of Journalism and Communications will be holding its Fall 2009 Job and Internship Fair on Oct. 22. You only have until Sept. 30 by 5 p.m. to sign up, so hurry!

The UF Career Resource Center provides some basic examples of resumes and cover letters.

Good luck!

~Mag Gab Girl

ASME's 10 Best Magazine Covers

Rita Tyrell, an independent art director in Orlando, says the key element to a good cover is focus.

“Typically, there is a lot of text to place around the periphery, so whatever makes it in the middle needs to grab your attention enough to make you want to open the magazine,” she explains.

She prefers a clean cover with a strong image, strong color, and depth.

The covers were divided into categories for voting including, entertainment and celebrity; sports and fitness; fashion and beauty; house and home; lifestyle; news and business; science, technology and nature; most delicious; sexiest; and best Obama cover.

Tyrell favored the famous Rolling Stone cover featuring a seemingly unposed Obama saying, “the colors and the pose distort an eerie atmosphere, and the best thing about it is no text.” She also liked the strong black and white cover featured on Elle, and liked how the masthead stood out.

She also thought the Veranda cover created movement even though there was no human subject; Vanity Fair and New York played on reminiscent imagery; and Sports Illustrated used a famous photo well.

My favorites were the Rolling Stone, Bon Appétit and Vanity Fair covers. The gourmet ice cream cone on the Bon Appétit cover was simple, yet delicious looking. In reference to something Cosmopolitan editor, Kate White, once said: You know a magazine cover is good when you have the urge to lick it. Tina Fey sported her patriotic pride on the cover of Vanity Fair, which I thought was stunning and striking.

Consumers can vote in the second round of voting until Sept. 30 at Amazon.com. ASME President Dave Willey will announce the winner on Oct. 14 at the Magazine Innovation Summit in New York. Voters will be entered for a chance to win a $10,000 Amazon.com gift card! So get voting and stayed tuned to see who wins… My bets are on the Obama cover.

~Mag Gab Girl

The class seemed to be divided, arguing that it is completely unacceptable, or it is acceptable if it keeps the magazine afloat. However, no one defended an ad on a cover as part of a change in the industry.

I stood by the first argument that ads on a magazine cover are unacceptable. A cover acts as the magazine’s identity; it’s a magazine’s brand and first impression. A magazine cover cluttered with ads will not be easily recognized. Also, a cover is a work of art. I’m less likely to read a magazine if the cover is covered with ads.

The issue raises several questions as to how effective are these ads, and how much do magazines actually make? I understand times are tough, especially in the print industry, but I worry if this becomes a trend.
If magazines continue to put ads on covers, I fear it may lead to product placement and more advertiser-driven content. Advertisers are constantly pushing the envelope by creating ads that look like content. Some publications even run advertorials, which are stories advertisers pay for and are often written by the advertiser.

Unfortunately, the only consequence magazines serve with publishing cover ads is ineligibility for the National Magazine Awards, according to the American Society of Magazine Editors. And at this point, what’s more important: money or an award?

ASME posted this in an article addressing ads on magazine covers: “The cover is the face of the magazine; it is not an advertising position. The cover is the editors’ and circulators’ most effective tool for communicating with newsstand buyers as well as subscribers. Using the cover to promote products other than the magazine itself weakens the power and effectiveness of the cover.”

AMSE also noted in the statement it is revaluating its guidelines on the subject. ASME criticized ESPN: The Magazine and Entertainment Weekly for their use of cover ads, citing violations of editorial guidelines. Other popular magazines have also run ads on the cover, including Esquire. Although the ads appeared a few months ago, I think we’re going to be seeing more of this, and the issue is still very relevant.

Unfortunately, print products serve no governing body, so ultimately there is nothing anyone can do. It’s all a matter of ethics. I agree with ASME 100 percent, and think magazines need to find other ways to gain revenue.

What are your thoughts?

~Mag Gab Girl