Vital Guide

The digital publishing landscape is a lesson in excess, requiring more content, delivered through more channels, designed to attract a larger audience – and, of course, more revenue. This week, we look at some of the tools that are emerging – including curation platforms, mobile app services and new ad units – to help publishers do more without breaking the bank.

Mobile continues to be a hot topic for publishers. On the design front, the Font Bureau’s forthcoming native Web fonts look promising, while Adobe is inching closer to the commercial release of its Digital Magazine Solution. (Check out next week’s luncheon event for more on mobile publishing.) Also this week: Case studies on NASDAQ’s data products, Guideposts and Mother Jones.

As publishers sort through their options for delivering content to mobile users, the mobile website is evolving as a more accessible alternative to device-specific apps. But publishers have a long way to go to improve the mobile user experience. Here’s some perspective on the current state of the mobile Web – and the potential it holds for increasing both audience and ad revenues.

Google is good for journalism. Google is bad for journalism. Regardless of which side of the debate you take up, Google has undeniably altered the way digital content is published and discovered. Today, we offer perspective on Google’s impact on journalism along with some of the productivity tools that can make publishing professionals more effective and efficient.

By 2014, more users are expected to access the Internet through mobile devices than from desktop PCs. This dramatic shift is causing media companies to think long and hard about how they will support all of the different types of smart phones, tablets and e-readers. Some see hope in HTML5, the next-generation language that will run across platforms and whose functionality is starting to appear in web browsers. What does HTML5 mean for digital content creators? This guide will help you sort through the hype.

Apps are not just an iPhone/iPad phenomenon – it just seems that way. Apps are vehicles for distributing digital replicas of your publication, but they also can be used to deliver other functionality to your audience from your website, via social networks, or on mobile devices. What’s the right approach to app development? Read on for a variety of perspectives.

Link building has evolved from the “I’ll link to you if you link to me” back-scratching of the early blogosphere. Now, editors and audience developers are experimenting with more advanced ways to increase inbound links and share content. Link building can be an arduous task, but it’s critical to exposing your content to a broader audience. Here are some tips for honing your strategy.

Revenue from online video ad networks is expected to grow 41% this year. comScore says that nearly 80% of all Internet users are watching some form of online video. How are you capitalizing on these trends? No matter where you find yourself in the evolution (and monetization) of online video, the following resources can help you advance the cause.