MANAGEMENT OF ONLINE MAGAZINES IN THE PHI LIPPI NES Pa ge |1

MANAGEMENT OF ONLINE MAGAZINES IN THE PHI LIPPI NES Pa ge |2

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INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides an overview of the research. It talks about the background of the study, as well as the motivation of the researchers for conducting the study. It clarifies the scope and limitations of the study and its significance.

Background of the Study The emergence of new media is intensely seen through the digital media. With new aspects surfacing in the online arena, the digital media is utilized at large as a tool for media converging. In his book Media Convergence, Tim Dwyer defines media convergence as the process whereby new technologies are accommodated by existing media and communication industries and cultures. Simply put, media convergence is the merging of mass communication outlets print, television, radio, the Internet along with portable and interactive technologies through various digital presentation platforms. The media convergence movement grew from recent technological advancements particularly the emergence of the Internet and the digitization of information. It allows mass media professionals to tell stories and present information and entertain using a variety of media. Converged communication provides multiple tools for storytelling, allowing consumers to select a certain level of interactivity while self-directing content delivery. It allows mass media audience to interact with and even generate mass media

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content. Audiences can now control when, where and how they access and relate to information of all kinds. As the online arena is fast becoming more popular and a larger number of people are using it, conversely with the media convergence evolving, the term new media is also budding. One new communication medium that is surfacing in the countrys mass media facet is the online magazine or the digital magazine. The Internet is foreseen as universal and redemptive at the turn of the millennium and such prudence has already become a widespread discourse, thus, collaborating traditional media products with it. In this generation where traditional media is slowly stooping down, the digital media can be a salvage tool for media goods, including the magazine. Digital or online magazines are magazines that are electronically published and are accessed through the Internet. With the Internet, consumers can access the magazine through gadgets like net books, cellular phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants), or the newest innovation Apple iPAD. Online magazines include the wired extensions of printed titles, but there are also some online magazines that do not have a print counterpart. These are websites designed in the magazine format but did not originate from a traditional print magazine. Essentially, just like a traditional print magazine, an online magazine contains articles, information and advertisements. The status of the Internet has made online magazines a much more affordable alternative to traditional magazine publishing as it is more accessible and more popular nowadays, needless to say, cheaper. Even the Philippines, which is somehow late in the

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technological race, offers more and more products on the web, including digital magazines. As the world of media progress and develop and as almost everything now moves on the web, a bigger and faster-phased domain, magazines have also found its territory online. As in the rest of the world, online publications appear to be a growing industry. Many publishers have been able to create and publish highly successful magazines online because technology has significantly reduced the barriers to the entry of the industry. In the case of large print magazine publishers that have digital products and services like Summit Media Publishing Company Incorporated, more often than not, they are more privileged with in-house web designers and editors who can work on an online magazine to be launched. Like in Summit Media Digital, every webzine has its own department separate from the print titles and from other digital titles. Each department is subdivided into the editorial, sales, digital, and advertising teams. The editorial team is composed of the Editor-in-chief, Managing Editor, several editorial assistants, graphic artists, on-call freelance writers and contributors, and interns, if available. The Sales team is composed of the General Manager, the Sales manager, and telesales people whereas the digital team includes web programmers and technical operators. The advertising team focuses more on digital advertising. It all starts with the necessity and feasibility of creating an online counterpart of a particular magazine title. When the sales of a print title pose impressive in terms of circulation and readership that can be measured and deliberated by various market research companies, it is a good sign that an online extension of that particular title will

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sell as well. A separate department for that particular webzine is then formed including a number of efficient team members who can work with it well. A concept and a lay out is then proposed, deliberated by the board and then finally chosen. As the publisher has professionals working on the team, a deadline is also implemented. While the editors are busy in writing editorial contents and consolidating the organization and layout of the different features that will be available on the site, the IT people are occupied on developing in technical terms - the website to be launched. The contents primarily need to be heavy in terms of number because when the site is launched, it would be launched as it is. No feedbacks and consumer blog entries are in yet so the only reading materials available are the initial contents created and written by the editors. The contents of an online magazine varies depending on its niche but most of the time the selection plays around related articles, blogs, chat services, quizzes, promos, electronic newsletters, community and interactive features such as forums, galleries, and the ubiquitous advertisements. The interactive features are the edge of online magazines as traditional print magazines cannot be as fast and as on the loop. For example, www.cosmo.ph, Cosmopolitan Magazines online extension, has this Fun Fearless Forum wherein subscribers get to post their own articles and other entries and then get feedback from other subscribers through comments, and even feedbacks from the admin. This kind of services is where the interactive edge of online magazines gets the big picture. The online community has the opportunity to get in touch easily and give and receive feedbacks from others in just one click. Moreover, there is this new innovation that lets a

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certain website connect to you through various social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. This is also available in some online magazines where you can like a post or share a posts link to your friends with just one click.

While a traditional magazine is released on a periodic basis, whether its monthly, bimonthly, and quarterly or less often, an online magazine has the advantage of being able to add new articles and features whenever they become available, although some prefer to continue operating on a deadline-driven basis. The articles may be written by the publisher, staff writers or freelance writers, and are focused on information related to the general theme of the magazine. These articles too are open for reactions that can be easily responded to by the admin.

When added up from among magazine publishers and independent webzine publishers in the Philippines, there are over 40 online magazines currently available on the World Wide Web. It includes 21 sites developed and maintained by Summit Media Publishing Company, Incorporated, ten from Mega Publishing, three from ABS-CBN Publishing, and several other sites maintained by other different conglomerates. According to the number of page views and active subscribers in record, among the over 40 operating online magazines, Summit Media Digital is on the top of the list, owning the top three online magazines in the country www.FHM.com.ph, www.Candymag.com.ph and www.PEP.ph, accordingly (Trends Newsstand Survey (TNS), 2009).

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The number of online Filipinos is now a little less than 30 million 0r 29.7 percent of the population, according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the leading United Nations agency for information and technology issues and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services. With that, it is apparent that the future is fast becoming digital. Hence, magazine publishers are now investing on the future by entering the digital arena through the online extensions of their titles. Moreover, every business, including the business of online magazines needs proper management. As Tripathi discussed in his book Principles of Management, Management is the dynamic, life-giving element in every organization. Management is the element that coordinate current organizational activities and plans future ones. The word management does not have a definite definition that is universally accepted but one popular definition by Mary Parker Follett describes management as the art of getting things done through people. As management can be either an art or science, there are some patterns and models that are accepted so that the understanding and practice of proper management can be done. One of those is the 5M model or the 5 Ms of management. Originally, there are only 5 Ms in management that includes manpower, materials, machine, money and methods, according to Theodore Paul Wright, former acting president of the Cornell University and former administrator of the Civil Aeronautics Administration. And then in 2007, Christopher Lovelock and Jochen Wirtz discussed in their book, Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy, that there are 6 Ms in management wherein the 6th M which is the market is added. Today, there are 7 Ms in

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management that are accepted by others but has not yet been verified or put in books. The last M means moral values. Focusing on the 5 original M-factors of management, manpower is the first of the five and thus, it is the most important. The right personnel for the right position is a sure bet for organizational effectiveness and efficiency. There are no two ways about that. For a very simple example, lateness, absenteeism, unsafe acts, alcoholism, poor training, and incompetence are just some of the attributes of man at work that could upturn the apple cart of business ventures. Human resources determine the workings of the four other basic business resources. People make sure materials, machines, money and methods are utilized in a productive manner to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization or company. With the right man in the right job, a large portion of effective business management can always be achieved. Second is the materials. Without materials, human resource is made redundant. Thus every right thinking and right planning organization knows that materials needed for any business or service must be in place before man can be of use in a business activity. For example, a group of cement factory workers waiting for supply of limestone may have nothing much to do for as long as the supply does not arrive - even if it arrives, but poor in quality, the production is certainly mediocre. Quality of materials should not be compromised as the business could be pauperized. Poor quality of materials may potentially ruin the business and the enterprise.

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Thirdly, machines are also an important factor. These metal contraptions make man fulfill almost effortlessly various dreams of creating worthwhile and usable things. Machines have replaced man in most of the rigorous work that has to be done in a project or any venture. As in online magazines, computers have joined in the fray of increasing production and reducing time spent by man for creating such goods and services. However still, without man and materials, machines will be useless. They need to be operated by man and fed with materials. Second to the last is money. Without money, no enterprise can motivate workers, get quality and sufficient materials, get the right machines and maintain them. Money management, when not properly organized has been the most known factor involved in the collapse in every company. The quantity and quality of money expended in ventures have a direct bearing on the fruitfulness of the same over time. Accounts department have been revolutionized over the years, by man, to ensure maximum operations of surviving business organizations. Lastly but just as importantly is the methods. Every organization follows a certain method to be followed in order to produce an effective and efficient outcome. As everything has a right way to be done, a set of procedures and instructions is also necessary. Summing up, the Internet has redefined the peoples traditional perception of what a magazine is. Magazine reading is no longer bounded to the traditional once a month habit that is limited to paper. It is now an activity that can take place anytime,

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anywhere through multiple innovative devices. Unlike magazines which are printed and released on a monthly basis, the web is indeed more interactive and updated, making it possible for them to promote hot and current issues, special Web-only contents, and actual interaction with the magazine and fellow readers. Furthermore, as the basic elements of managements have been briefly discussed, it is also important to understand how these factors affect each other as well as the product or enterprise itself. Primarily, this study will analyze online magazines vis a vis its management, focusing on the aspects that matters a lot to the said industry. The proponents of this study deliberated that efficient communication which results in serving the functions of reaching a target audience, penetrating the audiences attention and interest through variations of timeliness, relevance and other literary and journalistic considerations could determine multitudes of realizations and learnings for the new online magazine industry in the Philippines. Conversely, pieces of information and details provided by this thesis will also be scrutinized for further analysis of the subject matter and could be functional for studies of other related media as well as publications of the variable chosen. The facts would also dole out as providing evidences for the issues concerning the topic itself.

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Statement of the Problem The study aims to analyze selected online magazines in the Philippines in terms of management. Specifically, the study seeks to explore the management components of online magazines manpower, material, method and machine in terms of the following:

1. What are the requirements of publishing an online magazine?

2. What are the problems encountered in publishing an online magazine?

3. How do the following management components contribute to the publication of an online magazine?

The following parameters that were mentioned will be significantly used in analyzing the management of selected online magazine publishers in the Philippines.

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Scope and Limitations The study will cover and is limited only to the three major magazine publishers in the Philippines that cater digital publishing and these are Summit Media Publishing Company Incorporated, Mega Publishing and ABS-CBN Publishing. The study will strictly be a descriptive study therefore it will analyze and focus only on the said parameters of the study that includes the selected Ms of management manpower, materials, method and money. Each question will discuss the management components of publishing an online magazine and will dwell on manpower, materials, method and money. The study and discussion about manpower will be particularly about the human resources the particular departments and teams, how they work, how they communicate within the organization and how these organizational communications contribute to the accomplishment of their assigned tasks. Moreover, the study will be conducted among qualified editors of online magazines as well as web programmers because they are the main people who are behind the construction and maintenance of online magazines.

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Theoretical Framework

This chapter aims to explain the theoretical framework that best suits the study. Basically, the researchers endeavour to delve into the management of online magazines in the Philippines, particularly among web programmers and editors from the largest publishing houses in the Philippines.

The researchers therefore relate their study to Marshall Mcluhans Technological Determinism Theory which asserts that media technology shapes how individuals in a society think, feel, and act, as well as how society operates as they move from one technological age to another. Moreover, it explains that when new systems of technology are developed, the culture or society is immediately changed to reflect the senses needed to use the new technology. Hence, it predicts that with every new system of media technology, society will change and adapt to that technology.

With the use of this theory there is a simple cause and effect analysis between the introduction of new technology and the changes in society's way of thinking, feeling, acting, or believing. In relation to the study, online magazine is the product of media convergence in which the progression of the old media transcends to a new discovery. The study will significantly focus on the management side of online magazines or its production, due to the fact that it plays a major role in developing a new media in order to achieve and reach peoples interest.

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The theory best explains that the old media has already moved to its extent by converging with the new media. Technological determinism sees technology as the basis for all human activity. Its fast phase of progression is driven by the societys interests and expectations, and as well as how these new media are being developed. The study emphasizes on the 4 Ms of management, which dwells on manpower, method, machine and materials as the factors in explaining how this particular aspect of new media operates and reaches its technological advancement.

The researchers used this theory to explain thoroughly its relation to the study since it is suitable and applicable to the study.

Figure 1.

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This figure explains the study framework of the analysis of the management of online magazines publishers in the Philippines, particularly Summit Media Publishing Co., Inc., Mega Publishing and ABS-CBN Publishing focusing on the 4 Ms as its parameter manpower, method, machine, and materials. Relative to the theory, the researchers will conduct an interview in order to accumulate ideas and information from the respondents which consist of the web programmers and editors. Through online magazine as a new media, the researcher will be able to determine its consequences upon its emergence on the society. The diagram justifies and explains the conceptual framework, as well as the flow of the study of the researchers.

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METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research design of the study and its research locale. It also contains the description of samples and the sampling techniques to be used by the researchers throughout the study, and will focus on the methods and strategies that will be used by the researchers in gathering information, evaluation of data, and for the further completion of the study. Data gathering techniques, instrumentation and statistical analysis will also be discussed in this chapter. Furthermore, this chapter will provide information on how the researchers wish to obtain the goals and objectives of their study. Each section will be discussed elaborately will give clear illustrations on how the information will be gathered and interpreted to conclude results.

Research Design

The study is an analysis on the management of selected online magazine publishers in the Philippines. The researchers aim to use the descriptive case study by using the Technological Determinism Theory of Marshall Mcluhan which explains that when new systems of technology are developed, the culture or society is immediately changed to reflect the senses needed to use the new technology. Hence, it predicts that

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with every new system of media technology, society will change and adapt to that technology. Through this theory, researchers will be guided in analyzing their gathered data, moreover, it presents a clear idea on how the researcher will conduct their study vis a vis the said theory.

Research Locale

The study is confined in Metro Manila since the major online magazine publishing companies are located in this area. Specifically, the research based on Summit Media Publishing Company, Inc., Mega Publishing and ABS-CBN Publishing. Web programmers and editors will serve as the respondents and interviewees for the study. The researchers will conduct interview, observation and documentation among the respondents in order to gather all the necessary information needed for the study.

Sampling and Sampling Techniques

The researchers will conduct interviews among web programmers and editors from the different online magazine publishing companies in order to analyze and conduct a study on the operations of online magazines in the Philippines. These publishers are

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Summit Media Publishing Company, Incorporated, Mega Publishing, and ABS-CBN Publishing. The researchers chose the three prominent publishing houses, Summit Media Publishing Company, Incorporated, Mega Publishing, and ABS-CBN Publishing, respectively. These companies were selected based on a criterion that was set by the researchers, and this is due to the fact that these companies own and operate the major running online magazines in the Philippines, hence they will be a better source of information and other data related to the study. Web programmers and editors are chosen by the researchers to be the respondents in order for them to evaluate and accumulate information regarding the management of online magazines operation that will be significantly used for the analysis and deliberation of the gathered data. The researchers chose web programmers and editors due to certain circumstances: they are one who operates and supervise the online magazine of the company, they are duly credible to discuss the whole operation of the webzines and they are knowledgeable enough with regards to their expertise. Interviews with the web programmers and editors would be accomplished in order for the researchers to have a personal interaction with the participants, likewise to be able to follow-up queries and have a better understanding of the study. The researchers set parameters among the respondents in order to study the management of online magazines in the Philippines and these are the 4Ms of

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management that stands for manpower, method, machine and materials. As they evaluate the study, these parameters will determine and conclude the researchers objectives With the use of simple random technique as a sampling method where the magazine titles will be drawn to choose the specific title, a blind draw will be conducted to give equal opportunity to the online magazines available. In choosing which staff to be interviewed for each parameter and each title, the researchers used a non-probability sampling method, particularly the purposive or judgment sampling. In this method, the researchers used their judgment to identify who is more likely to be knowledgeable enough and whose perceptions and insights would be more usable and helpful for the study. With the use of purposive sampling method, the respondents will be deliberately selected to have a plausible data and gathered information. Purposive sampling will be used to target web programmers and editors, since the researchers had already set in mind their criteria in choosing the respondents. This type of sampling starts with a purpose in mind and the sample is thus selected to include people of interest and exclude those who do not suit the purpose.

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Instrumentation The researchers will be using interview in order to accumulate data and information to substantiate the study. Open-ended questionnaires will be used by the researchers as their tool in gathering qualitative data and results. In addition, follow-up questions will also be considered during the interview. Observations and documentation review during the actual updating of an online magazine was also considered to be a factor in the whole study. This will serve as a personal experience for the researcher to be exposed and open to see what is behind online magazine. This includes the sample interview question.

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Documentation Review This comprises the evaluation of the researched data that was gathered all throughout the study. Through this documentation review, researchers will have a compilation of the collected information from books, journals, articles from the internet, as well as the results of the interviews and observations. Moreover, this review is a significant means to support the study and a concrete basis to consider in pursuing the study.

Data Analysis The study is a qualitative research method and hence it gives the researchers a flexible access and approach in gathering data. During the data gathering, the choice and the design of methods are constantly modified based on the on-going analysis on the management of the online publishers in the Philippines. This allows the investigation of important information about the new media and as well as follow-up questions as they arise to be asked by the researchers to drop unproductive areas of research from the original research plan. Conversely, a qualitative research is a multi-method approach, involving a case study on the Media Convergence Phenomenon. This means that the researchers will study the things in the environment of media, attempting to make sense of, or interpret phenomena in terms of the emergence of the new media. Accordingly, qualitative researchers deploy a wide range of interconnected methods, to get a better fix on the subject matter at hand. With this particular study, the

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researchers will utilize both primary and secondary data in the form of articles from books, journals and web articles and gather data from interviews and observation that are generally about the management of online magazine publishers.

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Bibliography Books Borders, G. L. (2006) . Media Organizations and Convergence: case studies of media convergence pioneers . New Jersey .

Dwyer, T. (2010) . Media Convergence . England .

Holmes, D. (2008) . Communication Theory: media, technology and society . New York: The New York Press .

Jenkins, H. (2006) . Convergence Culture: where old and new media collide . New York: NY University Press .

Jones, S. (2003) . Encyclopedia of New Media :an essential reference to communication and technology . New York: The Moschovits Group .

Lovelock, C. H., et al. (2010) . Services Marketing: People, Technology, Society 6th Edition . New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall .

Thurlow, C. et al (2008) . Computer Mediated Communication: Social interaction and the Internet 8th Edition . London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

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Tripathi (2008) . Principles of Management . New Delhi: The Mcgraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited .

Internet

Internet

World

Statistics

Retrieved

August

13,

2010,

from

http://www.internetworldstatistcs.com Retrieved September 23, 2010, from http://www.mediaconvergence.org Retrieved September 23, 2010, from http://www.wps.ablongman.com