A while back I wrote a post claiming I could launch a full-blown publishing web site in 30 days and for under $1K of hard cost to me. I got too busy with my consulting business and never got around to actually doing it. I’m not complaining as I was doing really well as a consultant, but it still gets under my skin that I never did it. Until now… I can’t get into too many details because of confidentiality, but I just helped launch a full-blown publication web site in right around 30 days and $1K of hard cost. I can, however, share some of the keys that made such a launch...

So you want to implement or change your content management system (CMS)? Before you do, here are some quick things to consider that most media companies forget about: There is no silver bullet – There are some CMS companies who tell you their solution does everything … and to some degree they make a valiant effort at it. The problem, as one media executive recently told me, is that the one-size fits all solution is like a sofa bed. It’s a sofa and it’s a bed, but it doesn’t do either of them very well. When developing your emedia business system strategy, look for...

Another post live from the Minday summit. In a session about growing your online audience and Jamie Pallot with CondeNet just dropped a term that is gaining new momentum with online audience development: SMO. What is SMO? Social Media Optimization … getting your content integrated into blogs, forums, social bookmarking sites, video sites (like YouTube), and other social media outlets. So we finally have a good term and another discipline that your audience development team needs to add to their arsenal. First was SEO and SEM, and now SMO.

Day 3 of my challenge to launch a full-featured publication web site in under 30 days and $1000. The feedback to the challenge has been surprising … most feedback on any post I’ve had to date! And some great suggestions. Thus far I’ve tested out a number of systems and am beginning to narrow down my selections. Here’s what I’m leaning toward right now: Platform: Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP (LAMP) – This was a pretty easy decision. The most robust tools are open source and based on the LAMP architecture. Host: Webmasters.com – I’ve chosen...

I’m a Foodie. I love food, am totally in to Food Network (they have a great web site, BTW) and I’m not a half-bad cook either. My specialty is a Julia Child recipe for chicken with a wine, herb, and beef stock reduction. One show I particularly like is “$40 A Day” where Rachel Ray visits tourist locations and has only $40 to spend. The challenge is to see if she can eat at great places, but spend only $40 and stay within her budget. So in that same spirit, I’m going to throw out my own challenge: can I build a full-featured publication web site for under...