Online sublime

Over the last few years publishing firms have developed quickly to incorporate new technologies such as the internet, radio and television to work alongside traditional print. This progress has been commended widely, though raises the issue of whether or not readers are keeping up with the technology and therefore the sustainable long-term future of the digital age in publishing. Will print still be king in the years to come?

There has been much debate about online content and whether or not it should be free or subscription-based. Following News International's £2.4bn acquisition of Dow Jones, Rupert Murdoch is planning to make the Wall Street Journal's online content free, which shows his belief that a wider audience will bring in more advertisers, meaning in theory that the move will pay for itself. However, there has been disapproval from some executives at Dow Jones that feel such a move will reduce subscriptions and dilute its editorial content. The Financial Times consequently is being forced into a corner to make the decision over making even more content free in order to compete with Murdoch. It is clear that, as each day passes, the business community is becoming more accustomed to the internet as a trustworthy source of news and information, reading a seemingly ever-increasing amount of news online.

In addition to the internet, business content has migrated to television and radio with the advent of Bloomberg and Murdoch's latest project, the Fox Business Channel. Similarly, Jeff Randall, editor-at-large at The Daily Telegraph, has his own hourly programme on BBC Radio Five on a Sunday evening and a one-hour weekly slot on Sky News to discuss business issues. Numerous online options beyond standard news and features are now available to the technologically savvy reader including television, radio, podcasts polls, web-tailored seminars, blogs and forums. Collectively, these formats are called rich media.

Rich media content is updated constantly, stored permanently and is available on demand. For instance, if the Financial Services Authority webcasts an online programme or seminar then viewers can interact by submitting questions or voting in polls from anywhere in the UK or further afield. This also allows companies to make information readily available on their computer, meaning that they can update content and be more responsive, enriching the overall experience for all parties concerned. The options are apparently endless and potentially more powerful than traditional alternatives such as another letter or flyer. Arguably the networking opportunity would be lost, but an online forum could replace this. Alternatively, a conference could be filmed and delegates could be redirected to the video in case they wanted to refer back to it.

Many publishers are still experimenting with the available formats, deliberating and speculating over which will prove most popular. The costs of using television and radio are high, inevitably meaning that some content will be advertiser and sponsor driven as they seek opportunities to promote their messages in novel and unique ways. However, there are often opportunities to drive formats by working closely together with publishers.

Incisive

Incisive Media, the publisher behind Professional Broking, Insurance Age, Reinsurance and Post owns a state-of-the-art television and radio studio at its offices in London's west end. In addition to appearing in print, it has given the opportunity to key players within our markets to appear in front of a targeted audience in person via the internet. Although business channels such as Bloomberg often appeal to those that need to follow the stock market, publishers that concentrate on niche sectors such as Incisive have the ability to tailor relevant content to a targeted audience. Instead of watching hours of programming to capture information relevant to your sector, the power of the internet enables niche publishers to offer content that is available immediately and stratified specifically to the context of your particular sector.

Most of the content will be accessible via the magazines' websites, can be stored on company websites and e-mailed to relevant databases. The vast majority of PCs should now be able to cope with the demands of rich media, the major hardware requirements being a good-quality broadband internet connection, a decent processor chip, enough RAM to stream the media without glitches and a half-decent sound card. In software terms, most modern Microsoft operating systems will suffice, although Windows 2000 and onward are recommended generally, and you will need a copy of Flash Player and Windows Media Player to play.swf and.wmv files. Both programs are free to download if they are not pre-loaded on a new system.

Those that own any Apple Macintosh from a late model G3 capable of running OSX Panther onwards can also download Windows Media Player easily. Alternatively, Flip4Mac supports the.wmv file format, though users of Apple's latest operating system, OSX Leopard, will have to make do with a beta version of the program as this edition goes to print.

It is important that companies are ready to embrace the digital age and IT managers should ensure computers are equipped to handle video streaming and playback. Senior management should make a point of recognising the importance of the digital platform for their careers as well as their staff.

In this age where everybody is fighting for your attention through the use of devices such as pop-up advertising, promotion and marketing are vital to business survival. Companies looking to use the power of the internet to reach existing and potential new clients should consider tapping their own databases and working in partnership with publishers to maximise usage and audience penetration.

Despite the obvious attractions of the new media world that have emerged it is not a simple case of choosing between the internet and print; both are likely to sit together and complement each other. Magazines and newspapers will continue to thrive as they can be taken everywhere and anywhere, whereas publishing on the internet will evolve to become an integral part of business life and make our media even more personable, accountable and professional. Log in and enjoy the ride!