Posts by Steve Outing

• Temple on classifieds: Make them standalone

  by Steve Outing

  Former Rocky Mountain News president, publisher, and editor John Temple — now blogging from the perspective of a newspaper executive freed of operating within the risk-averse culture of newspapers — is putting out a series of 10 recommendations to the newspaper industry. There are some good ideas in his list so far, though at this [...]

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  Filed in: Business models on June 18th, 2009

• How’s your classifieds mobile app coming along?

  by Steve Outing

  Craigsphone iPhone app Classifieds Pro place-ad featureon iPhone The growth in “smartphones,” led by Apple’s two (soon to be three) generations of its iPhone, is nothing short of phenomenal. Apple has sold more than 21 million iPhones since the debut of version 1 (plus another 16 million iTouch devices, which can run most of the same [...]

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  Filed in: Mapping, Mobile on May 22nd, 2009

• We’re still alive…

  by Steve Outing

  Yes, this site has been quiet in recent weeks as we’ve been busy with other things. But we’re still here and we’ll be publishing more great information, news, and advice about the future of classifieds soon — beginning with a post on mobile classifieds apps coming up as soon as I can hit the Publish [...]

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  Filed in: Uncategorized on May 22nd, 2009

• Jacobson: We can out-compete Craigslist

  by Steve Outing

  Media designer Alan Jacobson is not always a fan of the ideas presented on this website (he expressed his disdain for the idea in our Classifieds Manifesto, for example, for newspapers to actually start selling things like cars, in addition to just publishing ads), but he does agree that if newspaper publishers would just break [...]

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  Filed in: Business models on March 18th, 2009

• Rise up before it’s too late! A Newspaper Classifieds Manifesto

  by Steve Outing

  Attention! Classifieds are dead! Long live classifieds 2.0!! Christopher Ryan and I have channeled our frustration as well as our optimism, and some concrete solutions, into the Classifieds Manifesto, an 11-point document that explains how newspapers can take the downward-sloping revenue line that represents their classifieds business, and turn it upward again. We don’t believe [...]

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  Filed in: Business models, Ideas on March 12th, 2009

• Classifieds could stand to be more fun

  by Steve Outing

  In our recent contest for best idea for reinventing classifieds, student edition, winner Will Sommer suggested that the dullness of newspaper classifieds is part of the problem. Make them fun, he suggested, and newspapers might have a chance of fighting back against Craigslist and the other forces lined up against them. The other day I [...]

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  Filed in: Case studies, Ideas, Video on January 29th, 2009

• Now this is what we mean by getting creative

  by Steve Outing

  We all know that incremental changes won’t save newspaper classifieds. It’s time to try some truly innovative ideas and experiments. So check out the latest NewsInnovation blog post by publisher John Newby: Now Here’s A Game Changer For The Industry? I love this idea. OK, I haven’t thought Newby’s idea through carefully enough to say [...]

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  Filed in: Business models, Ideas on January 29th, 2009

• Some outstanding ad sales advice

  by Steve Outing

  A couple of great advice pieces were published recently by some smart folks I know. Their ideas definitely pertain to classifieds reinvention, even though they may be speaking about online advertising overall. 1. Five Fatal Flaws that are killing local Internet plays – Dave Chase, SunValleyOnline.com (published on NewsInnovation.com) This is an outstanding critique of [...]

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  Filed in: Ideas on January 22nd, 2009

• Pro winner: Is consignment a model for reviving classifieds?

  by Steve Outing

    More great ideas… Don’t miss descriptions of some of the best other ideas submitted by contest entrants who want to turn around newspaper classifieds. Scroll down the page or click. Also see our student contest winner! We were looking for innovative and unusual ideas to reinvigorating newspaper classifieds when we offered $500 to the [...]

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  Filed in: Business models, Ideas on January 13th, 2009

• Student winner: Save classifieds with ‘Laughs and Facts’

  by Steve Outing

  Congratulations to Will Sommer of Georgetown University, who has won our student competition for best idea to save newspaper classifieds (and will be receiving $500 from ReinventingClassifieds.com). More about Sommer and his idea below. But since he made his entry a multimedia presentation, first take a couple minutes to watch, then read on. (Clicking the [...]

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  Filed in: Ideas on January 10th, 2009

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