An Open Letter To Our Readers
By Steve Smith -- TWICE, 10/9/2006
As many of you know TWICE made its debut as a weekly print news publication 20 years ago, on Sept. 8, 1986. But what you may not know is that TWICE's presence on the Web began a decade ago. We first tested the waters in a deal with AOL that had TWICE's CES coverage appearing online during the 1996 Winter show. TWICE.com debuted the following year.
The decision to go online was a no-brainer for our staff back then — we're covering the consumer electronics industry, so we had better be online. Besides the mainstream consumer media began to launch sites back then and cover our industry.
Today the world is on the Web with everyone from the mainstream media to independent bloggers who follow this business in many of its forms. Like covering an industry where manufacturers have become retailers, and vice versa, plenty has changed since TWICE.com debuted.
Of course TWICE.com has changed over the years too. From trying new designs, to adding research functions and introducing a daily e-newsletter, our online presence has changed. And we are constantly looking at our online services to keep ahead of the curve. We have plenty of Web experts here at Reed Business Information who constantly provide us with plenty of imaginative ideas, but who don't live this industry like you do.
So to keep on the cutting edge, which is difficult when you are serving the most technologically savvy audience around, instead of dispensing the usual opinions in this space, I'm looking from some free advice from you — TWICE's loyal readers.
To paraphrase former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, my question is, “How are we doin'?” How do you like TWICE.com and our e-newsletter and how do you use it?
In visiting more and more sites, both in this industry and beyond, more services and more interactivity are being offered than ever before, starting with bloggers who follow the industry. Would you like to blog TWICE stories? We added the Personal Digital Device section this year, due to the iPod revolution. Should we offer podcasts, video services and the like? Do you use TWICE any differently than you use any other site on the Web?
Those are just some issues. As we have learned in covering this business over the years, the best solutions come from listening to your customers. Therefore while your responses will be confidential they will probably be invaluable as TWICE continues to evolve on the Internet. But one thing that hasn't changed and won't change in the future — TWICE, in all its forms, being the leading independent and accurate provider of the industry's news and trends.
Send me your ideas and responses to me at ssmith@reedbusiness.com.
And this is a reminder that TWICE will be celebrating our 20-year mark when CEA marks the 40th anniversary of the Consumer Electronics Show. The event will take place during the CEA Industry Forum to be held at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 16. We hope to see you there.
No related content found.
Featured Company
-
Brightpoint
BrightPoint is a global leader in mobile device lifecycle services. We provide a full suite of end-to-end supply chain and customization solutions to manufacturers, retailers and carriers in the mobile device industry. In a world that is increasingly connected with ever-evolving ..more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES