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Macworld lays off most staff

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Re: Macworld lays off most staff

#21

Post by ddebernardy »

bhouston wrote: post #3

What is the catalyts for this? Apple's market share is similar to what is was a few years ago. Is there a decline in ad revenues? What is the reason for this.

There isn't much worth reading on the site, except perhaps the occasional Macalope column and an occasional OSX-related tip.

If you're into reading columns and opinion pieces, there are much better blogs and sites, e.g. Daring Fireball, Roughly Drafted, Recode.

If you're looking for detailed reviews and specs there are again much better blogs and sites, e.g. Anandtech, Ars Technica.

And if you're looking for rumors, there are yet again much better blogs and sites, e.g. AppleInsider, MacRumors.

And there's Twitter, and HN, and what not for live coverage of news events.

And their site's redesign made it slow as hell on low-end iDevices.

In short the site brings little to no value to the table. Or then I'm too young or too old or too dumb to understand what that value is.

Re: Macworld lays off most staff

#22

Post by declan »

bhouston wrote: post #3

What is the catalyts for this? Apple's market share is similar to what is was a few years ago. Is there a decline in ad revenues? What is the reason for this.

My guess (as someone who worked for a decade+ as a journalist before leaving to create http://recent.io/) is increased competition for readers and advertising dollars. What said is correct, especially the decline of print. Who wants to wait a month or two to find out more about yesterday's watch announcement? How many HN readers are actually paying for a print subscription to MacWorld?

Also, even if MacWorld moved entirely online, it's not like its web site is one of the only places to find this info, as the print magazine was in the 1980s. A lot of news organizations that are fierce competitors now simply didn't exist a decade or two ago. Hence today's major layoffs as opposed to reassigning the existing staff to the web. (When I look at the Recent.io knowledge graph, the top of the list of news organizations that cover Apple includes: Fool.com, Cult of Mac, Silicon Alley Insider, BGR, and TUAW.)

I wouldn't be surprised to see MacWorld with legacy costs and pay structures that make it less competitive against these upstarts.

Some of the ex-MacWorld journalists who are freshly unemployed are looking for jobs, so if you know of anyone who's hiring in this area, I'm sure they'd appreciate the pointer: https://twitter.com/PhilipMichaels/status/509752573763407873 https://twitter.com/jsnell/status/509749300683735041 https://twitter.com/danfrakes/status/509756139831975936

Re: Macworld lays off most staff

#23

Post by spike021 »

tolmasky wrote: post #20
bhouston wrote: post #3

What is the catalyts for this? Apple's market share is similar to what is was a few years ago. Is there a decline in ad revenues? What is the reason for this.

The magazine market seems to be the worst possible use case for print, especially in the tech sector. With newspapers, at least you are only ever 1 day or maybe 1 week (sunday edition) behind the news, and its all general interest so there's probably something your reader hasn't read about in there. On the contrary, look at the core demographic of a tech magazine to begin with: people obsessed enough to buy an entire…

Maybe a solution would be to focus on more in-depth style articles that cover exclusive information. I'm not sure that there's enough creativity around today for a publisher to be comfortable doing it but that'd be a way to produce non-daily content, if that makes sense.

Re: Macworld lays off most staff

#24

Post by than »

MacWorld was such a big part of my childhood, and a catalyst for why I'm able to make a living making things on the web today.

I hope the talented writers and editors who've been laid off get snapped up quickly.

Re: Macworld lays off most staff

#25

Post by ChuckMcM »

bhouston wrote: post #3

What is the catalyts for this? Apple's market share is similar to what is was a few years ago. Is there a decline in ad revenues? What is the reason for this.

The transition to mixed print/digital or all digital. Not handled well by magazine people. Some are making the transition (The Economist, Popular Mechanics) some are not (MacWorld and pretty much every other IDG title).

Re: Macworld lays off most staff

#27

Post by bdcravens »

bhouston wrote: post #3

What is the catalyts for this? Apple's market share is similar to what is was a few years ago. Is there a decline in ad revenues? What is the reason for this.

The only time I've ever bought a copy was when I was flying and needed something to read while taking off and landing, and even those days are gone now. Pretty sure I read maybe one page.

Re: Macworld lays off most staff

#28

Post by declan »

untog wrote: post #16
UVB-76 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely that's better than laying them off the day before the event? Attending events like the one yesterday has to be one of the best perks of the job, and if any of the employees had wind of what was coming, it would have been a great place to network for their next opportunity.

Attending events like the one yesterday has to be one of the best perks of the job Are you serious? Live blogging events like that is utter misery. Constant stress for an entire day.

I was at the original iPhone launch for CNET, and there was a lot of stress, as you say. But watching Steve Jobs unveil it was a magical experience, and it also was very much a perk of the job.

Re: Macworld lays off most staff

#29

Post by Shivetya »

orbitur wrote: post #10

I think it's worth noting that they let staff cover the event yesterday, and then surprised (some of) them with a layoff today. Classy.

hell I have seen people laid off on employee appreciation day, fortunately they allowed them to enjoy the free lunch first.

Re: Macworld lays off most staff

#30

Post by caster_cp »

larrys wrote: post #19
[deleted] wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

"Or waited a while after?" Perhaps they think that there is a money tree that you just shake to pay employee salaries. I think a comment like the parent (or perhaps that attitude) comes from a failure to realize that in the traditional business world business needs to operate at a profit. There is no runway like the startup runway. Business and life isn't fair and it's not about hurt feelings. And you can't let perso…

While I see your point, I cannot agree with you. Business is not separated from the people that form it. Yes, good businesses are profitable. Yes, if it weren't for the profits, there should be no businesses.

But from my point of view, when you hire someone to work for you, you have some moral (if not legal) obligations with that person. You could say that laying them off was "good, financially". Maybe it was even the only thing to do. As I don't know the specifics, I don't blame Macworld for that.

Although, it is part of your businesses COSTS dealing correctly with your employees. Making theses costs disappear is not "maximizing profit". That is turning your head on a cost you have to pay in order for your business to work.

If you do not do that, you will pay the consequences. Dealing incorrectly with people will hurt you not in a way you can represent in your books, but will definitely hurt you.

Good businessmen are wise if they treat their employees well. It need not be for a higher sense of morality (although it should be), as there are at least a couple of good self-interested reasons to do so.

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