Can Facebook Save Business 2.0?

The New York Times reported earlier this week that Time Inc., the corporate parent of Business 2.0, the magazine I edit, is considering shuttering it. Our situation is a fairly common one these days: As more and more ad revenue is shifting from print to online media, many magazines are going the way of the telegraph.

What happened after the Times story was published, though, was an It's-A-Wonderful-Life kind of surprise, one that continues to amaze me, minute by minute: Two readers from Canada started a Facebook Group to rally support for Business 2.0. Within 40 hours of the Times story, 350 people had joined the group. (I believe I was member number 7, having read about the group on Techmeme.) By last night the number topped 700 and as of this writing we've got over 900 supporters. At this rate, we ought to hit 1,000 people (bright-eyed geniuses, every one of them, with big brains and enormous disposable incomes!) by the weekend. Please forgive me for obsessively checking The Number; I am starting to feel like Jerry Lewis in the waning hours of a telethon...

So how big this thing will get? What effect it will have on the folks in whose hands the fate of this magazine rests?

I don't know. I can tell you however, that this isn't an easy decision for our corporate parents in New York. The people who will make it are the same ones who have done the most to keep Business 2.0 alive for the last seven years. They have been our biggest boosters—and faced a lot of heat for it. It's expensive to run magazines. We would have surely folded years ago had they not voted—with Time Inc's wallet—to keep us going.

Lots of people have sent my colleagues and me email, voicing their support and asking what they can do. A surprising number have expressed interest in possibly buying the title from Time Inc.

Maybe we could organize a Million Geek March, but even at this rate, it would take too long to amass a mob. And I don't think that's the answer, anyway. What's happening on Facebook now may be a kind of answer. Increasingly, we're moving to a virtual world where most of the solutions are virtual. I know our benefactors in New York are watching the Facebook Revolt with interest. And I know that advertisers are, too.

We should have turned Business 2.0 into a real social network long ago. Who knew that, secretly, it already was one.

Comments

[Colin Carmichael]

Well, Josh, glad I'm not the only one obsessing about The Number :)

Your last paragraph pretty much nails what we're seeing here... online social networks (the successful ones, anyway) merely reflect communities and relationships that already exist offline.

I knew there was already a Business 2.0 community out there. How? Anytime I mentioned an article or took out the mag on the subway or had it laying on my desk, it would spark conversation. The FB group is merely a reflection of that existing community rallied around a cause - the community itself.

Glad you're enjoying the experience and I sincerely hope that we can continue to look forward to our favourite magazine arriving in our mailboxes every month.

[Garrett]

I found Business 2.0 in June of 1999. Why do I know, because I read an article titled Brave New World, an interview by Jeffery Davis on Joe Firmage. I found the article so inspiring/interesting I have carried a copy of it around in my briefcase since that day, which I had to pull out just to confirm the date to write this. Since that day, I have either subscribed or purchased this magazine every month, never to miss. The magazine is one of the best and most interesting magazines on the "news stand". I work on a computer all day, and look forward to sitting in my chair on lazy afternoon and opening my new addition of Business 2.0... I would be deeply saddened by the loss of what I consider (as do my friends) to be an information source for cutting edge ideas and technology, which I have yet to find anywhere else, and would be disappointed to see it leave… good luck.

[Hopeful]

Digg it!

http://digg.com/business_finance/Could_the_Web_be_the_saviour_of_an_endangered_magazine_Save_Business_2_0

[Steve G.]

I've been a B2 subscriber since the very first issue (which I somehow got for free). This is a informative and useful magazine for me, and I'm not even an entrepreneur (though as a patent attorney, I work with them regularly). It would be a damn shame to see the magazine go.

[Victory Darwin]

Business 2.0 is the one RSS feed that appears in every one of my ten Ning groups. It is the one piece of snail mail that I look forward to getting in my box every month. It's the one common business related interest that my wife actually enjoys with me. It is the single most entertaining and opportunity filled magazine on the market. I've started 3 successful businesses based on the leading edge insights I got from Business 2.0. They generate over $20,000/month profit for me today. All that from a $15 subscription. No other magazine comes close. I think we need to rally the troops and hit the media with some press releases of the success stories of your readers. I think we have something amazingly unique here. Anyone who wants to take on this venture with me, contact me thru my NING site www.linkedin-entrepreneurs.com immediately! ~Victory Darwin

[Jennifer]

I would happily continue to pay my subscription price if the content were provided online only. I don't know if some other magazines already do this (my newspaper does), but I think it would be a good way for a publisher to save paper and money.

[Shyaam Deshmukh]

Hi All,

I am an avid reader and a humangous fan of Business 2.0. BTW, signed on to save Business 2.0 on facebook too.

A couple of quick suggestions for Time Inc. to retain B2.0.

1. Add it as a tech supplement to Fortune Magazine
2. Digital editions B2.0 only - saves paper, only cost is for editorials and the layouts.

More suggestions welcome.

Best of Luck,
Shyaam

[Stephen Leavitt]

I hope you don't get shut down. Your magazine (print and online) is a fountain of useful information.

[T]

I sincerely hope that this magazine doesn't get shut down. I love this magazine so much that I have carried a few copies with me for my friends during my last visit to India.

Just like Garett above I look forward to sitting at coffee shops reading business 2.0 on the weekends.

I am going to signup on facebook to save this magazine.

[Chuck Joslin]

I too have the first ever issue of Business 2.0 and virtually every issue since.

No other magazine has the timely and insightful business related articles and editorials found in B2.0.

I've shared subscription cards from my issues with many others and all that subscribed love the writing style as well as the content.

An electronic only version would be a poor (but welcome) substitute should publication of the print version cease.

[Nicolas ANUKU]

Your magazine has been an inspiration and a source of originality for a long while. Please let me know how to get on the facebook to fight for your survival. What are you waiting for to morph into a real social network???

[Don Perry]

It would be a shame to see this magazine go. It is one of the best I have ever read, and I read ALOT ! I even suggested that some professors in the college of business make this magazine required reading. Methinks that if all the subscribers somehow knew that the magazine could possibly be cancelled, your "number" on Facebook would increase drastically.

[Omar]

B2 is the favorite magazine for so many people I know. Maybe parent company can shed light on what it takes to keep it afloat so all of us can help.

I am not sure how joining a facebook group is going to make any difference !! We need to rally people for action, like renew your subscription...etc

[nicholas kamau]

i have read this magazine, before even most americans knew it existed.
You know the CINDY MARGOLIS days, when the magazine was ecompany now, yep been here and god bless me if i had the money i would buy the magazine in a f$%cking second.
You have had so many stories that have inspired me, from the indie spotlight in newyork to the adult friend finder website i mean wtf. i have 3 tattered copies of business2 in my taxi cab. Yes

[Scott Brando]

The Facebook group name is:
"I read Business 2.0 - and I want to keep reading!" (Global)

The magazine manages to enlighten, educate,inspire and entertain in every issue.

Thanks to Josh and the B2 team, they do an outstanding job.

I also have shared subscription cards(and articles) from my issues with many others. The writing is first class and insightful the content including the layout, graphics and photos are great.

I also agree that an electronic only version would be a poor (but welcome and at least available) substitute should publication stop.

If you haven't done it yet, go join Facebook now and show your support:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2420762508

carpe diem & let's be indefatigable ;)on this.

[Mike]

Absolutely save this magazine. It is the only office mail I look forward to. I look forward to escaping the office for a relaxing read over a quesadilla at the Taco Bell. You are always at the forefront of the tech landscape and you definitely connect more with readers than a magazine like Wired. I have read every issue since issue #1 and actually still have my first year's collectors issue (New Rules) in my desk drawer as a memento. Long live Business 2.0!

[Ken Pirok]

I agree with the comments about a web-only version. I wouldn't care that much if the print version went away as long as the same info. was available online. I'd pay the subscription price for this too. Is that a possibility?

[Todd]

I don't understand why magazine don't at least try to increase the price before they fold. I'd be willing to pay 2-4x as much to help keep Business 2.0 around. But for some reason magazines don't even give it thought.

[Jeff Crites]

Count me in as a huge fan, and have been for several years.

The arrival of each edition of the magazine in my mailbox gives me a 'Christmas morning rush'. I savor it each month, and constantly re-read each edition (I NEVER throw them away. Can't say that about any other magazine).

Sure, print media is getting hammered. But it doesn't mean companies have to fold up and dump all magazines and papers. I spend hours online each day, but I crave magazines as well. I like the old school, and the new, and Business 2.0 is the BEST of both. All my best to you guys and gals.

Jeff Crites
Director, North America
http://www.fellowforce.com
(Open Innovation,Idea Submission platform)

[gUiLe]

Bonjour,

Je fais parti du groupe Facebook et sachez que nous lisons aussi Business 2.0 en France ! Et ma foi, c'est selon moi le meilleur magazine sur le sujet. Alors battez vous, d'autant plus que j'ai envoyé mes coordonnées pour être abonné a partir de la rentrée :D

Bon courage, ne laissez pas tomber, vous avez du monde qui vous soutient !

gUiLe

nb: yes I should have written in English, but it's to make some international color to the support for Business 2.0 ;)

[Michael Urlocker]

Josh, Adam, Erick, and team:

As a former journalist, it is sad to see the demise of a great magazine.

But I want to focus on the positives. I congratulate you on creating and running a great magazine for the past many years. I looked forward to what was starting to look like an annual event with the "Next Disruptors" editions you had run recent years.

I wish you all the best in whatever work you undertake next because I am sure you will be
at the forefront of something great.

Mike
www.OnDisruption.com

[Matthew]

I am very surprised as I received huge discounts, coupons, offers and coupon codes on my favorite magazines from many major store at Couponalbum.com.......!!