Outside Magazine Crowdsources Issue →
Many things can go terribly wrong when a media company turns to the online universe for content. But that didn’t stop Outside Magazine, a publication focused on the great outdoors, from tapping its audience for its first “reader issue.”
Publishers turning to the audience for content is a growing trend, as publishers look for ways to involve readers more in the social era.
Outside worked with social media marketing platform Friend2Friend to create a Facebook app allowing the publication’s Facebook community to vote on their favorite towns by submitting comments and photos. Outside’s editors selected 70 towns to choose from and let its fans decide the top 10. In years past, the editors chose the top 10. More than 20,000 people voted and Richmond, Virginia walked away with this year’s title. The outlet did write ups for each of the towns based on specific user suggestions, like bars, hiking trails, rivers. All that content came from readers directly posting comments on Facebook.
(Source: joshsternberg)
