Do you remember a big moment in history and exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news? Maybe you were in your middle-school classroom the morning of Sept.. Maybe you were singing in your best friend’s convertible when the Berlin Wall fell. Headlines can be tragic and triumphant, just like our lives.
If you think about it, we each have our own breaking news. When you’re offered a pay raise or receive that long-awaited piece of eBay memorabilia in the mail, you want to tell your friends all about it. We get it. At On The Dot, we’re all about sharing stories. So today, share your breaking news with us!
WOMEN IN NUMBERS: 49 Percent
When it comes to how we consume media in this all-connected age, we ladies use pretty much every device we can to learn about breaking news, from our smartphones to our laptops. Indeed, according to a recent research-firm study of 2,500 women, 49 percent said when news breaks, their go-to source is an online news site, with 67 percent of those women opting to access such sites from their cellphones. Given that many women feel totally naked when not clutching our phones, I think it’s fair to say that’s not news to us!
WOMAN TO WATCH: Jessica Best, Head of Editorial at Blendle
Times, they are a-changing, as they say, so it makes sense how we consume media is evolving too. I dare say there aren’t many of us who still wake up to a print newspaper at the door. Instead, we’re scrolling through our smartphones in bed, on our commutes and maybe even during a work meeting or two. Welcome to the future, folks! Today’s Woman to Watch, Jessica Best, completely gets it, and lucky for all us news addicts, she’s at the helm of a super cool startup that’s been dubbed the iTunes of journalism.
Jessica is the head of editorial at Blendle, a completely unique online journalism organization based in the Netherlands that offers major newspaper and magazine articles in one easy-to-use place. The more you read, the more Blendle gets to know you as a reader, and its algorithms send suggested content to your inbox. This is the go-to source if you’re afraid of committing to only one paid publication. With Blendle, readers pay per story, with costs averaging about 33 measly cents. Better yet: You’re able to request a refund if the story stinks, but fewer than 10 percent of readers actually do. Basically, they find their chosen articles worth every penny, literally.
The head of this news giant, Jessica is no stranger to journalism. She’s been an editor and reporter for several years, and experienced firsthand the financial stress of a declining market for print publications. But refusing to give up on her passion for news, Jessica switched gears in terms of how she thought about delivering media to readers, evolving the idea of what have traditionally been free online news stories to monetized content. What Jessica found by launching Blendle is quite interesting: Most explosive breaking-news stories and lots of clickbait are available for free, so that’s not what readers want from Blendle. Instead, they’ll pay for real investigative stories that take loads of time, research and analysis to produce.
Blendle readers are eating it up, with the company already boasting a million users in the Netherlands, Germany and the U.S., most of them younger than 35. It’s clear Jessica and her Blendle team have tapped into the next wave of media consumption, and we can’t wait to see how she continues to transform the digital age of journalism.
QUITE THE QUOTE
With Jessica Best and Blendle in mind, today’s quote comes from Al Gore, who said:
“I think that more diversity is a good thing, and fresh points of view articulated by people who are committed to excellence in journalism is a beneficial change in the American media landscape.”
This is Melinda Garvey signing off until next time. Remember, ladies, empowered women empower other women. Share On the Dot so more women can have a voice. Thanks for getting ready with us.
To learn more about our conversation, check us out at OnTheDotWoman.com and talk to us @OnTheDotWoman on Twitter and Instagram. We’d love to hear your voice.