We had a pretty great year here at SmartPlanet in 2012. And judging from early indicators, we’re going to have an even better one in 2013. (Which means as a reader, you will, too.)
So if you’ll indulge me, a quick note on what’s been done — and what’s to come.
The most common piece of feedback about SmartPlanet in 2011 is that you wanted us to be smarter: more analysis, more reporting, better writing, more editing. You came to SP for intelligence but thought we could do better.
That’s exactly what we did this year: we hired a bunch of professional journalists, boosted our budget and brought you the good stuff. Last year, we were essentially a powerhouse blog network focused on innovation. This year, we became a kick-ass, coherent publication focused on global business innovation. That’s no small feat. (Thanks for sticking with us during the transition.)
We enter 2013 on extremely firm footing. Our readership — that’s you! — is rock-solid. Our writers are striking out and taking on more difficult assignments, and they’re paying off. Editorially, we’re trying new things every chance we can get. (Even if they don’t work out.) And our sole advertiser, IBM, continues to support us with great enthusiasm, as it has since we at CBS relaunched SmartPlanet in 2009. It’s hard to find that kind of stability in the wake of a global economic crisis, but here we are.
There are several things we weren’t able to achieve in 2012. Despite our editorial reorganization, the website — lovely as it is — still reflects the old structure and look, which is confusing. (We’re going to address that in the spring.) Our leaf-and-grass logo fails to embody our focus; we’re going to revisit that this year, too. And we’re going to put an extra push behind our mobile efforts — phone and tablet — now that so many of you are using them to read SmartPlanet.
On the editorial front, we’re going to keep focusing on quality. Just before the holiday break, I appointed four editors — congratulations Adrienne Lewin, Aly Windsor, Heather Clancy and Laura Shin! — to oversee different sections of the site. Over the last four months, we’ve been turning bloggers into writers and urging them to go out into the world and tell us about the great people, places and ideas they discover.
Bottom line: SmartPlanet should be an absolute delight to read. That’s what we’re working toward.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your help. Keep the feedback coming — you can use the contact link in my bio below to send it directly to me — and tell us what you do and don’t like.
And please, tell your friends about us. Share our articles. Pass along our newsletter. This is a community; let’s grow together.
