I’ve been thinking about the Demand Media IPO story in the context of how it affects the publishing industry and I’ve come to this conclusion. While SEO plays get search traffic, it’s unlikely readers really trust the source.

Think about it. If you’re looking for an answer, would you rather get a penny-per-word article with all the right keywords, or do you want info from the people who offer you useful solutions?

When an article gives me the answers I want, I’m happy.  When I’m happy I not only bookmark it, share it and add it to my feeds, but I also return to it again and again. These are the trusted web experiences that leave me open to recommendations.

So for me, content mills get the clicks, and well-curated stories and editorial teams get my advocacy and referral dollars. That being said, there’s stiff competition amongst trusted web properties — and speed and quantity sadly still play a role in who’ll earn the most ad revenue.

I just wrote a post on ways good publishers can increase their output while maintaining their quality. I’d like to continue collecting these sorts of resources and adding to this one. If you’re interested in seeing the superior signals rise above the noise, and you’ve got articles or topics to suggest, ping me (@suzyperplexus) or let us all know about them in the comments below.

Help define who and what matters in the mobile space. If you’d like to connect with others and amplify your influence in the mobile tech space, then join NetShelter and publishers PhoneDog, IntoMobile and VentureBeat for an evening of insights, merriment and mingling.

EVENT DETAILS:

Where: ROE Nightclub. 651 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94105

When: Thursday, July 15, 2010 | 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Registration: http://netsheltermixermobile.eventbrite.com
Cost: Free

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=130248163665499
Hashtag: #netsheltermixer

HOSTS
Pirouz Nilforoush [@pirouzn] and Peyman Nilforoush [@netshelter_ceo] , NetShelter [ @netshelter ]
Noah Kravitz [@phonedog_noah], PhoneDog
Will Park [@willpark], IntoMobile
Owen Thomas [@owenthomas], VentureBeat

Good: Amazon launched a new beta program that lets you offer your blog on the Kindle. I love that. I always wondered how certain blogs got in there and the rest of us were left without an option.

If you go to the Kindle Blogs page, you’ll see a link for the beta program in the left-hand colum. Just click it to to sign yourself up. Fill out all the required information, include images, and agree to the Terms of Service, and your blog will be available within 12-48 hours.

Amazon sets the price (not you) and there’s no way to give your blog away for free, which I might have done had I the option. Instead, Amazon set the price for my blog at $1.99 and I get 30% of that subscription price whenever I acquire a new Kindle reader.

This is not a viable income option, really, so don’t go there. It’s more of a nice surprise. Once your blog is approved, it’s available in the Kindle store. I have to admit, it’s kind of neat seeing my blog available for the Kindle but at the same time, I dread any user comments that might appear. Once you’re on Amazon, you open yourself up for user reviews.

Bad: I could have added any blog. Any. Bub.blicio.us is technically Brian’s blog, but I could have added it and collected the money for myself. As TechCrunch discovered, anyone can add TechCrunch even though it’s already one of Amazon’s featured blogs. Amazon is depending solely on the Honor Code (the ToS states you must own the blog).  Hmm … how trusting of Amazon.

Amazon told TechCrunch that

Occasionally, people publish material to which they do not have rights, in violation of the Terms and Conditions for Kindle Publishing for Blogs. In these cases we react vigorously to remove unauthorized copyrighted material.

The listing of a few unauthorized blogs was unfortunate and we have subsequently removed those titles.

So whether you decide to publish to Amazon or not, make sure you pay attention that no one else publishes your blog for you.

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Contact Michelle with news, stories, events, and more.
Email: michelle[at]writetech[dot]net
Twitter: @writetechnology, Friendfeed: michellel
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