03.09.2010 at 4:54 pm | Have your say »

GEO.de vows more to cluck users

Starting with reluctant toe-dipping into the world of the Internet, German-based glossy magazine GEO.de needs more than a decade to realize state-of-the-art way to reach to its valued readers through the website.

“In the beginning we try to distance the Geo website with the big name of our magazine in fears that the website could tarnish our well-established brand image,” said Editor in Chief of GEO.de, Christoph Kucklick recently.

“We have separate sites, lay-outs and technology. Everything we put in separate ways in case it ruins our brand we could easily switch it off.”

Kucklick acknowledged there had been controversies swirling around the editorial staff about the issue and whether they would put the trusted and highly-respected image of the magazine on the website, which would rely mostly on the contents provided by users.

“But, we found out later that the outcome was quite the opposite. We received good quality contents from our readers. And, that’s why currently we began to integrate it with our brand,” he added.

New site for user travelers

GEO.de has launched its website in 1996, but only in the past two years, it enjoyed more active interactions with its readers thanks to its active contributions of newly-launched travel community website.

The idea behind the launch of the travel community website is to tap potential in the lucrative online travel business. The company says it is also looking into possibility to enter the growing market of online gaming for kids.

The magazine, which runs stories, among other things about nature, wild life, illegal logging, scientific photography and archeology, has launched two years ago a platform for avid travelers to let them share their experiences and pictures while trekking abroad.

Those travelers could upload everything, such as their own stories and pictures to the website.

A sample of GEO magazine covers is displayed at GEO office in Hamburg, Germany

Interest for contributions

The website enjoyed much benefit from the name of Geo, which was associated with the quality magazine, and targets top echelons of the society.

“Many readers have uploaded their travel reports and pictures on the website. They [the readers] know that by placing their reports and pictures in the highly respected GEO.de website, they enjoy much recognition,” he said.

GEO.de project manager Daniel Olzien answers questions from reporters.

“We just provided the platform for them to share their experience,” GEO.de’s project manager Daniel Olzien said.

Olzien said it was difficult for the company to convince its subscribers to visit the new website.

“Around 10 percent of our subscribers have joined the [travel] website, 10 percent of them actively contribute stories to the website,” Olzien said.

Potentials ready to be tapped

“With around 4 million people visiting the website per month, we think that the number has been sufficient to further develop our website,” he said.

According to Olzien, his company was also looking into the possibility of putting together the contents produced by professional editorial staff and those from the user-generated contents in equal treatment.

“Our advertisers, users as well as editors have seen that these [user-generated] contents are highly valuable,” he said.

“Our focus is how to enrich the editorial contents in the online edition,” he added.

He admits that its website is still far away from the ideal.

“We are still at the beginning. We still have a long way to go,” he said.

“But, yes, we are in the middle of transition to have purely developed contents for the online edition,” he asserted.

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GEO.de

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