1. American Speech-Language-
Hearing Association (ASHA)
• Founded in 1925
• 166,000+ members (speech-language pathologists, audiologists,
speech and hearing scientists, students)
• 4 scholarly journals
• went online in 2006, online only in 2010, PoD option offered in 2011
• 18 periodicals sponsored by ASHA’s Special Interest Groups
• went online only in 2010
• Association newsmagazine, The ASHA Leader
• print and online since 2002, e-Newsletter added in 2010, social media feeds in
2011, blog in 2013
As of January 2014, all online content will have transitioned to a
new, more robust online hosting platform featuring enhanced
multimedia and interactive capabilities as well as a single portal of
discoverability among all publications.
2. As ASHA continues to further enhance the
digital capabilities of its content, many lessons
have been learned about the whys and hows of
moving publications online. We’ve seen . . .
5 factors that come into play when considering why a
publication should go online.
5 steps to implement most effectively the transition
of a publication to online.
3. Why move a publication online?
5 factors to consider
1. What’s the added value, both for the specific
type of content and the engagement of
readers with that content?
a. Accelerates publishing schedule
b. Greatly increases discoverability
c. Enables 24/7 instant access
d. Provides greater multimedia capability
e. Supplies enhanced interactive / social media
capability
4. Why move a publication online?
5 factors to consider
2. Does it makes financial sense?
a. Assessment of overall cost savings
(print/shipping/staff reduction)
vs.
revenue loss (advertising) plus digital-specific
expenses (hosting platform development and annual
support, file provider vendor, apps)
3. Do affordable digital communication tools exist
that match well the present and anticipated future needs of
the content and readers?
5. Why move a publication online?
5 factors to consider
4. What are the professional norms and
expectations of those writing and reading the
content in terms of its availability in digital
form?
a. Are competing professional publications already
digital-only?
b. Do membership or readership surveys suggest a
receptivity to digital-only content?
c. What’s the word-of-mouth feedback about digital-
only at professional conferences?
6. Why move a publication online?
5 factors to consider
5. What’s the extent of in-house support and
buy in from your organization’s
management?
a. Is the digital-only transition mandated from
above, proposed by the publishing team for
best-practices and/or cost-savings benefits, or
both?
b. This is a key factor to consider when planning the
messaging about the digital-only transition.
7. How to move a publication online?
5 steps to follow
1. Seize control of the process and facilitate buy
in: Delineate the long-term strategic goals for
the publication.
a. Set forth the mission statement of the publication.
b. Connect it to the mission statement of the
organization.
c. Establish strategic goals: Where do you want the
publication to be in 3-5-10 years, in terms of stature
in field, audience size/composition, financial health,
types of content, functionality of accessing that
content. How will the move to digital-only help
satisfy these goals?
8. How to move a publication online?
5 steps to follow
2. Seize control of the process and maximize
functional/creative input into the development
of the online hosting platform: Draw up a
preliminary list of desired functionality and
desired aesthetics for the digital publication.
a. e-Commerce functionality
b. Discoverability of publication
c. Accessibility of publication
d. Multimedia capability
e. Interactive / Social Media capability
f. Will there be a PoD option?
g. Visual branding
9. How to move a publication online?
5 steps to follow
3. Research and select the online hosting
platform vendor that best satisfies the
functionality and long-term goals you
have established for the publication.
a. Criteria
b. Process
c. Contract and implementation
10. How to move a publication online?
5 steps to follow
4. Carefully manage the messaging and promotion
rollout. Critical for maximizing the buy in from
members/readers/writers/advertisers and minimizing
negative reactions.
a. Incorporate into platform development timeline,
with news strategically announced and advertised.
b. Include time for member/reader feedback before
launching.
c. Keep the messages consistent, memorable, and bite-
size.
11. How to move a publication online?
5 steps to follow
5. Build recurring operational post-
mortems into the plan.
a. Take a hard, honest look at what works and what
doesn’t.
b. Conduct 6 months out, and then annually.
c. Incorporate on a recurring basis a
methodologically sound way to obtain feedback
from readers.
