Dodos To Business 2.0: Welcome To The Club

As a WEB strategist, I’m just disappointed by this news, I’ve been subscribed for years and use the mag to confirm market trends.

Wow, glad I read this post, I was just about to subscribe! That’s a shame, it really was a good magazine and I’ve not seen anything fulfiling the same niche, at least not over here anyhow.

I have the renewal check written and ready to send… good thing I saw this, very unfortunate as I did like the mag.

Correction: Chris Anderson was a founder, but it was another Chris Anderson. This Chris is now the curator of TED. Both Chrises are formidable people and thinkers.

What’s going to happen to current mail subscribers? I just renewed my subscription within the last month.

Boo! Any idea what will be done with outstanding subscriptions?

I agree. It was a decent mag. I read it quite a few times over the years. I liked it because it spent a lot of time on software and the web and it wasn’t overly produced and shiny like Wired has become. Fast Company and Inc. don’t have quite enough tech focus for my taste.

What else is out there in terms of non-online mags? I like to have a paper mag to read on the bus sometimes.

Jimmy
apologies and corrected.

no…what is this?

i like business2 - i have been a subscriber for a while, it’s one of my favorite magazines - this sucks, terribly

why are they closing…and more importantly, what’s the next best publication for business2-related stuff?

How disappointing. I’m a subscriber, along with Inc and a few others. I really like top notch content mags, and Business 2.0 was at the top of my fav list. It’s a shame someone can’t manage to figure out how to keep it afloat. There are plenty of us willng to pay decent coin for great content.

Anybody else out there join the Facebook group that tried to keep Biz 2.0 going?

What a shame. Probably the best magazine to chronicle start-ups and emerging trends. RIP

booohooohooohooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

duncan - what is a dodos? is it an australian term? i’ve never heard of it.

i have heard of toodles but never dodos -let me know so I can use it correctly

This is sad news. I always enjoyed reading it.

Sorry to see this great mag dissapear. I have been a loyal reader for years and really liked their coverage…

FYI: A Dodo is an extinct flightless bird.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo

Rodney Rumford

Thanks Rodney!

Well that sucks, Business 2.0 was a great mag

What a shame, I really enjoyed the magazine too. I agree there’s not too much else out there which competes, but most people interested in this mag also get their news online so it’s difficult to come up with new stuff.

@13. Dodos - haven’t heard of that word down under. Dodo = inept/dumb person (as well as extinct bird).

This truly sucks. I have been a subscriber almost since the very beginning. I teach an intro to business management course and an intro to marketing principles class at a local University and recommend this mag to my classes to get up to date information and research for their papers and presentations. Fast Company and Inc. are okay, but there is large tech focus here in Austin and those two magazines just don’t cut it for that type of content.

I am subscribed through October of ‘08. I hope they don’t send me Money or Fortune as a substitute. Ugh!

According to Time customer svc. you can get a refund or apply to another mag sub.

This sucks. Anyone know where Josh Q is going to land.

I loved this magazine. I read every issue cover to cover. Something this good should not be going down. Very disappointed.

Such a shame! This is a really wonderful mag. The best of the bunch in my estimation. I’ve been a subscriber for years.

Blogs are great, like grabbing a quick and tasty 4 pound borrito at Chipotles. Love ‘em. But interesting magazine articles are the big, slowly prepared meals that you savor.

Both satisfy your hunger. But I regret we’re losing the big meals and will soon have only quick food.

The B2B magazine publishing business is, across the board, experiencing a contraction — too many trade mags chasing too few advertisers.

It seems that the advertisers, not the subscribers, end up choosing which publications will live or die. Subscription fees are typically a small contribution to the publisher’s revenue base.

Hi Dave,

He’s off to Fortune. Check this link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09.....?ref=media

@20. Dave - This sucks. Anyone know where Josh Q is going to land.

That is a great pity. It is a fine magazine and will be missed.

Michael Copeland was a Sr. Editor and included us (Curious Office & Imagekind) in a few issues. He and the team were really good people. I hope to see them turn up soon at another great magazine. They will be in high demand I’m sure.

I am disappointed with the news!
I like the magazine, and I want it still published.

They’ll probably change us over to Fortune…

Indeed very disappointing news, I was reading this magazine since ‘98.

This effin’ sucks . . . yes, the print media industry will surely die. But, this soon? And a pub that truly supports the spirit of the new era. It’s like the ‘ol music debate . . . will the acoustic guitar ever be obsolete? Doubt it. But, there is a world where drum machines and guitars co-exist, because the beauty in both is recognized . . . so why not blogs, etc. and tech zines. (I know, I know. It’s all about $$$$$$) But what will it take for a print publication to survive??? Or is it a lost cause . . .???

- Old Skool Media Geek from Ohio

I switched to Entrepreneur magazine about a year ago and have been really happy with the content. Entrepreneur.com is a pretty good way to get the articles online too. Hopefully this can be a good substitute for others out there as well.

I think I have picked this magazine up injust about every airport in the U.S. and many in Europe. I need to see how many publications I have. I hate to see it go. I always found something useful reading it.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I have been reading B2.0 since 2001. This is my favorite business magazine. It is so easy to read and it always game me plenty of ideas.

OH man that really sucks. At least we still have TechCrunch.

They should have covered Microsoft more closely, pushed our products, trolled for us, …… they would still be in business like PCWorld, ZDnet, Techcrunch, … etc

http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com

Very sad. Business 2.0 was an excellent publication which actually managed to keep up with the online new sources in terms of presenting relevant and fresh information in each issue. This is just one more screw-up in a long time of poor decisions from Time and its parent company.

I really hope that some other publisher will pick it up and continue to print it out, even if it is through Lulu. Or maybe some Internet company will buy it and digitize it.

Should have died after the dot-com boom that created it. Oh well, one less biz tech porn rag to read on the crapper.

That sucks, Business 2.0 was one of the few quality magazines I enjoyed reading!

I blame websites like techcrunch personally

Been a faithful reader for over half a decade and a subscriber for over a year. One of my favourite mags.

Got the renewal notice in the mail a few weeks back and luckily held off.

Such a shame.

Would be nice to see them keep some of the writers on board and transition it to an online mag (blogs).

B2.0 was not a POS like many other rags. It connected with it’s readers. It was current and NOW, vs. old, tired, and past it’s useful life.

I enjoy the online version & blogs. Someone else should step into their space and snag the longing readers.

If they were really having that rough of a time, they could have combined it with another mag, like FORTUNE or FORTUNE Small Business. That would have increased readership, exposed subscribers to something new, and made advertisers and readers happy.

P.S. I got the Dodo reference.

With such a gimmicky, buzzword-milking, faddy name, is it any surprise? That’s the layman’s take on this.

Its a shame as I got many biz ideas from it, for the future… sob,

Boo. How can we tell the publisher to keep this magazine?

Very sad…even the Facebook group created just to keep Bus. 2.0 alive only worked for one more issue. Sorry to see this mag go.

This is some bad news. Was one of my favourite magazines.

Ironic. The magazine that talked up new media and personal publishing, has no paid readership for the printed version, and thus dies.

Unconscionable. I’m picking myself up off the ground, abhorring the horror. Who are these people making the decision to kill this magazine?! This mag acts as a primer of what’s going on, and it captures it using an entrepreneurial style that encourages free thinking and indoctrinates innovation. Sure, you can post this stuff on a website somewhere, but i will miss the tactile feel of carrying this mag in my laptop bag, pulling it out when i’m boarding my next flight to go somewhere.

As someone who lives/works far outside of any type of web/internet/business zones I will miss this magazine as it kept me up to date. I have yet to see any other magazine or website match or replace its content.

Being in the UK it gave us an excellent insight into what’s happening in America along with emerging trends across the world. There’s nothing else like it in the market at the moment, but the irony is that its probably never been more needed, both by those in the industry and those trying to understand how technology will impact on their world.

I had a feeling this was going to happen. The mag seemed a little light (no ads) for the past year or so. I really dig this rag. Really sorry to see it go. Been a subscriber from the start as well. RIP.

I have the same sentiments as everyone else - this is a loss with nothing out there to truly replace it. I guess this shows that Facebook groups like the one I joined, “I read bussiness 2.0 and want to keep reading,” are not the potent lobbying force some of us hoped they’d be. Not yet at least.

Time Warner had to be able to make a profit with 600,000+ subscribers. Many magazines would kill for that readership. The truth is the very things predicted in the magazine came to pass. Josh and the team should quit, go on line and have the subscribers pay them directly like Ohm and TechCrunch. Their apt perspective will be missed. Nothing around could match the readability and editorial content. It was my favorite magazine.

I am really disappointed. As a new entrepreneur, I rely on mags like Business 2.0 for inspiration. When I was in the corporate world, Business 2.0 was required reading for my team. I hope someone resuscitates it!

Wow….I just subscribed a few weeks ago. I haven’t even gotten an issue yet…but I have gotten a bill.

This has always been my favorite magazine. It is so much better than Wired or Fast Company (at least they got rid of that stupid text that wrapped the margins and gutter pages.) I was going to use older issues in a class I was teaching to kids about entrepreneurship because it was always fresh, topical, and forward thinking. There is nothing to replace business 2.0 in my mind. Maybe the problem was that it didn’t have a dedicated website - it was always part of that conglomerate website.

Here’s an idea - publish it on Zinio - complete with the ads. I would absolutely subscribe and their paper costs would go down. I am one of those people that gets as much info from ads as content, so I like seeing them. Plus, every magazine that I have that is published electronically, I subscribe to that version. No more wondering if the mailman is reading it, or searching the house for a back issue. It’s all there on my computer.

I hope that someone fills the void left by this great magazine.

Post #57 … you’re spot on regarding B20’s online presence. It was lacking, not enough life, and I’m postive being part of the conglomerate gang only hurt it. Good grief, look at the domain name you have to click on when you Google Business 2.0

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/

Both Money and CNN and Magazine come up before you even get to Business 2.0 And that sums it up. It needed it’s own haunt on the web, untethered to all the other stuff.

Not just my favorite magazine. It’s the best magazine in the market. This magazine give people knowledge and inspiration.

What’s the reason?
What’s the reason?
What’s the reason?
What’s the reason?
What’s the reason?

Why are you closing the magazine that people love?

TechCrunch should it

Oh! BTW, I knew TechCrunch because of Business 2.0.

Wow, that does blow. Best magazine out there

Terrible news! I don’t see why they can’t turn this into a web based magazine to keep costs down and try to keep it alive.

sad.

when in the offline world, what will i read now?

- rudy.sellsius°

Wow … thats a shame! I loved this magazine. It was the only offline magazine I read.

It surprises me more to read that people are shocked by this than it is to have heard the news of the closing itself. It can only point to a sincere lack of real understanding of what is going on with business and the web.

Information moves faster now. Faster means that it gets to you sooner. Anything that requires even a week of production time (this is called a “lead time” in media business) is in danger of not being able to bring the story to you fast enough. The average monthly magazine - aka, Business 2.0 - is on a THREE month lead time MINIMUM. Advertisers are not stupid. And, if you have really been reading B20, you may have noticed that some times, articles or topics may have seemed irrelevant or dated.

It is happening - and will continue to happen - in many, many areas of publishing between now and the next year. Expect more.

What a shame. Of the many business and industry magazines I get a month, this is the only one I actually took the time to read and enjoyed.

Let me add: the sure sign of death in print media is always very thin issues. This is because (and I’m rusty here, because I’ve never worked ad-side in media) that magazines must have equal pages of ads to editorial, aka “articles”. No ads, no articles. Business 2.0 was looking mighty lean over the past few months. When you see that happen, it is not a good sign.

Most print media publishers know they need to move online, at least to some degree, but few know exactly how - and this lack isn’t limited to media at the moment. Entertainment is struggling just as much, advertising, publicity, marketing - in the past, brands ruled and big brands could generate a big draw. The web eliminated this - and the people behind the curtain at networks, studios, and print media houses, may not know how to find their way now.

Rather than being disappointed, be excited. This is why it is such an exciting time for entrepreneurs. Those giants had great strongholds on everything, but now the playing field is leveled, and on top of it, the cost to enter the game so much lower.

I hate to see B20 go. I loved it and have had a long history with some of its journalists. But, this is disruption. Things will settle down.

I subscribe to two magazines: Entrepreneur and Business 2.0. I read both cover to cover every month. This is really disappointing. The thing I liked about B2.0 over Entrepreneur was its tech focus. I don’t know what I’ll subscribe to in its place. I canceled my Wired subscription for B2.0 about a year and a half ago because Wired was getting too gamer and sci-fi for my tastes.

I worked with James Daly in 1999 during the emergence and rise of Business 2.0 as a powerhouse publication that explored the rise of e-business. I was fortunate to secure B2’s sponsorship of and partnership in an event series I put together for Sprint called Conversations at the Intersection of Commerce and Technology. During the course of that event, I had a chance to get to know James and the friendship continued for years. We do need to remember Business 2.0 as one of the more innovative magazine of our lifetime and recognize the great leadership and vision of James and Chris.

Todd: “Ironic. The magazine that talked up new media and personal publishing, has no paid readership for the printed version, and thus dies.”

The magazine had plenty of paid readership, and the circulation numbers were stable from last year. It was just the ad pages that declined.

Wow, I JUST ordered a subscription too. Had no idea the company was failing until I saw a thread like this yesterday. I hope I get a refund.

Extremely disappointed as well as a lot of others, judging by the comments… business 2.0 was a great magazine. RIP.

Too bad! I enjoyed Biz 2 very much. What else is out there that is similar? I already get Inc.

Techcrunch needs to take advantage of this by printing Business Crunch starting out with a limited number of prints in major cities a beta release if you will; and ofcourse you can only get subscription via invite.

http://jesusinabusinesssuit.wordpress.com/

I better get a free one!

What a shame. B2 was the only magazine that I did read from cover to cover. I even read old issues again.

This just SUCKS!

This is horrible!!! This was my favorite magazine!!!

Oh no, I really love B2.0. Why don’t good things last?

Post #66 Patricia:

Valid point on the speed of information. But I disagree that this is why this mag is now dead. A well-produced magazine offers content that’s not overly time sensitive, and in my opinion, B20 pulled that off. Enough that 98 percent of us in this post (who get plenty of info at lightspeed each day) say we loved it, and read each issue cover to cover. I never read every blog post in TCrunch, or any other blog. Maybe one in five at the most. But B20 … I read EVERYTHING.

It offered deeper penetration on Web stories, behind the scenes stuff and a ‘fully brewed perspective’ you’ll never, ever see on a fast paced, got-to-get-it-out-now-or-I’ll-die blog. I think I speak for many here … we want both worlds, and we like the feel of print in our hands (I don’t want to stare at a screen 17 hours a day).

I believe poor execution in the face of a disruptive technology is the reason … and I don’t buy that a business can’t sustain itself and even thrive with such a large, loyal and well-to-do consumer base.

Definitely a huge disappointment. As others have had similar sentiments, out of the dozen or so mags I subscribe to, this was the only one I looked forward to and always read cover to cover. In fact I just took a flight and this was the only mag I read out of the four I packed.

Maybe Google Maps will find a suitable replacement.

#68 Patricia
“But, this is disruption. Things will settle down.”

This is intentional, right? Surely you know their latest issue’s cover story is the next disruptors. A bit prescient of the publisher. Now if they would only know who the disruptor is that will package those great articles for us.

In the UK Popular public opinion encouraged Cadbury’s to re-launch their Whisper Chocolate bar - perhaps weight of world opinion could force a re-think on Business 2.0 (and give it a stand alone website!)

gone the way of many magazines… sorry to hear. but, if a publication covering new trends in publishing, technology and the new economy couldn’t see that coming years ago… something was wrong. Reminds me of the fate of The Industry Standard.

Its so sad to hear that Business 2.0 is ceasing production. Is the site remaining or will it be phased out as well? I first came across the magazine in Nairobi, Kenya in 2004 and since then I made every effort to get my copy from my newsagent. As you can imagine, and as so many 2.0′ers can vouch, I would devour the magazine (including back issues) from cover to cover. I moved to England this year and having been unable to get a copy I have been a constant visitor to the site. On a positive note, the void left by its demise has opened new frontiers for the netpreneurs in us. Success is built on the foundations of failure and we the B2.0 faithful are now challenged to literary rise to this challenge!

I love Business 2.0!!! Everyone I know in hi-tech loves it. What went wrong. I kept a U.S. POB address just to get the magazine as they won’t ship it outside the U.S. Always read it cover to cover, this feels like a blow in the face.

Was also just about to subscribe. I’ve used plenty of the information I learnt from issues but a lot of that info is already online from other sources. This prevents me from being too suprised at their closure.