Hot Stuff

Here's a riddle: What smoothly blends original content (like that found in magazines) with interactive features such as live chats, message boards and links to online retail sponsors (like those found in an online community)? It's not easy to answer. Don't call it an e-zine-that doesn't sound professional enough. Don't call it a community-that doesn't reflect the original content of editors and writers. So what's the word? How about Webzine/community.

What makes the newest incarnation of the magazine (part of the $1.19 billion Web publishing industry) so successful is the opportunity for editors to know what readers are thinking almost instantaneously-and to target content, new interactive features and advertising accordingly. "We're in touch with our audience on a daily basis," says Esther Drill, 29, who started gURL.com, an enormous site for teen girls that offers editorial content, live chats, message boards and more, in 1996. "We know what they're interested in, and we use that knowledge to grow and improve our site."

Steve Silberman, senior culture writer at Wired News (Wired mag-azine's Internet news service), says the relationship between readers and advertisers is the key to the success of many sites. "Salon [a Webzine] does various sponsorship deals where they'll do an article about an album, and at the bottom, it will say, 'Buy this album at Borders,' " says Sil-berman. "That's a good idea, because one of the great things about the Web is that you can market directly."

Silberman warns, however, not to assume that just because it's the Web, a Webzine/community will be a huge success after, say, six months. "With print magazines, it's understood that it takes about five years to get off the ground," says Sil-berman. "It feels different because it's the Web and everything feels so accelerated, but the patience to hang out down there in the red while the readership builds is really important."

While Webzines/communities may earn as little as $1,000 to more than $1 million a year, according to research group Activ-Media, these sites projected a 283 percent increase in sales between 1997 and 1998.

Tech/Specialized Staffing Services

For the fifth year running, specialized staffing services reign supreme as a perpetually hot business. With low unemployment rates and the creation of more jobs requiring technically skilled and highly educated workers, job seekers are finding they can pick and choose from a variety of great opportunities, and companies are seeking help in hiring these workers.

"Companies are recognizing they don't have the expertise to recruit and evaluate people with specialized skills," says Bruce Steinberg, associate editor at Staffing Industry Report. "[Additionally,] the new business model that's developing is to concentrate on your core strategy. Anything that's not your core strategy is probably best done by someone on the outside." Which means that companies are going to staffing services to find even more outside help in areas like legal services, accounting and marketing.

According to Staffing Industry Report, both professional/special and technical/IT staffing services increased by an estimated 25 percent between 1997 and 1998. And what are some of the hotter areas boosting this $26.3 billion industry? Technical employees, which can include anything from software programmers to IT integration specialists and Web site developers; creative talent like graphic artists and copywriters; and consultants.

Contact Sources

Angela Carson Photography, 117 N. Wing St., Northville, MI 48167, acarsonpho@aol.com

Autobistro Inc., (949) 833-1408, ext. 104, fax: (949) 833-1409

Candid Color Systems, 1300 Metropolitan Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73108, (405) 951-6839

Raymond Coen, (310) 459-8843

Elite Concierges, (800) ASSISTANT, jp@leconcierge.com

gURL, gURLstaff@gURL.com, http://www.gURL.com

HR Logic, (617) 558-8600, http://www.hrlogic.com

International Data Corp., (508) 872-8200, http://www.idc.com

Juice Gallery, (909) 597-0791, http://www.juicegallery.com

Marvelous Meals, (949) 488-8160, mmeals@athome.com

National Spa and Pool Institute, (703) 838-0083

Paychex Inc., (800) 322-7292, http://www.paychex.com

Staffing Industry Report, (650) 948-9303, http://www.sireport.com

United States Personal Chef Association, (800) 995-2138, http://www.uspca.com

The Vincam Group Inc., (800) 962-4404, http://www.vincam.com

This article was originally published in the January 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Hot Stuff.