Where Print Fits, circa 2009

Here I go, starting a brand new blog that (I hope) will explain what the heck is happening within the world of print in this wild age of electronic media.

If you know me, you know that I've written a weekly enewsletter, "Margie's Print Tip," for 10 years. My goal? To help educate buyers of print about the glories of print manufacturing...and similarly, to enlighten print reps and owners about the needs and challenges of corporate buyers.

This year has changed everything. First, we have a recession. Jobs for print buyers are disappearing, as companies cut marketing/print spend, and as important, as new media gain popularity.

Don't hate me because I love these new media! I'm fascinated by the power of social media, and nowadays find myself a student of all things Twitter, RSS, blogs, Flickr, Facebook, and so on.

No, I haven't flipped and turned my back on print. Au contraire! I see an entirely new publishing/communicating paradigm, where print now fits into the modern ways of reaching customers, consumers, and one's market.

So I started this blog to share my ideas with anyone willing to listen - and contribute their own ideas.

Print, after all, is one tool, one technology, used to communicate. We now have a ton more options at our fingertips (literally and otherwise) to get our corporate and personal messages out.

If I have one word of warning for buyers and manufacturers of print, it would be this: don't be so stubborn that you fail to see the opportunities ahead. Saying hello to electronic media does not mean you must say good-bye to print.

I hope to explore the brave new world of changing media in future posts. Who knows where 2010 will take us!