Don Nicholas

Founder & Executive Publisher

Don Nicholas serves as Executive Publisher for Food Gardening Network and GreenPrints. He is responsible for all creative, technical, and financial aspects of these multiplatform brands. As senior member of the editorial team, he provides structural guidance, sets standards, and coordinates activities with the technology and business teams. Don is an active gardener whose favorite crops include tomatoes, basil, blueberries, and corn. He and his wife Gail live and work in southern Massachusetts surrounded by forests, family farms, cranberry bogs, and nearby beaches. Don is also the Founder of Mequoda Systems, LLC, which operates and supports numerous online communities including I Like Crochet, I Like Knitting, and We Like Sewing.

Articles by Don Nicholas

How Modern Publishers Are Making Money — and How They’ll Make More in 2016

We've rolled out our year-end retrospectives and looks ahead, which we believe provide a blueprint for modern publishers looking to improve on audience development and conversion via sound but also

3 Multiplatform Publishing Predictions for 2016

Publishers will grow quickly when they embrace an integrated multiplatform publishing system for audience, content and teams Most multiplatform publishing companies didn't start out as multiplatform, unless you consider the web

Native Advertising Trends: FTC, HuffPo, Scripps, and More

Native advertising trends will shape the digital publishing industry in 2016. For one, they represent a more elegant and modernized option for online magazines looking to generate revenue the old-fashioned

10 Top Subscription Website Publishing Posts of 2015

Our most-read subscription website publishing posts of 2015 reveal a desire for better understanding of building, publishing and pricing subscription websites This year in our Subscription Website Publishing articles we've tackled everything

Mobile Ad Blocking: The Dominant Trend of 2015 … and 2016?

On desktop or mobile, ad blocking has emerged as the defining issue of digital publishing in 2015. This presents good news and bad news for online magazines looking to compete

Digital Media Industry Trends: Tablet Magazines, Ad Blocking, Mobile-First Design

The digital media industry trends dominating the headlines at the end of 2015 share some overlap with the digital media industry trends we started the year with -- monetizing mobile

Digital Magazine Publishing

10 Top Digital Magazine Publishing Posts of 2015

Our most-read digital magazine publishing posts of 2015 reveal a desire for better understanding of creating, publishing, pricing and selling magazines This year in our Digital Magazine Publishing articles we've tackled everything

Digital Magazine Editions Now Account for Quarter of Circulation

For online publishers and visitors to our Free Advice blog, it might seem like digital magazine editions dominate the industry, because they're all you care about and all we write

10 Top Multiplatform Publishing Posts of 2015

Our most-read multiplatform publishing posts of 2015 reveal a desire for better understanding of sponsorships, organization and cross-platform development This year we've tackled everything from online advertising models, content recycling and

Digital Media Ads: Cross-Device Targeting, 2016 Predictions, Ad Blocking

Digital media ads are only one part of a multiplatform strategy amid subscriptions, events, white papers, and other products, of course, but they sure can serve as an important 0ne,

Online Ad Revenue Experiences Unprecedented Growth

For some digital magazines, the effort to generate online ad revenue can evoke a verse from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: "Water, water everywhere, /

Publishing Deals: Airbnb, Hearst, Billfold, Medium, and More

They might not rival Major League Baseball's offseason hot stove of free agency and trades, but publishing deals at the end of 2015 are still making magazine industry news in

Digital Magazine Publishing

Magazine Content Monetization: How Smart Publishers Turn Content into Cash

How magazine content monetization has gotten more profitable, if you publish it in the right places Something we know from talking to niche publishers at the industry events we speak at,

IAC Joins Ranks of Publisher Networks With New Venture

For some companies with multiple properties, publisher networks just make sense as a way to centralize operations and standardize content across all platforms for the purposes of more attractive options

Audience Development Strategy

10 Steps on How to Write a White Paper

At Mequoda, one of our basic principles is to give things away. After all, how can people trust your content until they have a sample? And how will they ever

Mobile Magazine Publishing Demands Data, Tech Chops

The promise of mobile magazine publishing is no mirage -- it's just not so easy to achieve in the midst of viewability, targeting, and tech issues. Monetizing mobile is the

Is 2016 the Year Digital Magazines Master Online Publishing Platforms?

Online publishing platforms or offline publishing platforms or any platforms in between, it doesn't matter: We're fans of a good many of them, and believe in a "more-the-merrier" approach because

Coming Soon to Digital Advertising Metrics: RFT

The benefits of online advertising are undeniable, but for better or worse, realizing them can be an exercise in patience and persistence because of the wide-open state of affairs in

Digital Magazine Publishing

What is a Paywall?

Digital magazines are relying less on advertising by implementing paywalls that influence more subscriptions Remember the days when digital editions of magazines were only available by paid subscriptions? You'd arrive at

Digital Consumers Up Big at The New Yorker

Digital consumers are the end all be all for Internet publishing companies. Everything revenue-related runs through them. Digital consumers click, read, subscribe, and share. They are the goal. Here's the good

Increased Multi-Platform Media a Goal for America’s Test Kitchen

We've made it clear over the years how much we admire America's Test Kitchen, practically our neighbor here in the Boston area. We admire them because they've achieved great

5 Signs of Bad Website Design & How to Fix

Websites are not magazines (most of the time). However, magazine content can be the basis of a successful periodical website that follows the basic rules of periodical website design and

Publishers on Digital Magazine Platforms: Social, Mobile, Tech

As multiplatform publishing strategists who partner with many different kinds of media companies, we take a fairly liberal view of digital magazine platforms. That is to say, we consider digital

Best Digital Magazines, New Magazine Launches Highlight Min Events

Tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 3, marks MinOnline's 13th annual Most Intriguing and Hottest Launches Awards Celebration, while Friday, Dec. 4, marks the entry deadline for its Best of the Web Awards.

Digital Magazine Publishing

What is Sponsored Content?

These six publishers are nailing sponsored content, but all in very different ways Last week we talked about the guidelines for writing native content advertising, also known as sponsored content. Now

Regional Magazines Make for a Model That Works for Digital Publishers

Regional magazines can cover several states or be hyperlocal, but regardless of their geographical reach, they operate with a hardwired niche strategy no matter what the topic, based purely on

4 Unique Multi-Platform Publishing Examples by Legacy Magazines

Multi-platform publishing examples that brought these magazines to rockstar status Do you remember the saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure?” For smart and innovative magazine publishers, this little idiom

News From Legacy Publishers: Condé Nast Editorial, Executives Undergoing Big Changes

Did you know that while many Mequoda Members are niche publishers and regional publications, many others have been legacy publishers looking to transition to creating digital magazines that can compete

B2B Publishers’ Revenue Up in 2015, ABM’s Business Information Network Reports

B2B publishers are some of the most forward-thinking in the magazine media industry. Why? Because you have to be to survive. We count many B2B publishers among our Mequoda Members,

Apple Publishing for Digital Magazines: Is “News” Working?

Apple publishing opportunities have long served as a component of digital magazines' plans, but toward the end of Apple Newsstand's run, it became clear that the service was not actually

Regional Magazine Metro Parent Goes Multiplatform with Mequoda System Launch

Another new Mequoda multiplatform publishing system is born Everyone loves to brag about their children, and at Mequoda we feel the same way about our clients. One of our most successful

28 Creative Ideas for Blog Posts [+ Video]

If you find the concept of blogging several times a day exhausting, join the club. However the one thing that publishers have over any other type of content-creators is an

Advertisement Regulations Come Into Play on Key Issues for Publishers

Advertisement regulations are ramping up with the proliferation of digital advertising revenue opportunities like native content, programmatic ads, and mobile viewability. In addition, ad blocking programs and data privacy also

Great Examples of Newsletter Subscription Website Sales Pages

Great Examples of Newsletter Subscription Website Sales Pages

Each of these newsletter subscription websites illustrate how to collect and convert website visitors into paid digital subscribers If you sell a print newsletter, considering a newsletter subscription website is a

Mobile Viewability Update From MRC: Fully Loaded Ads and Count on Decision

Media Rating Council issues revisions to mobile viewability guidelines; plus, Adobe's audience development data and a vertical video solution Ad viewability, especially mobile viewability, is arguably the issue facing digital publishers:

Native Advertising Trends: AskMen’s Events and News UK’s Time Spent

Does it seem like there's been more news about native advertising trends lately? Well, that's because there has been. Sponsored content has skyrocketed in popularity, and the execution of these

Digital Magazine Publishing

How to Create a Multiplatform Magazine Business Model

From content planning to determining your exit strategy, every successful multiplatform magazine business model includes planning these seven things At Mequoda we spend a significant amount of time building custom business

Digital Publishing Metrics News: Page Views, Disaggregated Content, Ecommerce, Social Media

ALM, Hearst, Google, Apple, Texture, Time Inc. are the media companies and digital magazines leading the shift in publishing metrics Much like old-school counting statistics in baseball, old-school publishing metrics like

19 Facets of the Best Content Management System for Publishers

The best content management system for publishers doesn't stop at content or management If you’re a publisher in business today – congratulations! You’ve already navigated some stormy times and maybe even stabilized

Brands as Publishers: What Can They Learn From Digital Magazines?

With LinkedIn, content marketing, and other opportunities for audience development, brands as publishers are in a position to flourish Brands as publishers, publishers as brands ... given the digital media evolution

What Are Native Ads’ Status Among Publishers?

First things first: What are native ads, as we know them today? Native advertising is sponsored content crafted by marketers, often in collaboration with in-house studios at digital magazines, that's

Online Magazine Advertising News: Mobile, Branded, Programmatic

Online magazine advertising is growing exponentially, especially on mobile, but there's much to be sorted out before it can truly serve as a cornerstone revenue generator for all digital publishers.

Social Media, Magazines a Match on Experimentation

Social media: Magazines know they must have a presence, but the problem comes in fully achieving it. For instance, when, why, how, and where to post? Or, alternately, do you

How Subscription Websites Bring in Publishing Revenue with Little Spend

For print magazines and newsletters, subscription websites offer a plethora of ways to gain publishing revenue with little upfront cost Legacy publications should be ultra focused on how to create dynamic

Google Visibility Math: Organic SEO Metrics that Matter

Almost a decade ago, a close colleague told me that it was impossible to figure out how much search traffic a website could or should be receiving from Google and

Subscription Publishing News: New York Times, Mobile Apps, and Ed Tech

Subscription publishing is another element of multiplatform strategy that digital magazines must stay attuned to, as the landscape seems to shift every week. Most recently, paywalls for online content have

B2B Publishing News: Editorial Advice, Mergers & Acquisitions, Digital-Only Decisions

The latest in B2B publishing includes Penton's purchase of MRO Network; Informa's bet on events; and CIO's big change B2B publishing represents the best of niche strategy; audience development depends largely

Digital Magazine Publishing

What Modern Multiplatform Magazines Look Like

Why do modern multiplatform magazines make so much money? At Mequoda we talk about publishers that have multiplatform magazines on a regular basis, but what we don't always mention is that

Internet Advertising Revenue Drives Local Ad Boom

Internet advertising revenue isn't all the way there quite yet as the sole source of profit for the majority of publishers, but it continues to grow at a rate that

The Library Website Business Model

Discover how ConsumerReports.org and Lynda.com are utilizing the reference subscription website model A reference subscription website archetype allows paid subscribers continued access to a library of content that is updated constantly

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