I’m sure no disrespect was intended, but when a commercial real estate group in Tampa held its “meet the media” luncheon earlier this month, one of the organizers told me I was intentionally left off the roster. “Since you’re online only, maybe you could come over and talk to us about that sometime,” she said. For added effect, she could have poked me in the gut, too.
The fact is, many of the same people who read Real Estate Florida may notice that our bylines show up more frequently on GlobeSt.com. It actually makes practical sense—both are owned by Incisive Media, and in the interest of doing things more economically this past year, there has been quite a bit of crossover of resources.
In case you were wondering, the magazine is available in both print and online versions. We plan to publish four traditional print issues plus two online-only issues throughout 2009. (Click here to subscribe.)
It remains to be seen whether transitioning from ink and paper to pixels is the wave of the future, as newspapers appear to be doing. Journalism has evolved over the years, but it will never go extinct, as some talk-radio motormouths might have you believe.
But don’t just take my word for it: Read John Salustri’s letter in the most recent issue of our national Real Estate Forum magazine, which spells it out more eloquently than I can. And whatever format you choose to read us, I offer my sincere thanks and always invite your feedback.
Commercial Grove 
At least 2 factors are increasing the significance of B2B electronic media today:
The influence of a digital-oriented generation—Younger people in our workforce not only tend to communicate electronically themselves, but prefer at least some of their business news to be provided that way.
The sustainability movement—As companies seek to minimize their adverse effect upon the environment, some are minimizing the use of print media in favor of their electronic counterparts.
Despite these driving forces, there will always be a demand for print media for reasons such as John Salustri describes. The trend is not toward phasing out print media in favor of electronic media, but rather, toward careful consideration of our choices in light of their ultimate consequences. There is indeed a place for both types of media in our society … and a corresponding call for judicious selection of media venues of both types to meet informational needs.
I’m shocked Carl! Whoever dissed you must be like what 80 years old? Electronic publications are not only green but have a longer shelf life then the magazines. News in our industry is changing by the minute and I for one look forward to hearing from you while three days of the Trib are still sitting at my front door.