Web 3.0 & McClatchy (Part 3)

Web 3.0 Framework discussion

Below is a quick overview of the Web 3.0 framework for the McClatchy sites. We have not gone into the details of all the properties, but you can review the Web 3.0 section of this site for detailed discussions on each vertical category. This segment also includes an overview of the prevalent business models in the McClatchy properties.

Context
If you are looking for an apartment or a roommate in any of the top cities in the US, then Apartments.com is definitely the place. I found the Moving Center on Apartments.com very helpful as it provides very good information on packing and moving starting from truck rentals to moving quotes.

I also like the Research section on Cars.com. It allows users to research new and used car before they actually make the purchase. Side-By-Side Comparison on Cars.com allows users to compare cars.

CareerBuilder scores high on contextual navigation within the Jobs category. Broad job categories like College and Interns, Non Profits, etc. are well articulated.

Content
Most of McClatchy’s Internet properties are co-owned with Belo Corporation, Gannett, Tribune and The Washington Post Company and the strength of these old media companies in delivering high quality content is evident in sites like CarrerBuilder, Cars.com, Apartments.com, ShopLocal, Topix, etc.

The sites have a number of tools that allow users to perform various comparisons, search and other activities, thereby enhancing the user experience. The sites have also incorporated local content adding an extra dimension of Place, as discussed in my enhanced Web 3.0 formula.

Apartments.com users can also access the site’s MovingCenter to research community information, arrange truck and furniture rental, instantly check credit reports, change addresses through the postal service and more.

CareerBuilder users for example, can search for jobs, online courses, post resumes and read articles on career and employment. Topix users can post, edit, talk and discuss on news, pictures, current affairs, sports, etc.

Community
McClatchy has lagged other media companies in integrating community features in its sites. Be it Cars.com, Apartments.com or CareerBuilder, all the sites have relatively poor community features. Though ShopLocal has added Eva’s Shopping Blog it is nowhere close to IAC’s Pronto. However, Topix has very good community features and is probably the only site in the McClatchy portfolio that is worth mentioning. I like the forums section of Topix.

Commerce
Sites like CareerBuilder and ShopLocal earn revenues from e-commerce. CareerBuilder, in partnership with Amazon.com, retails books. CareerBuilder has partnered with ShopLocal to retail digital cameras, car alarms, iPods, etc. ShopLocal is a multi-channel shopping services provider. It has tie-ups with top retailers like Sears, Target, CVS, Best Buy, etc.

Personalization
Some McClatchy sites have a few good personalization features. CareerBuilder allows registered users to search for jobs, posts resumes, save searches, get e-mail alerts for job offers, job fairs, and career advice. Topix allows users to create profiles, post pictures, create and edit posts, and bookmark favorite forums. ShopLocal allows users to receive price alerts, find the hottest deals, swap information on great sales and deals in the ShopLocal Community forums and customize one’s shopping experience.

Vertical Search
Apartments.com is distinguished by its highly customizable searches. CareerBuilder allows job searching by 13 categories, including keywords, companies, industry, designation, location, salary, level of experience, qualification, etc. Topix allows users to search for news by city, state or postal code. Cars.com, ShopLocal, etc. have good vertical search engines. Search features on the various McClatchy sites are nothing outstanding but very functional.

Business Model
The various Internet properties of McClatchy earn revenues from online advertising, subscriptions and e-commerce. There are a number of local sites focusing on advertising revenues. Prominent among them are sacbee.com (Sacramento Bee), which attracts more than 26 million pages view in a month and Kansascity.com, which has monthly page view of 21.5 million and 2.085 million monthly unique visitors.

ShopLocal earns mainly lead generation revenues. Cars.com earns both advertising and lead generation revenues. Apartments.com earns mainly advertising revenues from property owners. CareerBuilder earns most of its revenue from commissions from career center services and subscription fees from employers. The site also offers resume services for $169 to $269. It also offers thank you letters, contact lists and cover letter services from $10 to $50. CareerBuilder is also a top choice among advertisers.

McClatchy also earns revenues from the online subscription through sacbee.com. Subscription charges vary from $0.99 for two days in a week to $1.73 for a week. This revenue model is likely to disappear, as most online newspapers become free. NYTimes has already set this trend in motion.

(To Be Continued)

[Part 1] [Part 2]

This segment is part 3 in the series : Web 3.0 & McClatchy
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