October 17, 2011

Social Media Magazines Prepare for Launch, With Facebook Pub "FB & Business" Making a Big Splash Out Of the Gate — Cover Story Of Debut Issue, Which Launches Today, Declares Obama the Winner in 2012 Because Of His Social Media Command

As we reported this summer, a series of new magazines designed to help businesses and executives leverage the power of the four leading social media services — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google — were preparing for a fall launch. And today, the first of these pubs, the Facebook-focused FB and Business hits cyberstands. Spearheading FB and Business is executive editor Mari Smith, who has been dubbed the "Pied Piper of the online world" in Fast Company, and is widely recognized as one of the world's leading experts on using Facebook for business. Today's debut issue rolls out with a bold cover story, called "Hey, Folks, It's Already Over!," which claims to be the first story to officially declare Barack Obama the winner of the 2012 election because of his Internet savvy. "President Obama's social media reach is staggering and far ahead of the field, which is just now assembling," the story, written by David Bullock, reads. "This means one thing: His message can and will be broadcast one-to-one to millions of people worldwide in a very short period of time. And some of those people will like it, comment on it, blog about it, re-tweet it, rant about it, and forward it." The magazine series is being launched through an exclusive distribution partnership with Office Depot, with a cumulative circulation base of 5 million business readers. "This has been one of the most difficult economic periods for small businesses, our core customers. Our commitment is to provide them with both the products and tools they need to grow their businesses," says Monica Luechtefeld, Office Depot's EVP of global e-commerce, in a news release. "These magazines will serve as manuals for those who understand the importance of social media, but need practical guidance in applying social media strategies to their businesses."

"Everyone keeps talking about different blocks of voters. Different states. The youth. New voters. If you take a close look at Obama's social strategy, it's a blueprint for raising money, influencing opinion, getting votes, attracting new voters. He's so far in the lead, no one can catch him already," said Eric Yaverbaum, associate publisher and co-founder of the Social Media Magazines series. "That shows you the power of social media. Even in an awful economy, his machine is so well oiled to grab every block of voter on the Internet, rapidly and with incredible experience." The cover story is bold, but Yaverbaum firmly believes in the logic. "Its over. We're saying it first. Unless whomever emerges from the GOP confusion and steals away Obama's social media brain trust, he'll defy history," he said in a statement. "History teaches us you can not get re-elected in a poor economy. If the price of gas is too much and there are no jobs, he should already be lame duck. You'll see how close the race remains throughout. And Social Media will be the 'swing vote' that gets him a second term."

"Businesses of every shape and size are desperately trying to figure out social media," said Jay Abraham, who Success magazine labeled as "possibly the greatest marketing expert alive today," in a news release. "What small businesses, which make up 95% of U.S. commerce, don't need is more ways to trick the search engines. They need authentic, ethical and meaningful methods to generate the enormous impact social media is capable of delivering to their enterprises."

The publications will be available at launch in 8 formats, including iPhone, iPad, Android, tablet, BlackBerry, Kindle, multimedia and print. All digital subscriptions are free, courtesy of Office Depot, with a subscription to the monthly print edition, priced at $179 per year per magazine. Free digital subscriptions are available here.