Media Kitty
URL: www.mediakitty.com
Created by: Heather Kirk, Laura Serena, and Kurt Mang Date of birth: September 5, 2001
Numbers count: 2,729 members; 2,398 total member posts; 20,000 to 40,000 unique visits per month, with around 20 page views per visit; 10,000 e-mail subscribers to the free newsletter
The Gist: Media Kitty is a blog designed to facilitate information exchange and build connections between journalists and public relations professionals working in the travel industry. Members make content contributions in the form of press releases, story pitches, requests for contact, event information, and more. Media Kitty staff track members and facilitate introductions between members. Staff also encourage posters to adhere to a common level of excellence and usefulness, and review every registration to ensure that members are journalists or public relations professionals working in the travel industry. Membership is free for journalists and $49 a month for public relations professionals.
The Technical Details: Media Kitty runs on proprietary software running on an ASP.Net SQL server. The system boasts some common blogging functionalities: tools for posting in HTML without knowing HTML, search, and entry expiration dates. It also has some unusual aspects: 120-bit encrypted user authentication and e-commerce. The system was designed for simplicity and can be maintained by a single part-time person.
The Financial Details: Revenue comes from subscriptions. Media Kitty has conducted very little advertising or marketing, relying on word of mouth to make its target audience aware of the service.
What's Cool: Members of Media Kitty keep current via e-mail alerts and can even search for job opportunities and media trips via the site. Media Kitty launched just before September 11, 2001, but survived the depression in the travel industry that followed that date — a testament to the usefulness of the site and the value of its content.
Plans for the future: Media Kitty plans to launch an affiliate program and a syndication service and to spend some time developing a serious sales pitch to build the site's membership. In addition, it's looking for ways to help journalists sell their stories through the site. In the long term, Media Kitty plans to apply the knowledge it's gained serving this niche market to other industries.
Business Advice: "Protect your investment by earning a good reputation and coveting it. For example, build a loyal customer base and serve them in a personal way by looking out for opportunities they can benefit from. Ask them often about their needs and respond to those needs." — Heather Kirk
Technical Advice: "People should buy whatever they can off the shelf. Only develop custom code for what you can't buy out of the box. Also, be sure to design for all browsers and platforms — don't make your users jump through hoops." — Heather Kirk media
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Media Kitty is a new, fast growing network uniting qualified journalists with tourism industry professionals worldwide.
Join now to post or view the latest news, trips, jobs, events, contra opportunities and more.
Our service is free for journalists and PR professionals pay just 349 a month. Join now!
Heather Kirk Founder, Managing Director
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