TABPI funds new b2b professionals group in South Africa JOHANNESBURG — TABPI is funding the creation of a new b2b media professionals group in South Africa, which will serve as the organisation’s first chapter outside of the United States. TABPI South Africa will operate independently out of a base in Johannesburg and is being set up by joint co-ordinators, Louise Marsland of Bizcommunity.com and Natalia Thomson of Now Media. Paul Heney, TABPI President, explains, “One of the main long-range goals of TABPI has been to foster groups that promote b2b journalistic integrity in different countries. This new organisation that Natalia and Louise are spearheading will be a great new resource for the growing b2b industry in South Africa and throughout the continent. Both of them care deeply about the b2b industry and are hoping to give something back.” The role of the TABPI South Africa will be: To raise the professionalism of b2b editors in South Africa. To facilitate relevant training opportunities. To provide a networking platform for b2b editors in South Africa. To provide pertinent research for the b2b industry. To raise the profile of the b2b media sector in South Africa. To liaise with current industry and regulatory online and publication structures for the greater good of the industry. Research Natalia Thomson explains: “We see this new group as a think-tank for b2b editors in South Africa and are hoping to host quarterly breakfasts with speakers, hold training workshops and conduct research. Less formal, more frequent networking functions are also planned.” Adds Louise Marsland, “Business-to-business media is a sector which needs attention. It is an important contributor to the economy when done right and with credibility. Online has changed the media paradigm completely and b2b media can specifically harness online innovation and industry peer networks for future sustainability. We also plan to raise the profile of the b2b industry amongst media training institutions, advertising agencies, the general media sector, public relations professionals and marketers across a wide spectrum of industry throughout Africa.” There has been little to no research and upliftment of the trade/business-to-business media sector in South Africa in recent times and both Marsland and Thompson have set benchmarks with their research into this vital media sector in the past two years for the completion of their respective Masters degrees. In addition, Thompson was a recipient of the TABPI Young Leaders scholarship and Marsland has spent 20 years in the media sector in South Africa, focusing on b2b media in the past 13 years. Bizcommunity.com will provide TABPI South Africa with a free press office, which will be set up shortly, along with a Facebook group page. For more information, or to make sure you are on the new group’s database, please email: nataliat@nowmedia.co.za, or editor@bizcommunity.com.   TABPI co-sponsors b2b session at South African magazine conference TABPI was delighted to partner with the Magazine Publishers Association of South Africa and co-sponsor the b2b stream of its recent Business of Magazines Annual Conference '07. The event was held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from November 6-7. It also included the Pica Awards Dinner. The second day of the conference featured a full-day track focused on b2b publications, moderated by TABPI President Paul Heney. Also speaking was former TABPI Young Leaders Scholarship winner Natalia Thompson, Managing Editor of Travel News Weekly and Southern African Tourism Update for Johannesburg’s Now Media.   2007 Tabbie awards winners announced CLEVELAND — CLEVELAND -- The 2007 Tabbie Awards featured more than 700 entries, with nominations coming from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Malta and the United Arab Emirates. Judges commented favorably on the high quality of the submissions and noted that many decisions were difficult. Highlighting the Best Single Issue category — the competition's most comprehensive — are entries from Legal Business, Fresh Cup, and CIO, which took the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards respectively. This is the third consecutive Best Single Issue Gold win for U.K.-based Legal Business. The Top 25 of the Best Single Issue category include Far North Oil & Gas, Information Security, BUILDER, Glass Magazine, Pensions & Investments, NZ Retail, AutoExec Magazine, Computerworld, Physicians Practice, LatinTrade, Network World, BizEd Magazine, LatinFinance, National Real Estate Investor, The ACC Docket, INSTORE, Financial News, Wood Design & Building, The Medical Post, Best's Review, InfoWorld and New Zealand Doctor. Gold design award winners are Information Security for Feature Design, REALTOR Magazine for Front Cover, Digital Imagery; InfoWorld for Front Cover, Illustration; Inbound Logistics, for Front Cover, Photograph; EXHIBITOR for Front Cover, Special Issue; nyse magazine for Opening Page or Spread and TED for Table of Contents. Gold editorial award winners are 1to1 Magazine for Department; Architect for Editor's Column; Computerworld for Feature Article and Single News Article; Legal Business for Focus/Profile Article; EXHIBITOR for How-To Article; National Real Estate Investor for News Coverage; Law Technology News for Regular Column; Information Security for Special Section and Civil Engineering for Technical Article. This year's inaugural Best b2b Website winners are InfoWorld, Computerworld and Accountancy Age, which won the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards. Magazines that took home four or more awards include The ACC Docket, Best's Review, CIO Decisions, Computerworld, Fresh Cup, Inbound Logistics, Information Security, InfoWorld, Modern Healthcare, NZ Retail, Physicians Practice, REALTOR Magazine and RT Image. To view complete results, along with selected comments from the judges and samples of the winning entries, please click here. The 2007 Tabbies have been supported by companies that have an interest in working with b2b editors and publishers — as well as supporting editorial and design excellence. Your support of them is appreciated. Gold Sponsors for the 2007 Tabbies are: Texterity Inc., RedRover Reprint & Content Management Services, and Proximity Marketing. Silver Sponsors for the 2007 Tabbies are: Business Strategies Group Asia, Lane Press, and Magazine Manager.   New ASBPE/TABPI book is released CLEVELAND — TABPI is associated with a new book that explores what b2b editors can do for their industries and how they can affect change. Journalism That Matters: How Business-to-Business Editors Change the Industries They Cover (Marion Street Press, Oak Park, Ill.: ISBN: 1933338083) looks at 17 stories of change-making journalism by trade and association publication editors. Among them: * How the U.S. Department of Defense came clean on weaknesses in its computer network after a report by Federal Computer Week. * How London-based Legal Business shook up the tradition-bound U.K. judicial system by exposing broad discontent among lawyers with one of the country's most important courts * How federal agencies stepped up their verification of job applicants after Government Computer News uncovered egregious resume padding by a top U.S. Department of Homeland Security IT official. "We selected stories from a wide range of b2b and association publications to showcase the power of trade journalism," says Steven Roll, co-editor of the book and president of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). "We include pieces from traditional trade magazines and tabloids, newsletters, association publications, peer-reviewed association journals, and publications that sit in the nexus between trade and the consumer publications, like PC World." The book is designed as a compilation of best practices for professional editors, but it's also a window into the world of business reporting for journalism students. "It may wake up some journalism professors to inspire young students to join the trade press," Don Ranly, professor emeritus, Missouri School of Journalism, says in the book's foreword. The book is set to make waves. Its case studies are by editors who are members of, or have had their work recognized by, ASBPE and TABPI. "We're showing that trade journalism is journalism that matters," says co-author Robert Freedman, immediate past president of ASBPE. "Trade editors are changing the face of the industries they cover by running stories that shake up the status quo and lead to innovation." More on the book is available here.       Indian media is target of free monthly eNewsletter MUMBAI — The Indian Media Observer (IMO) is an independent overview of — and commentary on — the growing Indian media community, including the b2b world, and beyond. IMO's free email newsletter is distributed to interested publishing companies and all businesses relating to publishing around the world. It is available upon request from their website. The latest news, along with archived copies of the eNewsletter, are posted, as well. For more information, contact Bhupesh Trivedi, CEO, Chronosphere, at publisher@chronosphere.biz.        TABPI's Associate Director, Southeast Asia co-authors book on succeeding in the new economy SINGAPORE — The first ever business book from Asia Pacific by co-authors Dr. Seamus Phan and Ter Hui Peng, Dot Zen, shows their real-world business experience in helping Fortune 1000, high-tech and smaller businesses succeed through a holistic approach of business leadership, entrepreneurship, high-tech marketing, publicity, public relations (PR), managing people, and the smart use of the Internet. This is NOT a book about religion, but a unique non-aggressive way of doing business, and succeeding in this new economy. Dot Zen presents an educational approach to Zen ideas, as well as hundreds of pages of action steps and insider's tips and secrets to growing a business through entrepreneurship, leadership, customer service, total quality, marketing, publicity, public relations, human resource management (HRM), ethics, and Internet technology. Dot Zen has been featured and reviewed by Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), The Age Australia, NewsRadio 93.8 FM, Capital Radio 95.8 FM, Tele.com, Network Computing Asia, Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE), eMediaWire, eWorldWire, AlwaysOn Network, Press World, Buddhist News Network (BNN), and American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE)'s Recommended Books List. Singapore-based Phan is currently TABPI's Associate Director, Southeast Asia. For more information on the book, click here.     New ASBPE textbook teaches mastery of business publication editing  NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE), a professional society for editors of trade and business-to-business publications in the United States, today applauded the release of Best Practices of the Business Press, 170 pp., Kendall Hunt Publishing, $35 (0-7575-0862-6). The book is a resource for mastering business, trade, and association publication editing based on the practices of veteran editors in the field. "With its focus on practical, how-to help, the book aims to fulfill a need for professional and aspiring business publication editors seeking ideas from editors who are working in the field today," says Robert Freedman, ASBPE president and editor of the book. "Professional trade publication editors and college-level journalism instructors made it clear there's a need for more information on what the business press is all about and how publication editing in this field differs from practices in the consumer press." The book's hallmark is its nuts-and-bolts approach. Each chapter, written by a veteran editor, covers a key element of business publication editing, from publication launch and redesign to business reporting to trade show coverage to technical editing. The editors outline the main principles they follow in their own work, then share examples of how those principles are fleshed out on the pages of publications, both theirs and others. Several chapters include exercises to help readers apply what they learn. All contributors are either ASBPE members, winners of national ASBPE editorial excellence awards, or college instructors with roots in the business press.  The publisher, Kendall/Hunt Publishing, Dubuque, Iowa, publishes materials for primary, secondary, college, and professional continuing education. Information about the publisher is available at www.kendallhunt.com. To order Best Practices of the Business Press directly from the publisher, click here and order online or call (800) 228-0810.