Typically when a newspaper announces it will be cutting about nine percent of its staff and around 130 jobs in total, it would be another sad day for what some see as a dying industry.

But this is different.

By morphing from a print-centric newspaper company to a multi-platform media company, the USA Today may just be revealing a blueprint for the rest of the media world to follow to economic viability in this changing world of news consumption, with unfortunately some loyal employees shed along the way.

The old way wasn’t working. Ad revenue for the USA Today declined by 29 percent in 2009, according to The Wall Street Journal, and then by another 11 percent in the first quarter this year. The number of ad pages in the paper declined by 3.7 percent in the second quarter.

The paper’s circulation has been dropping as well, declining by about 500,000 subscribers in the past three years, according to NPR.

However, according to an internal slide show presented to USA Today employees, USAToday.com is seeing continued growth with a 15 percent increase in unique visitors since the start of 2010; mobile downloads, meanwhile, are up by 2.2 million and 71 percent in 2010.

So instead of mourning the loss of subscribers and print advertising revenue, USA Today has decided to make a full throttle push at beefing up its online and mobile editions, a path that many media companies may follow if it proves successful.

“This is pretty radical,” USA Today publisher Dave Hunke told The Associated Press. “This gets us ready for our next quarter century.”

The aforementioned slide show beings with the old W. Edwards Deming quote, “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” And so it is in the newspaper industry today.

According to the slide show, the paper also aims to go from being protective of its turf to readily sharing resources, from a limited view of metrics to a keen awareness of metrics and from innovative on occasion to organized for innovation. In each way, the paper is transforming from the old-school newspaper view to the new-school digital-based view.

Along the way, the paper has adjusted its hierarchy from a traditional newspaper setting with separate desk editors to a unit divided into 13 content rings.

The irony of the newspaper crisis of the past few years has always been that although fewer and fewer people are reading newspapers, more and more people are consuming media; they’re just doing it in a different format. Whereas the local paper as well as national papers such as the USA Today used to be a staple for many families, people are now consuming their media online and on the go via mobile apps.

If USA Today and other media organizations are going to survive, they need to be efficient with their resources and focus them in the areas that will attract the most eyeballs and, ultimately, the most revenue. It does not take the sophisticated analysis that the USA Today did of the market to determine that those resources should be shifted from the print side to mobile and web content development while putting more of a focus on packages that play well in those mediums.

Gannett has been known to be very formulaic across the many news organizations it owns, so I have to think that this is only the beginning. Here locally in Arizona we have seen The Arizona Republic, another Gannett paper, place an increased emphasis on optimizing its articles for the search engines, and I would not be surprised to see the newsrooms of papers like The Republic re-organized in what Gannett sees as being a more profitable way.

The past few years the big question in the journalism industry has been, “How can we survive?” On that count, it remains to be seen if the digital and mobile markets can replace the revenue that has been lost and will continue to be lost in print.

But USA Today understood it was fighting a battle it could not win by attacking the daily news cycle in a traditional print-centric way, so adapting to the times by focusing on online and mobile could be the only way for it to survive.

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In the next edition of our VM interview series, I sat down with Vertical Measures’ own IT administrator David Gould, who tells us about his long day at VM fixing the Internet, his artistic talents and what it’s like to work with two computer screens on his desk.

Michael Schwartz: Before we officially start this off, I need to begin with a story. One day last month the Internet broke down and rumor has it that after the rest of the staff went home following lunch, you stayed to fix it until after midnight. What in the world were you doing in the office by yourself for that long?

David Gould: The official story is that I was correcting an unexpected server issue; testing, installing, rebooting can take a long time. Off the record, I got the last season of Dexter on DVD and the office TV is much bigger than my home unit.

Michael: One of the reasons you won July Employee of the Month honors aside from your late night bringing back our Internet service has to be our new information database called EDWARD. How do you expect EDWARD to make life easier here at VM?

David: Because of the nature of our business, we work with a lot of information – clients, projects, websites, resources, affiliates, contributors. The goal for EDWARD is to tie together those disparate elements together in one place so there’s less time spent managing projects and data and more opportunities to develop our services.

Michael: There are also some rumors swirling through our office that you are actually the wittiest Vertical Measures staff member. Can you say something witty that would confirm or deny this assertion?

David: Sadly, no. I think humor and wit are like Michigan J. Frog from the old Looney Tunes cartoons. At unexpected moments you get dancing and a rousing rendition of “Hello My Baby,” but ask it to perform on cue and you just get a blankly staring frog. Right now, you’re getting the frog.

Michael: While working on a link worthy project for VM, we found out that you are actually a walking IMDB. Do you really know every movie known to man?

David: I love movies and shows. I don’t know think my knowledge is that encyclopedic, but I have a good memory for names and faces, so sometimes I’ll know the random actress from the random movie. You’d be surprised how much the ladies are dazzled by an off-the-cuff Bonnie Franklin reference.

Michael: When Arnie leaves the office on a trip for a few days, it’s VM tradition to sketch trip-themed drawings on his dry erase boards. What we have since figured out by this exhibition is that you are one of the few VM-ers with true artistic talent. Is art a passion of yours?

David: I’ve been drawing since I was a kid. As I got older that broadened into painting, and graphic and web design, but doodling was always a favorite. I was a cartoonist for ASU’s State Press in college. It’s a nice skill to have. Otherwise, your boss doesn’t usually let you sketch bears and squids in his office.

Michael: Your other fun talent away from VM is as a bass guitarist in the band Pants.  How long have you been playing and what do you love so much about being in a band?

David: I’ve played music since I was a little kid. My dad was a musician and we grew up with music all around. Around 15 I picked up the guitar, since the trumpet groupies tend to taper off after junior high. Like art, it’s a great creative outlet, and means that every few weeks the band my friends are all going out to see is mine.

Michael: I’ve got to ask, every once in a while you boast two screens. How much more work can you get done with a second screen?

David: It helps me a lot with programming and testing. One screen is coding, the other is the resulting web page, so I can have both up as I write and update. Having dual monitors just amplifies the person driving it. A productive person will be doubly productive. A slacker, doubly good at Farmville.

Michael: Along with Abby Gilmore, you are one of the native Bostonians here at Vertical Measures and that means you’re a big fan of all their sports teams. What do you think has been the best moment of the past decade for Boston sports, the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins, the Red Sox World Series victories or the Celtics becoming a powerhouse again and winning a title?

David: The past decade overall has been a real gift to Boston sports fans. Although football is my sport, I’d have to say the Sox World Series win in ‘04. The other success have been fantastic, but there was so much history behind that moment that it struck me the hardest, and resonated well outside the local fan base as well. Wicked awesome.

Michael: It’s become almost a joke here at VM that whenever the slightest thing gets broken on our computers we yell, “Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaavid!!” Tell us about this part of your job.

David: In addition to being a web developer and managing our network, I am also a kind of computer parent. My two kids are the employees and the computers, and I have to get them to play nice. Often, someone will come to me (read: shout across the office) and complain that their computer spazzed out, or is running slow, or won’t share. I have to try to remedy that situation with some tech band-aids and a juice box.

Michael: You are the manager of your own department (IT) at Vertical Measures, a department with no members other than yourself. Do you ever get lonely sitting on your own branch of the org chart?

David: I’ve opted to hang the org chart sideways, where I’m on top.

Michael: Finally, why do you like working at a link building company like Vertical Measures?

David: It really is a great and rewarding job, working with amazing people in an interesting industry. And my office has paintings of elephants and jaguars. And there’s no height requirement like at NASA.

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In the next edition of our monthly VM interview series, I sat down with Vertical Measures’ content strategist Elise Redlin-Cook to discuss why she’s the glue guy that makes Vertical Measures tick, her baby girl Coya and her former life training tigers.

Michael Schwartz: You are now the first three-time winner of Vertical Measures’ Employee of the Month award. How does this three-peat compare to other life accomplishments?

Elise Redlin-Cook: Well, to be honest, it’s a little awkward…since in my opinion there are other team members who deserve it just as much if not more. Although, it IS really nice to be recognized by both my peers and superiors. EOM here at Vertical Measures is determined by the full office participating in an anonymous vote and it’s incredible to be recognized by a team of such talented people. I’m astounded by their creativity, ingenuity, and expertise on a daily basis and am so relieved that they haven’t voted me off the island yet.

Michael: How would you describe your job responsibilities at VM?

Elise: Ah, now THAT’s a tough one! My title is Content Strategist, and I struggle to effectively define that role every day. The best definition of the role that I’ve found thus far, was coined by Rachel Lovinger when she described content strategy as using “words and data to create unambiguous content that supports meaningful, interactive experiences.” I’d add that at its core, content strategy isn’t necessarily about content inventories, copywriting, publishing or editorial calendars, social media, marketing messaging or governance policies although admittedly these things often consume my day. To me, it’s more of a state of mind. One that has a direct impact on the way we at Vertical Measures do business. We know that we must clearly focus on how we create, deliver, and govern our content because more than ever before in history, content has become one of a business’s most valuable assets. Luckily, I get to do this with the help of an outstanding group of specialists with expertise ranging from search engine optimization, copywriting, public relations, conversion optimization, social media marketing, analytics, and so on. All these disciplines make up the pieces to the puzzle. I simply facilitate the act of putting it all together.

Michael: As a board member of the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA), what kind of things do you do to make that group tick?

Elise: At AZIMA, I’m the VP of Administration and my duties on a monthly basis range from managing the website content, including the AZIMA blog, to working the registration desk at the monthly social events. I’m also on the Marketing/PR committee so, I take part in creating and distributing the AZIMA marketing messaging such as the e-blasts, press releases, social media messaging, and so on. Oh and I better not forget, I order the food for the monthly Board of Director’s meeting each month, and I’m darn good at it…I might add!

Michael: Around the office you are known as VM’s glue guy, which kind of means you do all the little things to keep the office humming. What does that title mean to you?

Elise: Actually, I must admit after looking up who the “glue guy” is (I’m not terribly familiar with sports terminology) promptly after hearing it, I was totally flattered. I determined long ago, that for whatever reason, being the team “star” wasn’t in the cards. The spotlight just doesn’t suit me. Yet, I just love being a part of whatever I can and often it’s the little or seemingly menial tasks that others miss or avoid. To me it just feels natural to hop in and take care of them, if I can. I get real satisfaction out of seeing others, and projects in general meet success and it’s a good feeling to know that I’ve been assisted, in whatever way possible.

Michael: For a while you were widely known as ERC5K thanks to your voluminous 5,000-plus Twitter following. What’s your secret to building such a robust following?

Elise: First of all, I don’t know how WIDELY I was known for this but if I did have the opportunity to give some advice to someone just getting started on Twitter or in social media in general I would say one thing: just care. By that, I mean care about the people that you follow and who follow you, who you meet in real life and who you don’t because they are REAL, too. I think people can sense when someone actually cares, and ultimately that’s why people tweet to begin with… because they hope someone CARES about what they have to say. So, I care about their tweets and they seem to return the favor and care about mine. Law of attraction, I guess.

Michael: You are also known around the office as having the cuuuuuuuuuutest 3-year-old in the world. Tell the people a little about Coya Cook.

Elise: Ah, yes…she IS mighty cute, isn’t she? All I can really say about her is that she is the reason I wake up every morning. Since I was blessed with having her in my life I’ve found new drive to be a better person in general. I’m not sure that there are even words to describe my devotion to helping her succeed in life, and trying to make the world she lives in a little better.

Michael: When I first met you, you told me you were approaching your 10-year wedding anniversary. I’ve known you for over a year and you still haven’t been with your husband Jeremy for that long yet! How long exactly have you been married and why all the confusion?

Elise: I’m starting to feel that this more of a roast, than an interview! The confusion is mainly related to the fact that I can’t do math properly in my head. We were married on New Year’s Eve, 2001. Though, I’ve been with my husband since we were 17 years old, so we don’t really pay too much attention to when we actually got married. We lived together for years prior and not too much changed after other than a few extra letters on my last name.

Michael: In your other life before VM you used to train tigers. What was that experience like?

Elise: It was both the most amazing, and one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done for a number of reasons. It was the realization of a long kept dream to work with exotic cats, and when I ended up actually having the opportunity to I found that it really wasn’t what I expected it to be. I realize that I was fortunate because it was an amazing experience, and not many people can say they raised a litter of baby tigers like they were her own. I’ll never forget that. But they grew so quickly that by the end of the six months they far outweighed me by 3-4 times. It was extremely physically and emotionally taxing work. Just on accident they’d come over to show me affection and brush against or snuggle me and I’d be pinned to a fence, bruised and a toe broken. Eventually the negatives began to simply outweigh the positives. So, I moved on.

Michael: Another one of your hobbies is photography. What is it about taking pictures that appeals to you?

Elise: I would love to be a better photographer, and hope that one day I can devote more time to honing that skill! I love taking portraits of people, and capturing honest moments in their lives. The opportunity to tell an entire story with one click just entrances me.

Michael: Finally, what makes you so passionate about Internet marketing?

Elise: I think, above all else is that there is so much opportunity to grow and learn. I’ve been involved in some aspect of technology for the internet or marketing since I returned from working with the big cats in ‘99, and having gotten my degree in business management and marketing it’s seems to be the perfect culmination of all of my interests and skills wrapped up in one big package. I’m thrilled to be able to be a part of the growing interactive marketing community here in Phoenix, that’s for sure!

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