References:
http://www.similarweb.com/website/elephantjournal.com#overview
http://www.elephantjournal.com
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@thereportingelephant-blog
References:
http://www.similarweb.com/website/elephantjournal.com#overview
http://www.elephantjournal.com
What does it all mean?
elephant journal is a unique database filled with many different types of articles that centre on spirituality and being environmentally conscious. The ‘Walk the Talk’ show, hosted by creator Waylon Lewis, is an inventive way of engaging the audience in a creative way. As well, the fact that it accepts submissions from readers is a brilliant way of attracting up and coming writers to become a subscriber, and hope to see their work published on the site. Therefore, the fact that the website is so engaging, and that it is relatively straightforward to contact the editors if you have any questions or concerns, or wish to write, is the most definitive aspect of elephantjournal.com. While there are a few struggles that this independent site deals with, such as attracting a wider audience other than those who are already aware of their goals, and the prominence of side bar advertisements. There are also many positives, such as the fact that readers get a certain number of ‘trial’ articles before they are encouraged to subscribe, and the sheer variety of articles to choose from. Thus, while independent and therefore not widely known, elephant journal is an intriguing source which is well on its way to becoming more prevalent in the online news source community. To part with the words of elephant journal’s main page, “keep living the mindful life.”
Identifying Success
The easiest way to track the success of the website is through the view count trackers on the individual articles, but there is also a website called ‘similar web’, which monitors the activity of websites.
To begin, this graph shows the site traffic of the last 6 months. It averages about 18 million hits per month, with an all time high of just under 25 million in July.
In addition, this map is an outline of where the hits are coming from-- primarily the United States, some attention in Canada, the UK, India and Australia, and less in other countries.
This is just a further breakdown of the places in the world where the hits are coming from. By looking at the average pages per visit, it can be hypothesized that most of the people that come to these sites are already subscribers, seeing as they visit more than the allotted three free articles per day.
Finally, it is clear to see where most of their traffic comes from in terms of what the most popular social media is. This can be related to other statistics on the number of likes and followers each page has. For instance, the elephant journal Facebook page by far is the most trafficked, and therefore it makes sense that the most traffic comes from Facebook.
All in all, the website ‘similar web’ and view counts on the articles are the best way to track the success of elephant journal.
$ Revenue $
elephant journal makes their money through sidebar advertisement, in article advertisements, and subscriptions. The business model they work with is the “freemium model”, which essentially means that the reader gets a certain amount of content for free, and anything more they have to pay for. In this case, a non-subscriber gets three free articles per day, and if they want to purchase a subscription it is $13 per year- an average of $1.08 per month. And how is this working for them? elephantjournal.com is the 4,903th most popular website in the United States, and the 14,851st in the world. Their articles are shared across social media, and while it is difficult to tell how many subscribers (elefriends) they have, the view counts on articles serve as a guideline for the popularity of the website.
Bringing the good news re: 'the mindful life' beyond the choir & to all those who didn't know they gave a care
elephantjournal.com
Say hello to the audience!
For elephant journal, the audience is people who want to want to live a mindful life, spiritualists and those who are environmentally conscious. According to their Facebook likers, twenty-somethings make up the bulk of their visitors. According to the website ‘Similar Web’ 3.13% of elephant journals traffic comes from referrals on websites such as feedly.com, healthylifetricks.com, consciouslifenews.com, and track.namastelight.com. The goal of an independent online magazine such as this one is to spread their message in order to attract and hold as many readers as possible. The best way that they can do this in 2015 is through social media, and elephant journal’s social media platform is growing rapidly.
Social Media Presence:
Twitter—93.3 k followers
Facebook—1,027,680 likes
Instagram—49.5 k followers
PROS:
-Variety
There is a great variety in the topics covered and thousands upon thousands of articles on every subject, with interesting points of view that are not influenced by corporate sponsors. Everything from spirituality, to yoga tips, eating well, and current events that are related to the environmental.
-Clickbait V. Current Events
There is also a diversity in the types of articles, such as lighter, fluffier pieces such as “10 Signs You Have Drunk the Yoga Kool-Aid”, intermixed with more serious ones-- “Animal Agriculture, Climate Change & Syria: How Factory Farming has Caused the Greatest Humanitarian Crisis of our Time”. Whatever the reader is looking for, they are sure to find.
-Talk Show
Lewis also hosts the “Walk the Talk Show”, where he interviews people and shares their wisdom with the world. This is an inventive way of spreading the aims of elephant journal to a wider audience, in a way that still seems fun and engaging.
-Take Submissions
Anyone can freely submit their articles to the editors at elephant journal, and their work may be published on the site. It is a volunteer basis, and the writer is not paid for their article(s). This is one way of interacting with the audience that can get more readers interested in their site.
CONS
-Advertising
There is banner advertising along the side bar and bottom of the website, which can be distracting and take away from the content of the website. There is also in-article advertising, in the form of links to pages. While there are no pop up ads, the side bar can be distracting.
-Niche Market
While there is a significant amount of site traffic from the United States and Canada (more on this later) these are really the only places that there is interest from. As well, the eco/spiritual community may be the only ones to hear about the website, as they promote their website on these kinds of sites across the web.
-Humour
This site has many contributing authors, so therefore there are many forms of humour that is found throughout the articles. However, some falls short of its mark and is offensive (ex. The video ‘yoga for black people’ received massive criticism... it has since been removed from the site). As well, some situations are made light of that are not joking matters, and can turn off some of the readers.
-Identity Crisis
It is very difficult to describe in a few words what elephant journal is, seeing as it is very diverse and doesn't always follow a traditional theme. Is it a spiritual humor website? Is it aiming to offer serious content that might teach people? Is it a political website using spiritual content as an enticing companion to pro-Democratic Party propaganda? It is not easy to tell, and can confuse people who are trying to figure it out.
Challenges
-Niche Market
-Independent Magazine (limited investment)
-Relies on Social Media for advertising (no print copies = no print advertising at grocery stores, etc.)
-Limited Readership (specific type of people that read it)
Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis: On the Road at Wanderlust Festival Copper Mountain featuring Tiffany Cruikshank.
One of the features of the site is Lewis’s talk show, where he interviews guests that mean something to him in terms of their work/ideas/beliefs/etc.
This is an article written by Waylon Lewis himself, the creator of elephant journal. Barbie’s new campaign is one of my favourites right now, and it was interesting to see Lewis’s thoughts on it, and as well his 'relephant’ articles after the video.
Well this is an eye-opener.
elephantjournal:
☽☆ the mindful life ☆☾
9 Subtopics
1. Yoga
This section has hundreds of articles on spirituality, specifically relating to yoga and the body. ex. “Why New York City is the World’s Largest Yoga Mat” by Melissa Morgan (view count: 410).
2. Organics
More food and well-being based, includes recipes as well as articles on lifestyle choices and current issues related to food that are in the news. ex. “Water & my Carbon Footprint: Why I am Vegetarian” by Lotte de Bruyn (view count: 968)
3. Sustainability
Discusses the ways that an individual can become more environmentally friendly and aware of their actions on the world around them. ex. “The Eco-Apocalypse is Here. Indonesia is Burning. It’s Time to Wake Up and Give a Sh*t” by Rebekah McClaskey (view count: 2,512)
4. Active Citizenship
Aims to inspire people to get involved in their communities and change their own lives, while bettering those of the people around them. ex. “Essena O’Neill: A Call to Use Social Media Responsibly” by Ksenia Avdulova (view count: 8,766)
5. Enlightened Education
Serves to educate people on current issues so that they understand many facets of debates and events. ex. “Am I the Kind of Woman Who Would have been a Suffragette?” by Jo Fuller (view count: 863)
6. Conscious Consumerism
Knowing where the goods and services that one purchases are from, and what circumstances they came to be under. ex. “A Traveler’s Guide to Up-cycling & Recycling” by Jennifer Forbes (view count: 874)
7. Buddha Dharma
A concept of Buddhism, found mostly in the spirituality section of the website. The creator of the website is a Buddhist. ex. “Parenting Tips from the Dalai Lama” by Simone Drewy (view count: 5,760)
8. Eco-fashion
This section is entered around new trends in eco-fashion, as well as places to buy clothing and stresses the importance of recycling and reusing. ex. “4 Unexpected Benefits of Buying Fair Trade Fashion” by Staci Lerch-Moist (view count: 934)
9. The Contemplative Arts
Ways to change one’s life in order to become more in tune with others and the world around them. As well, this section has submissions of art work and articles written around a piece of the authors art. ex. “I Judge You, You Judge Me- Why We Need To Stop” by Dina Strada (view count: 1,164)
A featured columnist for Huffington Post, Waylon is a 365-day bike commuter, mediocre and lazy yogi who aspires to help change the world for the better (and get filthy rich), have 12 children (and only one wife), run for President (and lose), and have fun all along the way.
Personal Communication
elephant had a rocky start in 2002, when it started off as a print magazine called Yoga of the Rockies. The magazine started to go national, being sold in Whole Foods and other similar chains… but when you start to go big, you produce more than you can sell—the average being 3 magazines sold for every 10 produced. But Waylon Lewis, the creator, and his team were not content with wasting 7 of every ten magazines, even though they were already printed on state of the art eco-paper. However, being an independent magazine they couldn’t get the investment needed to create their own distribution method. So they changed their name to elephant journal and went online. Their editorial is still fully independent, and the executives are working towards getting rid of direct advertising.
What is elephant journal?
elephant journal is an eco-friendly, spiritualistic online news source dedicated to sharing the good life beyond the choir. This is source is interesting, in the sense that there are not many others that are like it, and similar sites tend to focus on either the spirituality aspect or current events, not a combination and relation of the two.