• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, December 26, 2013

The board of directors for the BPA Worldwide, which oversees auditing and certification for business-to-business publications, has approved a number of changes to its reporting requirements for members with digital publications.
 
The changes include an update to “direct request” versus “company request” sources; elimination of the personal identifying question (PIQ) from online forms; new rules for reporting app downloads; an update on digital magazine metrics; and new reporting formats.
 
The update to “direct request” and “company request” rules clarifies how subscribers can contact a publisher to order a subscription. For example, a subscription requested by a personal assistant on behalf of an executive may be counted as a direct request from the executive.
 
The second decision is intended to address the fact that most publishers now gather audiences through multiple channels (e.g., magazine subscriptions, Webinar participation and white paper downloads). Except for magazine subscriptions, none of these channels have required subscribers to answer a personal identifier question; the new rule change eliminates the personal identifying question on all digital forms, allowing publishers to pre-populate forms to simplify subscription and reporting processes.
 
The BPA defines app downloads as single actions reported as month-by-month totals, along with an aggregated six-month average for total monthly downloads. To avoid confusion, the BPA has decided to begin reporting cumulative apps downloaded, month-by-month activity and an updated cumulative total.
 
Finally, the BPA is offering additional options for publishers that want to report digital engagement. One optional new measure is active views, defined as a single copy of a publication actively opened by a device for viewing, with a minimum of one page of an issue opened or served onto a device and a distinct action or event by the end user to view (thus excluding automatic opens of downloaded publications).

A second new optional measure is the number of sessions per issue, defined as the aggregate number of times an issue was accessed by all unique browsers, including individual devices. Publishers can also choose to report time spent in an issue per individual device, defined as the time spent, on average, in the issue across all unique browsers.

A third optional measure is the number of sessions in issue per individual device, defined as the average number of times each unique browser accessed the issue being reported. The last new option is number of pages accessed, defined as the total unique pages accessed for each issue by unique browsers.
 
The BPA is hosting a Webinar scheduled for January 14, 2014 to explain the changes.
 
AARP Launches Publications App
 
AARP has launched a new AARP Publications App, which combines AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin in one location for convenience. The new app, available on iTunes, offers exclusive digital content and a variety of interactive features, including behind-the-scenes celebrity videos, in-depth interviews, step-by-step recipes and photo slideshows.

The AARP app allows users to read book excerpts, sample new music, take interactive quizzes and share stories via social media. AARP members can sign in to the app to gain free access to the publications, and non-subscribers can purchase per-issue or annual subscriptions to AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin via the app. Users will also be able to see AARP's other publication offerings, including eBooks, as well as receiving alerts and digital access to special issues from AARP Publishing.
 
Paved Magazine Closing
 
Paved, a niche title targeting long-distance road bicycling enthusiasts, is closing at the end of the year, according to Folio:, which first reported the news. The 3-year-old magazine, published by Source Interlink’s sports enthusiast division GrindMedia, had grown to a circulation over 20,000 but faced challenges including a crowded marketplace and broader economic uncertainty. GrindMedia indicated it will focus its resources in the bicycling vertical on Bike Magazine.
 
Time Out Names White EIC, TONY
 
Terri White has been named editor in chief for Time Out New York, the lifestyle and city guide publisher. White formerly served as executive editor for Life & Style Weekly. Before that, she was editor of British men’s title ShortList, making her the first female editor of a British men's magazine in more than a decade. She was also editor of Buzz, the entertainment title published with Britain's biggest newspaper, The Sun, and deputy editor of Maxim.