Ch-Ch-Changes: Ypulse Hires Its First Full-Time Managing Editor And Will Launch Six Youth-Focused Channels

As Ypulse approaches its fifth anniversary this spring, we are once again evolving and changing as the business grows. I have been fairly transparent over the years about sharing our plans and asking for feedback. We’ve been hard at work finalizing our 2009 strategy, which involves some content and staffing additions and changes, and I want to share them with you.

We will be redesigning Ypulse to highlight six unique content channels. These include: Books, Tweens, Campus, Urban, Youth Marketing and Mobile. To help us manage the coverage in all six of these channels, I’m excited to announce that Meredith Sires (pictured in the photo!) is joining Ypulse.com as a full-time managing editor beginning November 1.

In order to focus on building editorial content and readership for all six channels, we will no longer distribute a separate Ypulse Books newsletter - the final newsletter will go out on November 12. Instead, all unique content – Books, Campus, Marketing, Mobile, Tweens, and Urban – will appear in Ypulse.com and in the Ypulse Daily Update. For Ypulse Books fans, be assured that we will continue our coverage of YA book marketing and youth literacy trends – just directly on Ypulse.com and in our regular Ypulse Essentials coverage. The Ypulse Books channel – like the other five new Ypulse channels – will become a regularly updated archive of ongoing coverage.

Indeed, there will be new sponsorship opportunities on all of these channels. We plan to launch the new site and new channels in January.

More on our new managing editor, Meredith Sires: Meredith comes to us from Market Partners International/Publishing Trends, where she was an international editor and associate consultant. Meredith also will be looking for both guest posters and regular stringers to contribute to Ypulse, especially in some of the new channels. To get in touch with Meredith, email her at Meredith@ypulse.com.

Allison Decker will no longer be editing Ypulse Books. She has done an amazing job in developing the voice and tone of Ypulse Books and creating several features we hope to preserve. Allison continues her work as a passionate practitioner in the field as a school librarian. To keep in touch with Alli, email her at allidecker at mac.com

Ypulse blogger Casey Lewis will become our Campus Editor, contributing periodically to Ypulse about campus trends and, of course, her passion: fashion!

We will be focusing on two big Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashups in 2009. Our San Francisco Mashup, set for June 1-2 at the Hotel Nikko, will focus on leading edge technology youth are using right now as well as what’s next in the youth technology space. Our second Youth Marketing Mashup will be in November of 2009 in New York City at a date and venue to be announced and will focus on content and how traditional media industries like publishing, television/film and music are adapting and embracing new technology to authentically reach youth.

Finally, Ypulse Research will continue to resell market research reports about tweens, teens and early twentysomethings as well as a new series of quarterly white papers focusing on youth, marketing and technology written by us from a Ypulse perspective. Look for our first white paper in the winter of 2009!