TechChannel IBM Z Survey Informs TechBeat Newsletter Updates
Readers want more tutorials and a variety of content formats in TechChannel’s weekly newsletter, TechBeat
In the fast-paced world of technology, staying on top of emerging trends and technologies can be challenging. A recent TechChannel survey of IBM Z mainframe users revealed key topics of interest, pain points and media consumption trends that will inform changes to TechChannel’s weekly TechBeat newsletters. The updates will make it easier for technologists and decision-makers to keep up with what’s new and next in the IBM Z ecosystem. Here is an overview of the findings and the potential changes to come.
An Expanding Ecosystem
According to TechChannel Publishing Director Mari Bray, there are things TechBeat does well to serve its readers and areas that could be improved. “We’re publishing relevant content for the audience we serve,” she says.
However, Bray says the survey shows a desire to expand what TechBeat covers.
“We’re focused on IBM-specific technologies right now, and that’s at the very core of our publishing legacy,” Bray says. “But it tells us that [readers are] involved in other kinds of technologies, and perhaps we could be opening the aperture a little bit more widely to include those technologies.”
The TechChannel team is considering which relevant technologies they may bring to the newsletter.
“I think the question is, how do we become even more useful to [readers]?” Bray says.
More Technical Content
The TechChannel team plans to include more technical content, which readers want, says TechChannel Editor-in-Chief Evelyn Hoover.
“One of the things we have been doing incrementally and will continue to do is increase the amount of more technical, how-to tutorials, the type of technical content the audience seeks,” she says.
The exact topics will be partly determined by the analytics from TechChannel.com. The TechChannel team regularly reviews analytics to see how content is performing on both the site and in TechBeat.
Engaging Through Storytelling
The survey also asked respondents about their content preferences. Survey respondents were in clear agreement on one question: 90% say that they are most interested in engaging with “articles on new technologies and trends.”
An open-ended question invited respondents to comment on what keeps them up at night. Some survey respondents say the constant innovations in the IT industry are causing sleepless nights for them. Hoover says TechBeat delivers content that keeps readers informed of the latest developments in the mainframe ecosystem.
“It’s just a matter of making sure we continue to do the right things— and getting the word out that we are doing these things,” she adds. That’s where social media plays an important role.
As the TechChannel team explores ways to bolster its social media presence and provide more value to followers, it is focused on its foundation—storytelling.
“We’re not technologists, but we can tell stories about those technologies,” Bray says.
One of the ways TechBeat tells stories that resonate with a majority of those surveyed is with webinars—about 52% said webinars are the content format they are most interested in engaging with in TechBeat. That is the third-most popular response. “Articles on new technologies on trends” is first at 90%, followed by “how-to tutorials and technology tips” at 60%.
Shifting Demographics, Shifting Content Formats
As some of the more seasoned mainframers retire, the TechChannel team is looking for ways to reach a younger audience. Currently 48% of the respondents are 55–66 years old.
Video (34%) and podcasts (20%) were not as popular when readers were asked about the types of content they want to see in TechBeat. But as older readers retire, Bray and Hoover are looking at ways to appeal to a younger TechBeat audience.
“I think we can up our game on the hip factor,” Bray says. Suggested content formats include short videos, or reels, which are more easily digestible and popular with younger audiences.
Bray also discussed continuing to put an emphasis on talking to younger attendees at conferences like SHARE Kansas City, which she and Hoover recently attended. That, and the TechChannel Rising Stars initiative—which highlights people who have been in technology for less than five years and are making an impact—are other ways that the team hopes to attract younger readers.
TechBeat subscribers can expect to see changes to the content and layout of the newsletters this fall. The TechChannel team will draw from the survey results to make changes that ensure, as Bray says, that TechBeat “is the first stop, not one stop of many.”