For most of us, 2014 was a year of vast consumption of digital media. Whether it was browsing through the latest news stories, fashion trends or recipes, there have been more than enough online publications to keep us informed and entertained.
Here are the best publications out there, according to our expert panel:
- Kinfolk
- Elite Daily
- Refinery29
- BuzzFeed
- Rue Magazine
We wanted to hear what the digital media experts had to say, and after tallying up the votes, BuzzFeed appears to be in the lead.
BuzzFeed caters to all different types of people with varying interests, delivering a blend of humor and timeliness, which makes it tough to compete against.
“If you could create the perfect combination of news and entertainment – an elixir so intoxicating that you were unsure of whether you just pissed yourself from laughing so hard or developed the mother of all brain-freezes from slamming a 64-oz. Slurpee – you might replicate the feeling you get from perusing BuzzFeed. Maybe,” says Eric Mitchell, Creator and Founder of The Social Media Show #SocialHangout. “From the animal GIFs to listicles (lists + articles) to straight-up hard news, people come for the cats and stay, well, for everything. It’s that damn good.”
Not only does BuzzFeed provide an excellent variety of content, but they post an abundance of material, so it’s impossible for the reader to be bored.
“The publication award should go to BuzzFeed. They literally turned the ‘news’ model upside down and publish an unbelievable amount of content that is both newsworthy and entertainment,” says Stacey Miller, Senior Social and Media Relations Manager at Cision. “Their traffic and social shares and engagement blow the competition out of the water.”
Experts also recognized the digital innovation Refinery29 offers to its audience.
“As much as I would like to say Inc. since I’ve been somehow featured in it a couple of times in the last 8 months, Refinery29 stays wonderfully on brand and on theme through nuanced changes just like the industry they’re most known for covering. A tip of the hat to Refinery29,” says Gary Nix, social media and digital brand strategist.
Which publication gets your vote? To make your voice heard, visit firestarter.firebrandgroup.com and scroll towards the bottom of the Innovation category from now until February 24th. You may vote once every 24 hours per award.