Emily Chang - eHub Interviews

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Posted Nov 9, 2006
eHub Interviews PSFK

Thanks to Piers Fawkes and the rest of the team at PSFK for this email interview.

eHub: What is your web application/service about?

PSFK: We’re a global collaborative reporting on trends, insights and inspriational news. Over 50 global contributors provide blogs on trends, marketing ideas, fashion and eco-conscious issues at PSFK.

eHub: Why did you start this project?

PSFK: I moved to New York and wanted to know what was happening in London. Simon wanted to know what was happening in New York. So we started a blog to tell each other. The Ian started to write from Spain and then everyone seemed to want to get involved.

eHub: How much time do you devote to its growth?  Do you have a day job?

PSFK: PSFK is my job - altho my job is 50% publishing and 50% consultancy. From my office in SoHo I dedicate about every waking hour to it.

eHub: How large is your team and what are your backgrounds?

PSFK: There are two partners (Piers and Simon) in NYC and London. Simon runs a fashion label called London Denim as his day job. Michelle works as our full time Fashion Editor from London too. There are a bout a dozen regular contributors from around the world and then another 40 irregular contributors. All doing it for love.

eHub: What is your design philosophy?

PSFK: Inspiration & Ideas

eHub: What technologies are you currently using?

PSFK: MT (IF!), Typepad (Fashion, PSFK, ECO), Flickr, ConstantContact, Statcounter, Google Analytics, AdSpeed, Feedburner, Feedblitz, other bits and bobs

eHub: If your project is live, what are the most requested features from your users/community?

PSFK: PSFK.com is the most popular site, then it’s a fight between the marketing ideas site IF! and fashion.psfk. Eco is last. Sadly.

eHub: Does your user base reside in a primary geographic location or is it distributed?

PSFK: US/UK =50% Then all across the globe. Strong growth in Northern Europe and Asia

eHub: Where do you see the project heading in the next 6 months?  The next 2 years?

PSFK: More channels - some public, some private. We’re about to launch a product called PSFK In A Box that gives companies there very own PSFK to use internally or for their customer base. The next 2 years? We’ve been talking to major brands about helping them find an alternative to advertising through JVs to bring inspirational content in certain subject areas.

eHub: What is the greatest challenge to your success?

PSFK: Contributor rewards, original content, product sales finance.

eHub: What is the one thing you need to get to the next phase of the project?

PSFK: Love - ok, and some ad sales and some large subscriptions to http://if.psfk.com

eHub: Do you have a business model?  If so, what is it?

PSFK: 45% income from advertising and joint venture partnerships, 45% from consultancy and product sales (e.g. trend reports), 10% from subscriptions (IF!)

eHub: If you’re able to disclose this information, how much traffic or usage do you see on an average day?

PSFK: We’re close to hitting the 200K unique visitors a month, 300K page views.

eHub: What is the one thing you’re most proud of about the project?

PSFK: The contributor network or what we call the PSFK Entourage.

eHub: How would you describe the shift that’s occurring with the web right now to future generations?

PSFK: Global connection will change the way people all over the world will deal with each other.

eHub: What site(s) do you visit everyday other than your own?

PSFK: Hundreds - I monitor thousands of headlines each day via RSS and click through to anything my gut says is interesting.

eHub: How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

PSFK: 5 to 6.

http://www.psfk.com
http://if.psfk.com
http://eco.psfk.com
http://fashion.psfk.com

Thanks to Piers Fawkes and the rest of the team at PSFK for this email interview.

Visit PSFK
Originally added to eHub on Sep 30, 05

» More eHub Interviews

eHub Interviews is a series with the creators of Web 2.0 applications and services by Emily Chang, author of eHub, designer, and co-founder and principal of Ideacodes, a strategic web consultancy in San Francisco that she co-founded with Max Kiesler.

Also see eHub Interviews in Japanese at CNET Japan