Industry
Publishing
Location
Seattle, WA and multiple virtual offices
Employees
13
Basecamp plan
Basic (15 active projects for $24/month)
Basecamp color scheme
An interview with Krista Stevens
Krista is the Managing Editor & Communications / PR Manager of Digital Web Magazine — an online magazine intended for professional web designers, web developers and information architects. The magazine consists primarily of work contributed by web authors, as well as by others who"Right from the start, I found Basecamp intuitive and easy to use. I was up and running immediately. After using Basecamp for several months now to run Digital Web Magazine, I can't imagine us running it any other way." occasionally delve into the web realm. We put emphasis on and provide recognition for contributed work. The Magazine is recognized by nearly all of the major web design agencies in the industry. Digital Web uses Basecamp to manage their publication, editorial deadlines, and author submissions and vetting.
So, let's get started. How did you first hear about Basecamp?
I first learned about Basecamp through Nick Finck, Publisher of Digital Web Magazine. We were looking for a way to bring visibility to the all the activities required to run the magazine. He recommended we give Basecamp a shot and we've never looked back.
What were your first impressions of the product when you signed up? What keeps you using Basecamp?
Right from the start, I found Basecamp intuitive and easy to use. I was up and running immediately. After using Basecamp for several months now to run Digital Web Magazine, I can't imagine us running it any other way.
Were you using another product before or were you managing your projects manually (or with a combination of emails, post-it notes, notepads, etc.)? Was the transition difficult?
For the staff, columnists and contributing "The great thing about Basecamp is the instant visibility on tasks. Jennie, Rudy, Nick and Keith can login at their leisure and see at a glance what we're publishing this week, next week and into the coming month."authors of Digital Web Magazine, email is king. We're a truly virtual team. The core staff is located in the US and Canada across a few different time zones. Our contributing authors are located around the world. Since becoming managing editor, I've only ever spoken to a single author over the phone. Everything is done via email. As far as transition, it was smooth as silk. Like I mentioned before, we've never looked back and can't imaging us running the publication any other way.
How are you using Basecamp? What are you using it for? What parts do you use most (messages, to-dos, milestones, files)? Have you used Basecamp in ways you hadn't anticipated?
We use Basecamp to manage and to provide instant visibility to all the activities related to running the magazine. For example, I rely on it heavily to run our editorial calendar. We've got a schedule at a glance that shows the stories coming up which is run using to-dos. I keep a running list of authors and stories they've committed to writing for us - also managed through to-dos. We rely heavily on milestones to set deadlines for editorial reviews, copy edits, markup and publishing activities. Nick manages all the advertising for Digital Web Magazine and he's got a separate project dedicated to keeping track of ad start and end dates through milestones. The great thing about Basecamp is the instant visibility on tasks. Jennie, Rudy, Nick and Keith can login at their leisure and see at a glance what we're publishing this week, next week and into the coming month.
How has Basecamp improved your communication with co-workers and clients?
By having such great project visibility, we save on unnecessary email traffic.
How many projects do you manage at once?
Currently, we're managing two major projects; the editorial calendar and the ad calendar. We also rely on Basecamp "I spend a lot less time hunting through email to remind myself about commitments and follow-ups that need to be done. I just put everything into Basecamp as milestones and to-dos and let it do the work of keeping track of all my responsibilities!"to give visibility to short-term projects as well. Nick used it to manage all the tasks related to moving host providers. It worked out really well. All the staff could see what needed to be done, in what order, and when it needed to be done by. It's indispensable in keeping us on track.
How many other people from your office are using Basecamp?
Currently, we have 13 people in our virtual office - that includes the core staff, columnists and advisors who also have access.
How has Basecamp affected your emailing habits? Are you emailing less than before?
Absolutely. I spend a lot less time hunting through email to remind myself about commitments and follow-ups that need to be done. I just put everything into Basecamp as milestones and to-dos and let it do the work of keeping track of all my responsibilities!
Thanks so much for your time and insight.
You're welcome! So many authors...so little time!