Have You Read Your JCK Blogs Today?

By Mark Smelzer -- JCK Online, 12/1/2006 2:00:00 AM

It's been an exciting couple of weeks here at JCK. On Nov. 1, we launched our new Web site, JCKonline.com. More than a new look, it's a new way of thinking about our mission online.

We're no longer just putting magazine content on the Web. We're creating a rich, multifunctional site, emphasizing what our research tells us industry folks want: news, product information, a trade show calendar, and fashion and trends. We also added something no Web site in our world has embraced to date: community. JCKonline is a platform for people in this business to share ideas and express thought. We're also creating an area where our very social industry can come to view and share event pictures.

Our most exciting new feature is our blogs. A blog (short for “Web log”) is a sort of online diary where people share their views in a first-person voice, and readers can respond. We've already launched three: The Industry Blog, JCK Voices, and Style 360.

The Industry Blog will feature many of the best-known voices in our business, including Jewelers Vigilance Committee's Cecilia Gardner, Jewelers' Security Alliance's John Kennedy, American Gem Society's Ruth Batson, Centurion Show's Howard Hauben, and Jewelry Information Center's Helena Krodel.

JCK Voices is a daily forum from our editorial staff on industry news, challenges, and trends. Style 360 is written by fashion editor Carrie Soucy and her style team, with additional posts from our pop-culture-savvy art and production folks. Look to this blog for fun takes on fashion trends, store openings, designer news, and the like.

We'll soon launch JCKstyle.com, which, like its print counterpart, will focus on the intersection of fashion and jewelry. It will also feature a “Scene + Be Seen” section, with party pics posted immediately after events.

We hope you enjoy the fruits of our labor. Of course, the heart of a community is feedback, so fire away!!

Here's wishing you a happy, healthy, and successful holiday season. Cheers.