Airbnb just rolled out another brand new enterprise - did you know?

[Annette33]

Just discovered that Airbnb rolled out a magazine - as of yesterday!  It's only available in print version, for $3.99. next issue is scheduled for September.
https://airbnbmag.com
In his welcome letter, Chesky describes Airbnb as a tech company (really?), but then goes back to the human connection that is at the core of  Airbnb, thus his vision that one needs a magazine to hold in one's hands or put on the coffee table for guests. Really? 
https://airbnbmag.com/articles/welcome_letter.html

So instead of solving the constant issues and problems Airbnb is plagued with and which we are discussing and fixing here every day, right on the heels of their trips/experiences rolled out late last year, Airbnb now gets into another whole new enterprise!!  Talk about spreading themselves thin.......what on earth are they trying to be now? The magazine is "driven by the power of human connection" : I just humbly wish they would use that power of human connection in their interaction with hosts and guests....

But perhaps this frantic activity, which we are also constantly subjected to when things in the Airbnb platform change every 5 seconds, is just an example of manic and massive ADD in the boardroom. Next...... 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

... next step.... selling ad space to hosts

@Annette33

[Annette33]

hehehe, @Branka-and-Silvia0 , I think you nailed it!!

and maybe they'll send the first issue to all (super) hosts, at least in the US.....

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Annette33 no,  but if you subscribe you will get first 6 isues for just 15$ hehe (it is written , scroll down)

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

I posted about this too https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosts/Airbnbmag/m-p/399537/highlight/true#M90472

This is a marketing ploy.  Starbucks did the same thing when they were starting to get more bad press than good press.  It lasted for a year, maybe 2.  It's a way to create positive social buzz and get contract writers to stop creating negative articles, because those are the only types of articles selling to online magazines and other for-pay print media.  This will start tempering their tone.  If they want to be published in Airbnbmag (or be included in any print media for the publisher) they best not write a salacious article bashing Airbnb.  

[Annette33]

@Alice-and-Jeff0 , hehe, but I posted it first 😉 I almost linked to the Wall Street Journal article too, then just limited my post  to Airbnbmag itself.

Oh yes, it is a marketing ploy, right into our faces! and if I'm not mistaken, Airbnb had already once done the magazine thing as well. To do it again is a timely tool, totally under their control, to curb all the mounting criticism. Instead of effectively dealing with the causes of all that discontent, they are now putting a shiny BandAid on it - problem "solved" - until the BandAid comes off....

[Lizzie]

Hello @Annette33, @Alice-and-Jeff0, @Branka-and-Silvia0,

I hope you are all having a great start to the week. 🙂
 
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the, recently launched, Airbnb Magazine. As there are a couple of discussions on this, I thought it may be helpful to share some of the thinking behind it.
 
We are continually thinking how best we can promote our amazing Community of hosts to travellers. Every day here in the Community Center we see fantastic stories such as the ‘Share a positive story thread’ and the numerous threads which show the thought you all put in to hosting and creating great guest experiences. The magazine is another way for us to celebrate what traveling on Airbnb is like to guests.
 
I can understand that you are anxious that internal resources are being taken away from other areas of the company, however I can say this certainly isn’t the case.
 
The magazine is a positive way for guests to learn more about Airbnb and what we stand for, and can only help to promote hosts and the great community we have.
 

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Joseph79]

They sent me a free issue and $15 subscription offer for 6 issues.  A tiny bit of space with host recommendations of little value; more space was given to recipes!  The rest is focused on travellers and their dream vacations  What an amazing waste of trees.