2009 Future of Magazines and Interactivity
Kenya L. Ford COM 530, Theory & Audience Analysis 10/28/2009
Future of Magazines and Interactivity Table of Contents I.
Abstract
II.
History of Magazine
III.
Magazine Content & Audience
IV.
Magazine Uses and Gratification Theory
V.
Where Magazine Stand Presently
VI.
Print Isn’t Dead, It Just Looks Different
VII.
Future of Magazines A. David Abrahamson, Eight Aspects of Future Magazines B. Mobile Devices C. MINE magazine experiment D. FLYP magazine E. Issuu.com F. Americhip G. Living Magazine Covers
VIII.
Experts Talk A. Fielding Cage, Time.com Web Designer B. Alexx Henry, Photographer and Image Maker C. Jon Schaffer, Issuu.com D. Terry Watson, Huami magazine
IX.
Conclusion
X.
Annotated Bibliography
2
Abstract People want a voice in society. In the past, print media such as newspapers, journals, and magazines were the vehicles for voices to be heard, with other mediums being radio and television. All of these forms of media limited accessibility due to the lack of affordability and were also selective on what voice would be heard. When the Internet arrived it brought the world closer through connecting people. Additionally, the Internet provided a platform for everyday people to have a voice regardless of their social status, hierarchy in a company, race or nationality. The Internet has unlocked greater opportunity in decreasing printing cost for publications. Due to the availability of printers, printing costs were driven down creating a favorable position for emerging publications. One of the downfalls of the World Wide Web has been that certain magazines were unable to continue with the technology so only the strong ones are surviving by embracing and building a presence online using interactivity. Magazines are not using the World Wide Web to replace print publications but using it as tool to enhance their audience. This research focuses on the Future of Magazines and Interactivity, will explore the survival of the magazine industry in the age of digital media. This study shows how magazines are embracing technology and migrating towards online content and interactivity. The Internet has allowed more voices to emerge with the launch of sites like Issuu.com, which allows people’s voices to be heard over the Web by producing magazines through online publishing. Understanding the impact that the Internet has created for the publication world is of the utmost importance for individuals breaking into the magazine industry. This research illustrates the past, present and future of magazines and interactivity.
History of Magazines In order to talk about the future of magazines and how interactivity plays a role, the history of how magazines evolved in society must be discussed. In 1704, The Review was published in London, England. The idea of magazines didn’t come to America until 1741 which Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Bradford introduced them to the American cultural. It wasn’t until 1821, that the Saturday Evening Post became the first successful magazine in the United States (Cyber College). According to The Magazine Cover to Cover, poets, novelist, essayists, and journalists have used magazines to reach the heart and soul of America.
Our best writers have been
published in magazines: Annie Dillard, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Toni Morrison, Edgar Allan Poe, and scores of others who have penned our classics and have won Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes. Photographers have used magazines to engage and enlarge the American consciousness by showing
3
images of ourselves that are both raw and wonderful. Mathew Brady photographed the Civil War for Harper’s Weekly, Margaret Bourke-White captured World War II on film for
Life, and Annie Leibovitz gave us a lasting Vietnam Era icon: Yoko Ono and John Lennon nude on the cover of Rolling Stone. Artists have used magazines to experiment with techniques and styles showing their vision of the world. Winslow Homer created stark black-and-white engravings of life in New York City in the 1870s for Harper’s Weekly; six decades later, Salvador Dali colorfully illustrated Vogue covers of the 1930s. Designers, from legendary Harper’s Bazaar art director Alexey Brodovitch to the contemporary creators of Wired and Bikini, also have used magazines to blend words and pictures to catch the eye and capture the spirit. Magazines remain a vibrant and healthy medium, serving the rabble, the rebel, and the responsible citizen. Magazines, in a way, are a voice of the country. They are published by huge media conglomerates and tiny publishing houses, by trade and religious groups, by professional associations, and by academics. They are created for thinkers, laborers, activists, and couch potatoes. No other medium is as diverse; nor does any other medium have such a rich past and limitless future (Cover to Cover). Throughout history, magazines have served as a voice when others refused or were scared to speak. At times, many magazines took a “viewpoint” on issues. Below are several historical examples of how magazines were involved in the major key issues in America (Cyber College). •
During the Civil War, which was primarily fought over the issue of slavery, northern magazines often espoused antislavery views, and southern magazines typically attacked those views. Thus, magazines served to strengthen the opposing views and reinforce divisions of thought -- which in large measure fueled the war. We should note that Harrier Beecher Stowe's book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, which also fueled the Civil War, was first serialized in a magazine (Cyber College).
•
By the 1900s there were hundreds of thousands of European immigrants living in the United States. They had in large measure been attracted to the U.S. because many new jobs were being created by industrialization. But, these workers were paid abysmally low wages, their working conditions were deplorable, and they often ended up living in slums. At the same time, the owners of the companies lived in luxurious homes and pursued lavish lifestyles. Not surprisingly, major animosity developed between the classes. Seeing the injustice, magazine writers began to do exposés on the conditions. In the process they uncovered major corporate and political corruption, which in part
4
had been blocking needed reform. Of course, the journalists who exposed these injustices weren't popular with business or political leaders. This not only made their jobs harder (magazines obviously depend on advertising), but it even made their work dangerous. President Theodore Roosevelt coined the term “muckraker” to express his dislike for this form of journalism -- a term that could be considered an insult or a compliment, depending on which side of the tracks a person lived on. Upton Sinclair, one of the most famous muckrakers, tackled another issue: the unsanitary conditions in Chicago's meat packing houses. Because of resulting political pressure, President Roosevelt sponsored the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act, and things were cleaned up. Other muckraking articles exposed the corrupt and illegal business practices of John D. Rockefeller and the widespread corruption in the labor unions. Magazines did exposés on the tens of thousands of workers were injured or made ill by the working conditions, and the many women who had to turn to prostitution just to feed their families. Thus, early magazines emerged as a major, albeit controversial, force in society and found a solid place with the working class (Cyber College) •
One of the most influential magazines to appear during the early years was National Geographic, in 1899. Largely through the high-quality photo essays it pioneered, this publication opened up new vistas of cultural awareness and understanding. Some of the cultural awareness was not deemed acceptable by certain segments of U.S. society, however. When bare-breasted African and Filipino women were shown as they normally appeared in their villages, the Geographic got a flood of complaints. Even so, the Geographic maintained that their mission was to accurately depict the world in which different cultures lived and that censoring commonplace elements in these cultures would violate that principle (Cyber College).
Magazine Content & Audience Magazines are highly specialized in content and in audience. Magazines do not try to be all things to all people. A newspaper covers topics of general interest for a specific geographic area. Readers depend on the newspaper for day-to-day news, not for the specialized information like the magazine provides. In 1982, Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) offered an expansion of this point:
A magazine is like no other medium for the simple reason that it isn’t a daily routine. Depending on its scope and its point of view, it may be published once every week, once every two weeks, or once every three months. It’s subject matter may be the world at large, but more
5
often, it’s a study in depth of a vital part of someone’s world – an art, a science, a sport, or a certain way of looking at the world for a certain man, a certain woman, a certain child. Audience and content work in a cycle. All content must be geared to the magazine’s specific audience. Articles or photos that miss the mark in terms of audience are ineffective, no matter how brilliantly composed and technically elegant they might be. An article on menopause has no place in Glamour, even if the information is groundbreaking. Likewise, articles on great bars to visit during spring break will not cut it in AARP. Magazine editors see their readers as part of a community; readers of a successful publication have a sense of ownership of their magazine. Any editor who changes a popular feature has to steel herself for the inevitable letters asking, “What have you done to my magazine?” Magazine editors target a precise niche – a narrowly defined focus – and study the characteristics of individuals in that niche. They then aim the magazine directly at those individuals. These characteristics concern both demographics – easily quantified elements such as age, income, geographic location – and psychographics – harder-tomeasure issues such as values, attitudes, and beliefs. And what advertisers will do is look at their demographics and psychographics and match them with the characteristics of their target audience for their product (Johnson p.7). Magazines and advertisements are a couple who very much depend on one another. Whether their a match made in heaven some may disagree but to determine or foresee the future of magazine one would suggest you have to look at where advertisement is headed (Alexx Henry). The MPA says, “A magazine is a tangible enduring companion, a friend that you can enjoy at home, work, traveling, anywhere at all.” Magazines take the time to help us make sense of our world and our lives. They require that we sit down, read, and reflect.”
6
*Magazine Uses and Gratifications Theory The American media consumer at the turn of the 21st century is a savvy individual. She/he knows what they expect from the various media, and she/he heads for a specific medium to fill a specific need. Researchers of the 1920s and 1930s who studied mass media effects saw the media audience as a faceless blob, a huge mass of unnamed and undifferentiated nobodies. Researchers in the 1970s said it was time to stop and look at these people as individuals, to question what motivated them and why. In response, media scholars have studied the way in which Americans use their media and the gratifications they receive from this use. Called, not surprisingly, uses and gratifications theory, this approach encourages researchers to focus not on the medium, but on the user of that medium. Researchers have suggested that contemporary consumers use media for five needs: cognitive, affective, personal, social, and tension release. Cognitive Magazines help us acquire information, knowledge, and understanding. They inform us on issues and events that might affect us; they tell us what’s going on in our world and what that means to us. Newsweek and Time give us the background on methods of cloning animals and analyze the possibilities and problems of human cloning. RN magazine helps nurses assess changes in health care. Tricycle explains how Buddhism is influencing mainstream America. Affective We use magazines to seek emotional, pleasurable, or aesthetic experiences. Will we ever be able to afford that house in Architectural Digest ? Maybe not, but we can dream. Magazines are great dream machines, and readers know that, using magazines for vicarious experiences. We scan fashion magazines for trends we may never adopt, but which are fun to imagine. We read Print to see the beauty that graphic designers are creating, and to aspire to that level of creativity ourselves. We look at Gourmet and think that, someday, we might make that kiwi torte on cover. We read Travel & Leisure and lose ourselves in a mythical vacation to the Greek isles. Personal Magazines can help us live our lives as sane individuals, strengthening our credibility, confidence, stability, and status. They reinforce our values, provide us with psychological reassurance and self-understanding, and give us a chance to explore reality. Glamour tells us it’s okay to hate those fashionable shoes; Self gives us healthy ways to look and feel better; Esquire provides us with fashion rules and the
7
courage to break them; Essence reminds us we are not alone in our world view and to maximize our potential. Social We use the media to help us fit in with our society. Researchers call this function the “social utility of information.” You, too, can be a brilliant conversationalist, if you read enough. You can use that article on insomnia in Health to offer advice to the boss’s wife with whom you thought you had nothing in common. That article you read in The Atlantic Monthly on the cause of middle America’s cynicism might even help you through that political science test. Tension Release Readers often head for magazines for escape and diversion. We read Entertainment Weekly, People , and Soap Opera Digest to get away from our own mundane world and live for a peek for moment into the bedrooms and the powerful. Sure, you’re up to your ears in student loans and your shortsighted girlfriend just dumped you. But the cast of “Baywatch” is featured in TV Guide . That will take your mind off your problems for a while (Johnson p.6).
Cognitive
Affective
Personal
Social
Tenison Release
Figure 1. Magazine Uses and Gratification *Note. Several researchers were responsible for developing a list of media uses, including Elihu Katz, Jack McLeod, Denis McQuail, Jay G. Blumler, Micheal Gurevitch, and H. Haas. The list used was taken from Katz, Gurevitch and Haas, “On the Use of the Mass Media for Important Things,” American Sociological Review, 38 (1973): 164-81
8
Where magazines STAND presently The Internet has made a great impact on many industries and no industry was prepared for what the Internet had in store. For the publishing industry, particularly the magazine industry, there were been rumors of magazines declining due to economy and the Internet. An article in Folio called Why would anyone launch a print magazine today, states “Magazines may also be becoming something of a luxury item.” A recent Forrester Research survey found that while 77 percent of consumer respondents will hold steady with their current level of print magazine subscriptions in 2009, 18 percent expect to cut back and just 4 percent plan to boost their number of subscriptions. “Five out of every 10 magazines and newspapers will go out of business, scale down their frequency or move entirely to the Web,” predicts Andy Cohn, vice president and group publisher, Fader Media. “This More than 4 out will not just be survival of the fittest, rather survival of the of 5 U.S. Adults most willing and able to adapt to the changing media paradigm and throw all of the old rules out the window.” read magazines. (www.foliomag.com)
In 2008, Hamilton Nolan wrote an article, The Future of Magazine, Possibly, he stated “These are troubled times in the magazine industry. Reed Elsevier announced that it is selling its magazine publishing division, which includes Variety and Publishers Weekly , in order to reduce exposure to "cyclicality" in ad markets. And bad news for any editors looking for employment at Meredith: their president, Jack Griffin, says "We don't hire editors any more. We hire content strategists."
Magazine audience — including readership among younger adults— has remained strong over the past five years despite the growth of new media options.
On the other hand, print has faced hard times before and the right publication can still find success. Many people claim a downturn is the right time to launch and seize your competition off-guard (Fortune famously launched just four months after the stock market crash of 1929). The Atlantic , recently redesign and a July/August issue that sold 83,300 copies, one of the top five in its 150-year history, announced it will raise its rate base from 400,000 to 450,000 with the January 2009 issue.
Reader’s Digest is set to debut three new magazines in the first quarter of 2009 (after launching five new titles in 2007), including The Purpose Driven Connection, which borrows from the celebrity-driven model of Everyday With Rachel Ray to team with Dr. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life. The quarterly magazine is part of a multimedia platform including DVDs, downloadable discussion guides and a social networking Web site (www.foliomag.com).
9
Just like no smart publisher launches a new print product without a digital component (which increasingly is becoming the primary component), no smart publisher believes that any one revenue stream is coming to the rescue (www.foliomag.com). Journalism is more than writing; it is becoming multimedia. Many magazines are standing strong against the economy and digital technology. Magazine Publisher of America, was established in 1919 and the purpose of this organization whose mission is to advance the interests of magazine publishers with advertising in the industry association for consumer magazines. They have researched the magazine industry and the effects of the Internet and economy. According to MPA, there are some misconceptions of why magazines are closing, however they point out that magazines closings are part of a normal lifecycle more closely aligned to the economy and advertiser demand than consumer demand. Furthermore, facts show that 2008 was actually a light year for magazine closings. According to Ulrich’s Periodical Directory (ProQuest), an increase in magazine closings occurs during economic downturns: • The biggest year-to-year percent increases in consumer magazine closings occurred around the recession of the early 1990s. In 1992 and 1993 approximately 80% more closings occurred compared to the prior year • 2000 and 2001, both recession years, represented consecutive years with the largest number of closings • Given that the current recession is continuing, it is too soon to assess its full impact on closings. However, the 54 consumer magazine closings in 2008 represented a nearly 17% decrease over the prior year. This contradicts the misperception that the number of magazine closings in 2008 was unprecedented. Below are charts, which state the facts of how magazines are really doing in this digital age. 2004
Magazine Readers Adults 18+ Index to 2004
2008
179,373 100
189,681 106
Adults 18+ Index to 2004
11.0 100
11.5 105
Adults 18–34 Index to 2004
12.1 100
13.1 108
Adults 18+ Index to 2004
84% 100
85% 101
Adults 18–34 Index to 2004
88% 100
88% 100
Average Issues/Month
Coverage
10
16,000
Number of Magazine with Websites
14,000 12,000 10,000 Total
8,000
Consumer
6,000 4,000 2,000 0 2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
*Source: MediaFinder, 2009 (data as of March, 2009)
MPA has developed a list of consumer magazines and what digital initiatives they are creating to help drive the growth of publishers’ websites. Consumer magazines understand the importance of reaching their audience by utilizing the various technologies to enhance but not to abandon the traditional way completely. Consumer magazine companies announced 76 digital initiatives during the first quarter of 2009, a 10% increase year-over-year, according to research from Magazine Publishers of America (MPA). Among the new initiatives announced by consumer magazine publishers so far in 2009 are iPhone and other cell phone apps, video for websites and mobile devices, Twitter feeds, content-sharing partnerships, integrated marketing initiatives and online social networks (www.magazine.org). At the same time, based on MPA’s analysis of Nielsen Online-supplied data from 476 consumer magazine brands online, magazine websites averaged 75.8 million unique monthly visitors during the first quarter, marking a 7.2% gain over first quarter 2008. This increase reflects more than double the rate of growth for the overall U.S. Internet audience, which rose 3.2% in the first quarter. The average first quarter monthly reach for magazine websites grew to 45.1% of the total U.S. Internet population, up from 43.4% in 2008. The time spent by consumers on magazine websites also rose, registering a 1.3% uptick first quarter 2009 versus same period 2008 (www.magazine.org).
11
Condé Nast Publications: Congressional Quarterly: Mobile content, with Blackberry and iPhone compatibility
Content distribution, ad sharing partnership with Hulu, bridal planning tools, partnership with Bloomingdales, mobile shopping, integrated marketing partnership with Showtime and Macy*s, online book club, social network
Time Inc.:
Hearst Magazines: Cross-
platform media content, online video, eBay partnership, content distribution partnership, ebook magazine reader device, online fragrance database and fragrance finder, online retail partnerships
Ebony: Film, video production and distribution partnership for online and mobile
Website relaunches, iPhone applications, WAP sites, crossplatform content, content sharing partnerships, userselected content, digital editions, broadband video, original online programs, makeover tool
Meredith Corp:
Online ad portals, women’s online network, social network for cooking and food recipes
For more information on the complete list of digital incentives of consumer magazine for the 2009, please go to the following website http://www.magazine.orsg/digital/14321.aspx .
Print is not Dead, It just looks different! Based on an article, Future of magazines: Net could empower readers, journalist Mark Glaser asked expert and scholars about the where future of magazines ahead and why interactivity is important. Selections of their responses follow below: “But magazines, like other old media, face competition for our time and thus for ad dollars and they, like newspapers and TV, need to find the right way to cross media. However, magazines have one great strength: They've not been commoditized. There are many newspapers and news shows reporting the same things. Magazines have a voice and in this era voice is values; magazines can create content with unique value and if they can continue to find readers across media they will survive”. – Jeff Jarvis, creator of Entertainment Weekly
“The ideas of 'non-commoditization' and of 'voice equals value' are terribly important aspects of how magazines serve their audiences. Other notions, many of which are unique to the magazine form, are part of the equation as well. For example: 1. Magazines facilitate for their readers the creation both personal identity and communities of shared interest (often in only virtual terms). 2. What might be called the 'journalistic distance' between producer (editor) and consumer (reader) is often far shorter in magazines than in other media. It is still 'from the few to the many,' but the few and many share a common set of interests and values. 3. The concept of 'narrow-casting' (specific information of assured value to definable and reachable audiences) has come to be ever more central to periodical publishing since the late 1950s.
12
Taken all together, it can be argued that magazines seem uniquely suited to take advantage of the digital (read: Internet/WWW/interactive) future. The key, at least on the basis of this analysis, is magazines' special relationship with their audience: one characterized by unusual loyalty, affinity and community, shared personal interests and ideologies and an ability to provide high-value information targeted at self-defined audiences”. – David Abrahamson, Professor of Journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University
“Magazines are using technology to deepen their relationship with their existing readers and to introduce themselves to new readers. Virtually all our members have a presence on the Web and many are exploring how to deliver content to other platforms as well -cell phones, PDAs, iPods, etc. There is no 'one size fits all' formula for creating a meaningful magazine-branded experience using digital distribution. Because magazines are trusted, recognizable and targeted communities of interest they have the ability to connect with people across a wide range of delivery systems. The challenge is finding the right touch point for their audience with content appropriate to the platform and the brand. Magazines are no longer transferring their content verbatim to the Internet. Many are using their Web sites and other digital devices to update content between publishing cycles, to provide a forum for communities of interest to interact together, and to engage people in interactive experiences (games, polls, and contests, etc.) They are also conducting research, managing their customer relationships and some are experimenting with sight, sound and motion. Not every platform works for every magazine, but every magazine should be exploring, alone or in partnership with others, how to use technology to expand their relationship with their reader” – Nina Link, President and CEO of the Magazine Publishers of America
“Magazines are and must continue to be interactive. When reading Seventeen magazine or CosmoGirl one can have the magazine on their lap and their figures on the keyboard. Those two magazines are just an example of the way the multitasker generation uses print and the Internet. My fear and I have mentioned that earlier, is the one-way street from print to the Web. Very few publications have learned the art of sending readers back to print. Engage the reader/user with your content. The new generation does not get dizzy from shifting gears like we do. The hook is the content ... the bait can be any medium you like”. - Samir Husni, Director of the University of Mississippi's Magazine Service Journalism Program
“I think the challenge is to invent or refine new magazine forms that let users preside in lots of ways, let users find one another, let users form communities, let users create -and yet still offer professionally produced, well researched and edited essays and
13
investigative reported pieces that the reader won't find anywhere else, an opinionated guide to a mixed-up world. Three of Salon's most popular stories in the last few weeks have featured the words 'best' (independent movie) 'worst' (reality TV) and 'everything you wanted to know about' (a useful and popular guide to the nuclear option). Our readers want to know what we think -- and they want to tell us what they think. And they want to know what other readers think. Our reader letters are also among our most popular content, understandably, and we're in the process of automating their posting to get more onto the site more quickly”. – Joan Walsh, Editor in chief at Salon.com
“Only two people can tell you the future: God and a fool. Having said that, I recall the many professors of mine (back in the late '70s early '80s) who told me that I was wasting my time studying magazines ... print is dead they said. We have now three times the number of magazines that were offered for sale back then and the numbers continue to grow ... I agree with Jeff that content will change. It did, it is changing, and it will continue to do so. As for the format, ink on paper will be with us as long as we have trees”. – Samir Husni (www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/050524glaser)
Future of magazines In the Journal of Magazine and New Media , David Abrahamson wrote an article on the Future of Magazines 2010-2020, and stated, “Any guesses about the future of magazines must acknowledge that anywhere magazines might be headed will be very closely tied to where America is going. Given that the magazine form is such an accurate and, at the same time, supple reflector of the social reality of its time, any estimates about the future of the form must also include guesses about the economic, political and cultural future of society that it so reliably mirrors. My guess is that the next 10 years will make ever more valuable magazines' unique ability to mediate between individual interests and shared interests. As the national culture continues, the fractionization begun in the mid-twentieth century - the move to more nicheoriented, targeted, special-interest media will continue. But within that phenomenon, the power of magazines to define and then create the idea of community will become more crucial. This inextricable link between magazines and specific communities of interest will prove paramount in magazines' success. In sum, I suspect that the magazine form will have an opportunity to prosper, if only because over the next decade it may become ever more valuable to those people who are looking for voices that speak the truth to them about the things that they believe matter. Eight aspects about the future of the magazine industry over the mid-term future may be worthy to note:
14
The Internet will have a profound effect, but it will not displace print. The print version of a magazine product will remain essential to thecreation of "brand identity," something for which at least to date the Web doesseems not terribly well suited. The "narrow-casting" of all media, including magazines, will continue, perhaps even accelerate. As a result, most general-interest magazines without a solidly defined cultural niche will probably no longer be published. The separation of function between the print and the Web efforts for most magazines, the on-line product will be viewed as a separate business and a distinct profit center based on new business models. In the world of print, it is possible that a major transformation in the area of circulation will occur. Foreseeable changes in advertising practices and distribution expenses may lead many publishers to revisit their traditional circulation models. Involve an enlarged appetite for the kinds of long-form journalism often found in lifestyle, travel, arts and leisure-active magazines
The specialized business press will become very adept at employing the Web, adapting to the strengths of the Internet to better serve their readers.
The conventional role of the newsmagazine as a weekly digest of fact-based information will diminish. I can see no reason to expect that the magazine industry will cease to place a premium on those qualities which high-value magazine journalism has long held dear.
The future of magazines is already here; the future of magazine is in the technology and interactivity. Many technologies are emerging that will give magazines many options on reaching their audience. The Internet is one way magazines have served as an extension of the print version. Some magazines have completely avoided print and online is the only way they reach their audience. Either way the magazines understand their audience and what will work in communicating and interacting with them. The internet has allowed for more interaction for the user in the fashion/beauty niche magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Essence which allow for user to setup an account, making the consumer feel a part of the magazine, which allows them to interact with other in community discussions, video elements, feedback, etc. The future of magazines also, deals with interactivity, creating an experience with the users. “Interactivity extends beyond user control of existing information, but creates a two –way information flow between the magazine and the user, allowing users to become active participants in the storytelling process (Foust p.203). There are many ways the presence of online magazine can achieve interactivity by using the various web tools such as email, chats, discussion boards, social networks, forums, and blogs. Some magazines already do this with their users by allowing the reader to engage with the content. In the examples below, some magazines are doing this, and taking interactivity user experience to another level.
15
Mobile Devices Mobile devices are the increasing becoming a staple in our society. Since these devices are very popular many industries are finding unique ways to reach their target audience through these devices, especially through phone applications. Some say the future of magazines is through mobile devices. Mobile devices are just not cell phones but any devices that is portable. There are two devices that magazines are using now and some are consider using. The first one is cell phone devices, with the iPhone application blazing the trail of introducing the applications some magazines have create applications to farther extend them in this digital age.
A BBH article written by Adam Glickman called “Big is easy, small is hard: Print is Mobile ” stated the notion of carrying around your reading as reams of inked paper might disappear, but the written word certainly won’t. So it seems a very natural progression for print publishers to move from paper to digital by simply reformatting for small screen mobile devices. But the considerations are vast. And more importantly, how much do people really want to use their phones as reading devices anyway? Glickman met with a company called ScrollMotion, a New York-based iPhone app developer, who have been steadily creating a suite of new tools for traditional print media companies to better engage their readers via apps on mobile phones, and in the process, quietly making publishing deals with a wide range of top-notch publishers. Their growing client list is impressive and includes Conde Nast, Hearst, Time Inc., Tribune Company, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Wiley. Glickman discusses that the company is currently focused on the iPhone as it provides more avenues for interactive exploration than the top-selling Kindle or other readers on the market. Their Iceberg Reader, which offers book publishers the ability to distribute content via the iPhone, has grown rapidly, even though specific numbers have not been present publicly (Glickman 2009).
MINE magazine experiment Others have taken the approach of creating a magazine that will be specialized for the reader. This was a 2009 experiment project Time Inc., set forth to allow the first 31,000 readers to receive a print version of their own customize magazine called MINE. An online version will go to 200,000. The idea for this experiment was to choose five different magazines from Time Warner/American Express Co. magazines based on the readers’ choice and interest. This can be personalized in
16
56 combinations giving the reader many possible options. This magazine only had four single page ads from Lexus RX 2010, which are personalized based on the readers taste and geographic location. The research numbers have not been released, so it is difficult to tell how well this experiment did. However based on readers who subscribed to receive a personalize copy of their own MINE magazine readers had mix reviews.
FLYP Magazine – More than a magazine FLYP is a dynamic online, multimedia magazine that combines text, video, audio, animation and interactivity into a new kind of storytelling. From politics and science to art, film, music and more, FLYP provides a bi-weekly look at the fast changing reality of America. FLYP magazine utilize every interactive communication component that the web will allow to carry. Merging the best characteristics of print journalism with appealing interactivity, FLYP offers up a dynamic magazine. “Flyp the magazine is really a proof-of-concept experiment in terms of multimedia story telling. It is not a product that we’re aimed at as much as the message and the form,” said Editor in Chief Jim Gaines. One journalist described Flyp magazine as the future media lab, which is attempting to straddle the boundaries between the old and new, between print and celluloid, and between Web creation and journalism. Gaines talked about how the creative process of the magazine stating “We start with everybody in the room – the videographers, the animators, the designers, the audio person, the editor, and the reporter and try to figure out what is the best combination of media to tell that particular story. The story is created in all media at once.” The way Flyp media puts a piece together is very chic and clean, not just dumping every media element at once. Flyp use interactive components by creating charts, clickable tables, and graphics interacting with the user. That’s why the Flyp team calls their creations “experiences” instead of mere stories (onlinejournalismblog.com).
Issuu.com One of the initial promises of the Internet was it would “make everyone a publisher,” allowing millions of individual voices to be heard without having to invest in transmitters or printing press (Foust p.62). The Internet has given individuals voices by creating web tools such as Issuu.com, which allow people to create their own magazine and share it online. Listed as one of the “50 Best Websites 2009” in Time magazine, Issuu.com is one of the leading digital publishing platform distributing extraordinary reading experiences of
17
magazines, books, catalogs, reports and any other document content. This website has allowed thousands of people to share their work with others and present in a chic digital design. Issuu.com mission is to empower individuals, companies, and institutions to publish their documents across all digital platforms. The background history of Issuu.com started early 2000 by the founders to find a way to “successful recipe for publishing in the digital era”. They found inspiration in the in one of the strongest medium, which was the Web. Each month they have over 6 million visitors and their members have published thus far over 20 million pages. Many brand name companies support and trust them such as Penguin Group, Google, World Bank Publications, Random House, Cambridge Press, just to name a few. Time magazine stated, “Issuu is an online newsstand with infinite shelf space, hundreds of interesting micro-publishing projects and a slick online reader” (Time.com)
Americhip Who would have ever imagined the day that print magazine would have a video inside of it? Well, Entertainment Weekly magazine launch a video ad clip of Pepsi in the September 2009 issue. This magazine was only sent to their subscribers in the New Video Technology • Screen uses liquid crystal display (LCD) technology • Each is 2.7mm thick with 320x240 resolution • Can store 40mins of video • Battery can be recharged via mini-USB • Rechargeable battery lasts up to 70 mins • Developed by LA-firm Americhip
York and Los Angeles area. According, the BBC News article the chip technology used to store the video - described as similar to that used in singing greeting cards - is activated when the page is turned. Each chip can hold up to 40 minutes of video. BBC correspondent Rajesh Mirchandani said that in
an increasingly competitive market, advertisers have realized that it is more important than ever to create attention for their product. Americhip, the developer of video-inprint, has also created magazine technology that appeals to various senses, including smell. Americhip is the first ever-digital print technology that delivers true video in print and allows consumers to download content from the web directly into their print media. (Americhip.com)
Living Magazine Covers The “Living” magazine cover and spread released with the October issue of Outside Magazine. Photographed with the Red One camera, was created by Alexx Henry’s vision of how a motion-magazine of the not-too-distant future would look based on emerging technologies like flexible OLED and E Ink. Seeing this creation using the current technology of what the future of magazine can possibly be in a couple of years was simply amazing. They shot tri-athlete Chris Lieto for the Outside Magazine. Not only
18
did they shoot the print edition of the magazine, but they are also making a living version to give readers a glimpse of what a magazine in the future may look like. Please visit http://alexxhenry.com/blog/category/technology/oled/ to check the video on how Alexx Henry and his crew produce what the future of magazine may look like.
Esquire magazine launched their October 2008 issue having an E-ink cover. They were the first magazine ever to use electronic paper on the cover. Funded partly by advertiser Ford, and working with E Ink Corporation, Esquire will create a cover where words and images scroll. On the inside cover, the electronic paper will be used for a fullmotion ad pitching the Ford Flex Crossover. However, some people had an issue with this because as a "green" technology -- is super wasteful when used for a disposal product like a magazine (Therawfeed.com). In Esquire December 2009 issue, they have created an Augmented Reality issue. In addition to featuring an Augmented Reality cover, where Robert Downey Jr. introduces the user to the issue; there are several pieces of bonus content that can be accessed and controlled on Esquire’s website by downloading an app and pointing the AR marker at your webcam. So what is OLED?
An organic light emitting diode (OLED), also light emitting polymer (LEP) and organic electro luminescence (OEL), is a light-emitting diode (LED) whose emissive electroluminescent layer is composed of a film of organic compounds. The layer usually contains a polymer substance that allows suitable organic compounds to be deposited. They are deposited in rows and columns onto a flat carrier by a simple "printing" process. The resulting matrix of pixels can emit light of different colors. Such systems can be used in television screens, computer monitors, small, portable system screens such as cell phones and PDAs, advertising, information and indication. OLEDs can also be used in light sources for general space illumination, and large-area light-emitting elements. OLEDs typically emit less light per area than inorganic solidstate based LEDs, which are usually designed for use as point-light sources. A significant advantage of OLED displays over traditional liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is that OLEDs do not require a backlight to function. Thus, they can display deep black levels, draw far less power, and can be much thinner and lighter than an LCD panel. OLED displays also naturally achieve much higher contrast ratio than LCD monitors. (Wikipedia)
19
Experts Talk It’s important to speak with professionals in the field to discuss the future of the magazines, since they are experiencing on a daily basis. I had the pleasure of speaking to professional expert in the field about the future of magazines and interactivity. Below is the Question & Answers from the experts. Interview #1
Name: Fielding Cage Occupation: Web Designer, Time magazine, professionally web designing for 4 years Audience/Users: Majority of Time magazine readers are from the age of 50 years and older, our online users are age range from 30 – 40 years old, who are not subscriber of the magazine. So as a web designer, I have to think about that when developing web sites. First, I started with the News & Record creating the website for the newspaper but always wanted to work at Time magazine which was a place that I thought I would end my career but it has happen now.
What is your creative process of building web designs? Since I didn’t come from an art background, my personal inspiration comes from the users’ experience, look at design delivering information to the user that makes the most sense. Also, I look at the social networks like Facebook and Twitter of how they bring information to the user experience.
What design guidelines do you follow for a magazine online (if there is one)? We have a set of rules of fonts and basic format. Why reinvent the wheel? We set the design template to make sense for delivering the content.
What interactive components do you create? And what is the feedback from the user of interactivity? I was hired by Time to develop interactive components, so of the ones I have created was the Time Top 100 Influential and let the user rank them. There is a business goal we have to keep in mind, Time.com components on the web. Either they pass by it or they never get to the page that has the interactive element on there. Most of our users come on the site from 11am – 2pm, so they are reading content while they’re at work and don’t have a lot of time to spend. People used the site for a quick digestion of the news. Interactive components may serve greatly for lifestyle content or a feature story.
20
Where do you see the future of magazines? Time is not a magazine any longer, but in the content management business and the striving to bring the content in a nice package to the user. Internally, our staff has change, from writers not only writing an article for the magazine but also having an article for the website and sometimes a video element.
As a web designer do you just do the website or do you also have to make the content capable with mobile devices? I do every platform except for the magazine print. My job is to create an experience for the user, what the user’s expectation and what the user is looking for in the delivery of the content. Recently, I finish designing a Time magazine application for the Iphone. In developing the application even though designing for mobile devices, I had to consider that everyone may not be able to connect to the web, so creating a design that had a cache option which will save the web page so it doesn’t have to download.
How has Time.com evolved? Evolution of the site – First started when I arrived becoming an online team that had 10 or less people. It wasn’t a beautiful site and we were responsible making a daily news site. So we first had to change the mentality of the office. Then we had to design more pages and RSS feeds. We went from a weekly content online to minute-by-minute changes. Now the magazine except the writer to have a video component and an online story for the web when producing a story for the magazine.
Interview #2 Name: Alexx Henry Occupation: Photographer & Image Maker Education: Emerson College studied film & photography and some Art History in Cambridge What was your transition of taking photography to the next level of creating movement and making the images come alive in a video form? Inspire by something I saw the technology of actually displaying is very close…awesome things happening – digital signage (advertising) – cannot talk about what people are actual doing now…print is about putting images out of there in a calculated environment, so you don’t know where they going to be. People are able to take a magazine and read it at work on a lunch break, at the bus stop or in the comfort of their
21
homes. One of the things struck me was timing, I was passing by a motion poster advertisement for a movie and the poster came alive. Seeing the power of print in motion, it communicates an idea but adds extra layers in the motion. From there I took that concept and did the movie, Mrs. Washington movie poster from there exploring the idea of still image coming alive. With the economy being down, many photographers looking to other outlets to broaden their scope. I don’t have much interest in going towards video but as a photographer, I capture images as my strength and taking my strengths and applying the proof of concept of magazine of the future based on current technology. Using motion from a photographer perceives all shots of still in a magazine recompose in motion and will still have a message convey.
What are some of the statements that people have said about the technology? Outside magazine a comments were praises and very few people didn’t like it. Very little constructive criticism…some people were threaten by it. It is very threaten resistance change. Received very mix views.
What is the future of magazines? Content is everything! You can’t talk about the future of magazines without looking at what the advertisement world is doing. Advertisement and magazine publications have a relationship with each other. An example of the reaction of people towards the moving posters is Digital Out of Home, a company out of England, is really on the forefront of conveying this type of images and immersing the average London’s in a world of interactive components. First, they came up with the screen in 2003; however the buyers of the print industry really didn’t know what to do with it, so the ads were being bought by TV commercials. When this happen the broadcast of the ads had great repurpose the content and it became very annoying and braise. Since then they have made a converse push to education their client and instead of distracting is actually adding value. So this is an example of how a company had to experience failure and through that they understood the importance of content. Another example of not understanding the content and how to use the space for intended purpose was people first building websites. A lot of people went online especially 5 years ago, just to have a website. So they hired people to create a Flash website, so things can move and fly across the screen. But if the content was hard to understand, people (users) became very annoy. People want the information and what the information quickly.
22
Video on the Living Magazine Cover and Spread for Outside magazine…when will this be available? What I intended to do was to do as much as a still photographer by composing the shots, supporting the text and information around. I wanted to develop something that was attractive and not distractive. In actually tangible magazine, designing the entire sequence to support the story is a big importance. This particular story for Outside magazine was a multi award winning tri athlete who had a dramatic loss in a big race. And that is the responsibility of a content creator to support the bigger story. Six to eight years down the road to actually have a tangible magazine and have living images on the pages. Right now the technology is not that far behind. I estimate as earlier of 2010 of the tablet wars. Apple is sitting down with the print industry. They see a solution that will drive much of the content onto a tablet and how that will look is being shape right now. What we know as print will be portable in 1-3 years. Newsstands will close up shop. Don’t believe this will be the deathblow to the print industry because not everyone will be willing to buy a device no matter how great it is. People who will not adapt to that technology will be attracted to print. When it becomes flexible, particular when OLED becomes recycle and cheaper, than that’s when print will no longer exist. The technology will force you to make a decision. I rather hold something in my hand; it’s nice to actually look at print. People go online to look for information Interview #3 Name: Jon Schaffer Occupation: Director of Business Development of Issuu.com
How was issuu.com created? Issuu.com was founded in 2006 by Michael Hanson. Based on his business plan and idea, he got a team together and they proceeded with the business plan to Stone Capital at the end of 2006, which they received funding of $ 1 million US dollars in the beginning of 2007. Then they built the first prototype and the first platform that was launch Dec. 2007 was the official launch date for Issuu.
How many viewers come on the website? Monthly we have around 7 million unique visitors. (Based on the month of October 2009)
What is the percentage of publishers using issuu.com to publish content? At this moment we have between 5 and 10 thousand publications uploaded per day (which is based off of November 1, 2009) and that has increased almost 50-100 % since July.
23
How did you get started in the publication business? What was your career path? I come from the consulting business and I have been working with system integration and business development for many years.
What I’ve notice about Issuu.com, is that it gives people a voice that necessarily may not have the funds to publish content on large circulation scale, but still gives them a voice to place their content online. Was that the reason why Issuu.com was established? We saw a barrier for people in general to publish their content online in a format that would be easily adaptable and easy to read for other people. And another reason is that publishers, their existing business model with advertisement and distributing physical content wasn’t durable in the long run. We saw a move towards digital distribution. And trying to cover both the needs of the publishers but also the individual publisher; you as a person can upload your publications or you can start a new magazine for example. Our objective is to create a solution where individual people as well as businesses markets, publishers can publish online with free creativity and a very low price. We want people to be able to have a voice and be able to distribute their content through other online networks, like Facebook, Myspace. We also want to create a business model where not only Issuu is making revenue from this but we can share revenue with other users. So it’s more like an ecosystem than just tough business. We want to create something where the user feels comfortable, at an affordable price and accessible to everyone.
What interactive components does Issuu.com have for the user? There are many features coming pretty soon. Hyper linking is one feature that many publishers and markets need in order to link back to the advertiser or a merchant website to sell products, services, etc. But we’re going to be launching more rich media like the ability to integrate with video and flash capabilities. But this is just the beginning the digital publications has unlimited possibilities in terms of what you can do with it and how you can distribute it. How you can link it with other types of media and what you can integrate with advertising and so forth. There are many ways to improve the page flipping technology, it’s a core technology however it’s not going to drive business in the long run and in a couple of years page flipping technology is going to be free anyway and we would like to introduce a level, a price level where everyone will get in.
Already working in the digital publication arena, from your standpoint what is the future of magazines? It depends; I think there are going to be several futures for digital magazines. Some publications will just go for the website platform which will not have the page flipping
24
technology. Others will go with a digital version of their existing magazine or newspaper but publishers will have their own brand and layout. Magazines are very much into layouts, so they what to have unlimited creative when they publish and I think they will go for solutions like Issuu.com. Where they can upload easily, they can sell and distribute online, whether it’s selling individual items or subscriptions based that will be difficult to say, it all depends on the winning solution. One of the determining factors is not to be able to distribute your publication online via computers; I think mobile is going to be much more important. So being able to read on the computer is not going to be that attractive compare to having that capability being on the move. The future of digital magazine will definitely be a platform like Issuu but also have mobile or e-reading integration which will be very important for publishers to get sufficient reach in the market. Interview #4
Name: Terry Watson Occupation: Owner & Editor-in-Chief of Huami magazine, involved with publishing for three years
What is the purpose of Huami magazine? The purpose of Huami magazine is to provide affordable and effective advertising opportunities to small businesses and to recognize individuals for their achievements and accomplishments in our circulation area.
How has the Internet effected your publication in anyway? The Internet has enhanced the magazine experience by allowing readers to read publications online in digital format.
What interactive component have you adopted for the publication? Huami Magazine is also offered online as well in digital format.
Where do you believe the future of magazines is headed, coming from a regional publication? I believe there will always be a place for hard copy magazines for those who desire to read them. But digital publishing is an exciting method and should increase in the future.
25
Conclusion Magazines have a voice and in this era, voice is value; magazines can create content with unique value and if they can continue to find readers across media they will survive. The future of magazines and interactivity will have enormous impact on the publication industry. Yes, technology plays an important role in how the magazine industry will continue to establish imprints in the digital world; however it mainly depends on the magazine audience/readers as to how they want to view “their magazine�. Magazines have been around since the 1700s, and will continue to exist. Their format may change but the content will still keep the reader/user engaged and entertained. Magazines see the benefit of having an online presence to further reach their current/potential audiences. The publication industry will continue to decide how to strive in this digital age and recognize the need for increased interactivity on the World Wide Web. As a result, they will utilize social networks to build relationships with their target audiences. In our current economic climate, the publication industry will recognize the cost effectiveness of either migrating to online content or seeing how technology devices, such as OLED can become cheaper than paper to use. Furthermore, individuals will discover how user-friendly it is to develop and share online magazine content, thus increasing the diversity of the publication world.
26
27
[COM 530 THEORY & AUDIENCE ANALYSIS] October 28, 2009 Kenya L. Ford ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Reviews & Overviews Abrahamson, D. (Spring 2009). The Future of Magazines, 2010-2020. Journal of Magazine and New Media Research, 10(2), 1-3. Retrieved from database. The article in the journal states any guesses about the future of magazines must acknowledge that anywhere magazines might be headed will be very closely tied to where America is going. Given that the magazine form is such an accurate and, at the same time, supple reflector of the social reality of its time, any estimates about the future of the form must also include guesses about the economic, political and cultural future of society that it so reliably mirrors. This is an excellent source to use to see if it supports or contradicts my predictions.
BBC, . (2009). Video Appears in Paper Magazines. Retrieved Sep. 7, 2009, from BBC, London. Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8211209.stm. This article is about the cutting edge technology Entertainment Weekly will use in their September 18th issue, by having a video ad by Pepsi Max in the print magazine. Magazine industry is utilizing technology in many ways besides the Internet to produce interactive components in a traditional way.
Beckett, L. (2009). Five Principles for Developing a New Media Network from the Media Consortium’s Tracy Van Slyke. Retrieved Sep. 17, 2009, from Nieman Journalism Labs, Cambridge, CT. Web site: http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/07/five-principles-for-developing-anew-media-network-from-the-media-consortiums-tracy-van-slyke/. Liberal magazines such as The American Prospect, Mother Jones, and The Nation held a joint crisis meeting and emerged from the Rockefellers’ old “coach barn” at Pocantico with the goal of collaborating more closely in order to master new technologies, increase the impact of independent media outlets — and not lose another election. More than four years later, The Media Consortium includes 43 left-leaning independent media outlets, including TPM, Salon, Ms., and Democracy Now!, ethnic media outlets like The Afro-Netizen, and multimedia groups like Balcony Films. They’ve spun off a progressive ad network and are working on a second major study on reader demographics. This is showing how magazines are coming together to effect change in a political arena through online efforts and using the theory of long tail to their advantage.
Foster, B. M. (2009). Media Reborn: Interactive Platforms and The Digital Ripple Effect on Media Dependency. Media Reborn: Interactive Platforms and the Digital Ripple Effect on Media Dependency, , 1-6. Retrieved from database. The goal of this study was to find out what part interactivity plays in the dependency relationship between media and individuals. This study sought to shed light on the issue
[COM 530 THEORY & AUDIENCE ANALYSIS] October 28, 2009 Kenya L. Ford by quantitatively measuring individual dependence on traditional and digital media. The focus was on the concept of reactivity, where messages sent between senders and receivers are contingent upon the messages immediately preceding them. Digital media are considered to be more reactive than traditional media. It was discovered that participants who viewed digital reactive media messages reported significantly higher levels of cognitive media dependence than those viewing digital non-interactive media messages. Those that viewed traditional reactive and non-interactive messages showed little difference in their media dependence. Reactivity proved to play a significant role in the level of media dependence in digital realms. This will help provide statistic information showing the interactive online presence verus traditional media.
Foust, J C. (2005). Online Journalism. Scottsdale, Arizona: Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers. This book covers everything about online journalism and the principles and practices of news for the web. This book will assist the research of what journalist and publishers should be aware of when publishing content on the Web. Glaser, M. (2005). Future of Magazines: Net Could Empower Reader. Retrieved Sep. 7, 2009, from OJR: The Online Journal Review, Los Angeles. Web site: http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/050524glaser/. Instead, innovation in long-form magazine journalism online is coming from the edges, in the shape of thoughtful audio podcasts, on-the-scene video blogs and in the plethora of thoughtful essays on Weblogs maintained in academic and professional realms. The "power of many" means that in-depth magazine pieces that once took reporter months to amass might one day be accomplished by an online community that has a strong interest in the subject -- with a reporter or editor prodding them on. To find out the present state of magazines in the digital age -- and where they might go in the future - we convened another virtual roundtable of esteemed journalists and academics, many of whom have observed the medium's evolution over decades. The following is an edited version of the group's conversation, done entirely via e-mail over the past week.
Glickman, A. (2009). “Big Is Easy, Small Is Hard”: Print Is Mobile. Retrieved Sep. 17, 2009, from BBH Labs. Web site: http://bbh-labs.com/“big-is-easy-small-is-hard”-print-is-mobile. This article presented information about the new technology of viewing magazines from mobile device such as iPhone. The new transformation of mobile device has allowed magazines to more accessible to readers or subscribers.
Evidence suggests
the notion of carrying around your reading as reams of inked paper might disappear, but the written word certainly won’t. So it seems a very natural progression for print publishers to move from paper to digital by simply reformatting for small screen mobile devices. However it still raises the question, how much do people really want to use their phones as reading devices anyway?
[COM 530 THEORY & AUDIENCE ANALYSIS] October 28, 2009 Kenya L. Ford Grow, PhD, G. (2002). Magazine Covers and Cover Lines an Illustrated History. Journal of Magazine and New Media Research, , 1-5. Retrieved from database. Over time, magazine covers have changed radically, and that change can be observed by following how magazines used cover lines. This article traces the history of magazine cover lines from early, bookish designs, through the emergence of the poster cover and its dominance, through the integration of type with art, to the proliferation of cover lines at the beginning of the 21st century. This will provide a foundation for my research.
Johnson, S., & Prijate, P. (1998). The Magazine, From Cover to Cover. Chicago, Illinois: NTC Publishing Group. This book goes into the structure of how magazine are set up. It also talks about the influence magazine have on society. This will help in my research by providing sound information of influence of magazines and the dynamics of publishing industry. Kafka, P. (2009). Time Inc.’s Ann Moore Makes the Case for Magazines–And Is Glad She’s Not in Newspapers. Retrieved Sep. 5, 2009, from MediaMemo. Web site: http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090130/time-incs-ann-moore-makes-the-case-formagazines-and-is-glad-shes-not-in-newspapers/. This article is about Time Inc., Ann Moore, talk about the reason why magazines are not affected by the newspaper decline and it’s good to be in the magazine industry. She speaks about the positive position Time Inc. is at in the magazine industry and how they will continue to come up with innovate ways to say ahead.
Lim, K. Retrieved Sep. 15, 2009. Web site: http://theory.isthereason.com/?p=2643 MINE magazine is a print medium which allows the reader to personalize A free five-issue, 10-week, experimental magazine that allowed user-mashup of five Time Warner/American Express Co. magazines. There are several interesting facts about this magazine by personalized magazines end up with 56 possible combination, probably environmentally friendlier than traditional distribution, MINE has been compared to a printed expanded RSS feed, and features four single-page ads for the Lexus 2010 RX. This was just an experiment and only the first 31,000 respondents received a 36 page printed edition. I would like to find reviews and stats on people’s reactions of the magazine and what were the advantages and disadvantages and how this could be the future of magazines.
Nolan, H. (2008). The Future of Magazines, Possibly. Retrieved Sep. 6, 2009, from Gawker, New York. Web site: http://gawker.com/359301/the-future-of-magazines-possibly. Magazines aren't in as bad a situation as newspapers are in terms of the "death of print," but they're on the trailing edge of the same phenomenon. One difference is the demographics of the readerships—an area in which magazine companies should have a
[COM 530 THEORY & AUDIENCE ANALYSIS] October 28, 2009 Kenya L. Ford theoretical advantage, because they are much more well-positioned to tailor their publications to suit them to desirable demographic groups than newspapers are. People also value magazines more for their production values, which gives them an advantage over plain old news, which can be easily replicated for free online.
Peebles, N. (2007). 12 Reasons Why a Business without an Online Presence Is Missing Out on a Goldmine of Potential Customers. Retrieved Sep. 15, 2009, from Pandecta Magazine. Web site: http://pandecta.com/online-presence.html. Marketing on the Internet is not really a choice anymore, but has almost become a necessity in today's marketplace. No company can afford to ignore the fact that online marketing is now a multi-billion-dollar business. Those businesses without an online presence are missing out on a goldmine of potential customers. List of reasons why a business without an online presence is missing out on a goldmine of potential customers.
Picard, R. G. (2009). Blogs, Tweets, Social Media, and the News Business. Retrieved Sep. 16, 2009, from Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, Cambridge, CT. Web site: http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=101884. This article is beneficial towards my research because it is a report on posing the question: Is news (journalism) that is reaching audience effective? Is the technology of always being everywhere at any given time worth it? This report will state if there are any benefits towards having an online presence in the various interactive media such as podcast, mobile, social networking site, etc. And if there are benefits what they are and how it is useful to the future of interactive magazines. Also, this report deals with determining the value technology has in this news enterprise.
Rice, J. (2009). Shifting Media Power in Sports. Retrieved Sep. 16, 2009, from Nieman Journalism Lab, Cambridge, CT. Web site: http://www.niemanlab.org/category/sportsmedia/?=slider. Since magazine is niche based media journalism in this report it talks about how there is a power shift in the world of sports due to online presence and voice emerging. Looks at how the media tables are turning in the world of sports, where the subjects of coverage are becoming the creators of coverage — and what implications those shifts have for the rest of the news business.
Seward, Z. (2009). My Chat with Steve Brill about Charging Readers for News Online. Retrieved Sep. 17, 2009, from Nieman Journalism Labs, Cambridge, CT. Web site: http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/06/my-chat-with-steve-brill-about-charging-readers-for-newsonline/. This source is a 23 min. interview with Steve Brill, from the Philadelphia Inquirer, deals with how they plan on charging readers for online content at the end of 2009. In my
[COM 530 THEORY & AUDIENCE ANALYSIS] October 28, 2009 Kenya L. Ford search through this report I will see if there are any quantitative studies of people are willing to pay for content. Since the Web is so vastly about hyperlinks and sharing information online through RSS feed is it even physically possible or in this case virtually possible to prevent content from leaking out without getting paid for it. So the Web has proven how it can be beneficial for publications such as magazine, however news industry is trying to wrap its head around how to make money.
Seward, Z. M. (2009). Google Sharing Revenue with Publishers for New Product. Retrieved Sep. 16, 2009, from Nieman Journalism Lab, Cambridge, MA. Web site: http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/09/google-sharing-revenue-with-publishers-for-first-time/. In this article it deals with an experiment of a Google product for a way to browse through news which will share advertising revenue with participating publishers. This is a significant shift for Google. This new product, Fast Flip, will cumulative content from 40 news organizations such as New York Times to Redbook, in screenshots that mimic flipping through a magazine. This is resource for my research because it shows another source of revenue for publishers, another way to reach target audiences & creating new ones who may have not know about the this particular publication but have an interest in it. This will close the gap of what I don’t know that I don’t know with I didn’t know that but now that I do and have an interest let me research and follow up closely with this. This is interactivity because it will personalize the person’s interests and only show those. This is somewhat similar to the MINE magazine that Time Inc. did an experiment with a couple of months ago. Also, I would use this in my research to see if viewers, users, or members are adapting to this new interactive component of personalizing reading interest.
Seward, Z. (2009). Niche Outlets Replace Newspapers in Washington. Retrieved Sep. 17, 2009, from Nieman Journalism Labs, Cambridge, CT. Web site: http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/07/niche-outlets-replace-newspapers-in-washington/. Even though the news industry is going through a reconstruction period and hurting financially, the niche market journalism is thriving. In this article posting it shows a graph of the decline of newspaper in the Washington area and the increase of the magazines.
Voltolina, V. & Kinsman, M. (2009). Why Would Anyone Launch a Print Magazine Today? Retrieved 09. 05, 2009, from Foilo Magazine, Norwalk, CT. Web site: http://www.foliomag.com/2008/why-would-anyone-launch-print-magazine-today. This article is poses a rhetoric question to the reader, “Why would anyone launch a Print Magazine today?” Magazines may also be becoming something of a luxury item. A recent Forrester Research survey found that while 77 percent of consumer respondents will hold steady with their current level of print magazine subscriptions in 2009, 18 percent expect to cut back and just 4 percent plan to boost their number of
[COM 530 THEORY & AUDIENCE ANALYSIS] October 28, 2009 Kenya L. Ford subscriptions. Publishers give their opinion backing it up stating that print is still alive and well in the magazine industry. The article describes the value in print and the new role print media has to play.
Woodard, C. (1997). Starting & Running a Successful Newsletter or Magazine. Berkeley, CA: Nolan Press. This is a chapter in a book called “Starting & Running a Successful Newsletter or Magazine”, in this chapter it deals with making the best of a tough online market making sure the audience is net savvy, the interactive components match the readers’ technical capabilities, and making sure the information online is useful content. The chapter deals with how publishers make money on the Internet and best ways to publish online content is to see what others are doing. This is useful for individuals or small groups who want their voice online and need guidance on how to execute it properly and successfully.
Interactive Magazines & Publications (2008). Calameo: Publish,browse,share. Retrieved Sep. 21, 2009, from Calameo, France. Web site: http://en.calameo.com/. Calameo is a new publishing method that has an incredibly wide variety of options and is simple to use. From a PDF file, you create magazines, brochures, sales catalogs, annual reports, presentation brochures and etc. The advantages of an interactive publication its saving on cost and production, printing, sending print copies and logistics. Innovative, original and entertaining communication that immediately catches the readership's interest. This is another online tool used to create online publication at a small cost, which will allow more voices to emerge.
(2009). Fast Company. Retrieved Sep. 20, 2009, from Mansueto Ventures, New York, NY. Web site: http://www.fastcompany.com/. This website is one of the leading magazines that add interactive components and design all integrated in their web content. This magazine sets the agenda, charting the evolution of business through a unique focus on the most creative individuals sparking change in the marketplace. By uncovering best and "next" practices, the magazine and website helps a new breed of leader work smarter and more effectively. Fast Company empowers innovators to challenge convention and create the future of business.
(2009). More than a Magazine. Retrieved Sep. 3, 2009, from FLYP, New York, New York. Web site: http://www.flypmedia.com/. FLYP uses an innovative palette of online tools and Web 2.0 user functionality to provide an engaging and enriching multimedia experience. We approach the Internet as a new medium—not just a new distribution channel—and we strive for a form of
[COM 530 THEORY & AUDIENCE ANALYSIS] October 28, 2009 Kenya L. Ford journalism that fulfills its possibilities on topics that range from politics and science to art and music. Combining high-quality text, video, animation and design, FLYP goes against the here-today-gone-tomorrow tendency of journalism on the Internet. Our biweekly issues full of stories on topics ranging from politics and science to art and music are meant to be experienced, and not just read. Merging the best characteristics of print journalism with appealing interactivity, FLYP tries to offer up a dynamic magazine.
(2009). Issuu.com. Retrieved Oct. 3, 2009, from Issuu, New York, New York. Web site: http://www.issuu.com Issuu is the leading digital publishing platform delivering exceptional reading experiences of magazines, books, catalogs, reports, and more. In just a few seconds users can create beautiful digital editions simply by uploading their publications. It's our mission to empower individuals, companies, and institutions to publish their documents across all digital platforms.
(2009). Magazine Publisher of America. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2009, from MPA, New York, New York. Web site: http://www.magazine.org Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) is the industry association for consumer magazines. Established in 1919, the MPA represents approximately 225 domestic publishing companies with more than 1,000 titles, nearly 50 international companies and more than 100 associate members. Staffed by magazine industry specialists, the MPA is headquartered in New York City, with an office of government affairs in Washington, D.C.
(2009). Magazine the Early History. Retrieved Oct. 2, 2009, from Cyber College. Web site: http://www.cybercollege.com/frtv/mag1.htm. The report is an outline guide of the history of magazine. This is useful to my research in which it provides background information which gives my research a solid foundation. Interviews Feilding Cage, Time.com – Web Designer Alexx Henry, Photography & Image Maker Jon Schaffer – Issuu.com, Business Development Terry Watson – Huami Magazine, Owner & Editor in Chief