Curiosity has me turning to our friends and readers of this blog. I am asking for a bit of your time to comment on this post, the more the better, everyone is welcome.
This quote from Rob Haggart’s site A Photo Editor has me wondering what all of you think about PRINT magazines these days.
Regarding Editorial Print Publications:
“Most of those titles are boring. Editorial direction is dictated by marketing needs, so content is designed to keep the advertisers happy rather than to attract and stimulate readers. The result is that readers are bored, they don’t buy the bland products on offer. And so the advertisers pull out.” …via Journalism.co.uk
The subject I would like feedback on is whether or not you are buying magazines, or even newspapers, like you were 5 or 10 years ago. Are you still interested in print magazines? Or, are you purely getting your news, entertainment, information, etc… from the web. I GUESS IN A NUT SHELL… SHOULD DELUX MAGAZINE JUST GO WEB BASED?
How many magazines might you have subscribed to 10 or 15 years ago vs. today. If you no longer read print magazines, do you still view the same publications online? Do you look at eMags? Or do you seek the subject matter you are interested in via all new sources, or a mix of sources?
And finally, advertising. With print magazines we had no choice but to look at ads, they were part of the physical property of the magazine. But with the web, we have the choice to more or less read all our news and entertainment without any ads using, for example, Google Reader, RSS feeds, etc… Do you feel ads are a part of your online life? Have you taken steps to avoid them?
My thoughts:
10 years ago I subscribed to two mags, one for sports and the other music. Now, I subscribe to neither – I get 100% of my info from the web and not from either of their sites.
When I fly I might purchase a news magazine, but more than likely I’ll be enjoying my ipod or psp, which is what I prefer to read if I have some spare time.
What I am thinking is that, magazines are limited to what is between the covers, the web is unlimited. The web is an interactive journey, sit down, explore your subject matter and who knows where all the many links will lead you. And of course, there is video. By the time a magazine hits the news stands much of what you are after has already been available online.
The web is instant gratification, all encompassing, and endlessly informative. I am always impressed by how many people use our DolomiteSport site. We average over unique 500 visits a day but certain subjects are guaranteed to increase this to 1000 a day for the posting date. One small information/inspiration site on the subject of mountain sports – we’ll call it 400 visits a day. This compared to a small mountain sports magazine, published monthly, with high overhead. All of this for a circulation of 20,000, or 670/day.
If I had to re-write the above mentioned quote, but with regards to the internet experience, it might sound more like this:
“The internet experience is consistently interesting. Web content is dictated not by advertisers, but by the desire to be stimulating and informative to the visitors. The result is that visitors keep coming back after bookmarking sites. Or, new visitors are generated through the instant gratification of Social Media tools such as Twitter. If a site fails, there are surely dozens of others a click away.”
Now it is your turn, this is purely meant to get a collection of thoughts on this subject. Please also feel free to spread the link.
Thank you for taking the time to comment on all of this.
Keith Griffin II
editor in chief/publisher
Delux Magazine
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A very interesting and relevant topic. Be assured that print isn’t going ANYWHERE! Technological advancements in media aren’t always going to replace the source. It is true that we all live in the “Microwave” world and everything has to be fast and quick. However, there’s nothing quite like a home cooked meal. I know people that still have subscriptions to magazines. I know people who can’t wait to go to “Borders” to purchase a book. I have many “back issues” of magazines, such as VIBE, The SOURCE, JET, etc, that I still view to this day. I still have magazine subscriptions to magazines and it’s a like a treat every time I get one in the mail. There is nothing quite like having something tangible as apposed to viewing it digitally. It’s almost like experiencing a foreign country through a brochure. That can only do so much. You have to go there to get the full experience. It could also be compared to the difference between digital sounds and live instruments. Sure, there are some great songs that have been produced digitally, but will that REPLACE the LIVE music?? We already know the answer to that. The same goes for the magazine. To hold it in your hand while turning the pages, you get to experience the magazine as it was meant to be seen. Is technology changing this industry? YES. However, “PRINT” is here to stay!
Brandon I am with you. Just being publisher and editor and chief I see so much behind the scenes and how tough it is to convince advertisers and other supporters that print is not dead. Sounds like from a consumer view PRINT is needed but from an executive view its a bit costly and un appealing to alot of potential clients. I truly appreciate your comments!!! Continue to post to this blog and feel free to suggest any topics you would like to read about in DELUX Magazine!!!
For me, print is not and will never be dead. I’m sorry, but there is nothing like a brand new issue of my favorite magazine on a news stand… the glossy pages and bright pictures, I swear it calls me. But just as I’m attracted to magazines, the NY Times and Wall Street Journal hold the same amount of allure and pull over me. There’s nothing like snuggling up with a fresh cup of coffee and the morning paper. You can’t cuddle up with your laptop and I swear you can only look at a screen for so long before getting sick of the random glares from lighting.