Concerns that need to be addressed by publishers
The point of the digital magazine revolution appears to still be unclear to some.
For instance, I recently read an article entitled “A Race Between Digital and Print Magazines” from Bits, a New York Times blog.
The main argument against the value of digital magazines seemed to be the time it took to download an issue. The author of the piece said he was able to drive to a bookstore and purchase a print copy of a magazine before the digital download finished on his computer.
It’s worth noting that the author’s experiment lacks substance and doesn’t relate to most consumers, as a bookstore isn’t a short car ride away for everyone. Many of his readers seemed to disagree with the experiment as well, and showed proper insight on the future of digital magazines.
Beyond the nonsensical experiment, there is a bigger issue I have with the article.
Although print has a place, and is surely not dead, the rise of digital magazines and the fall of print are inevitable.
With digital magazines, the subscription website will be a nexus for the content. In this format, the magazines would not have to be downloaded to view so users can get it quicker. The content would be housed on a server and could be easily accessed by active subscribers.
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The subscription website format may also allow the user to download the magazine if they so chose.
Therefore, the user could receive the content in whichever preferred manner, as quickly as desired.
3 thoughts on digital magazines
The digital magazine revolution is going to continue. With helpful commentary from community members, the perfect digital magazine can be achieved.
As “A Race Between Digital and Print Magazines” fell short in adding helpful commentary, I wanted to list three thoughts that need to be addressed by publishers of digital magazines.
-Issue Ownership
-Digital Rights Management Security
-Price in Term
Properly addressing these concerns will help online publishers create more satisfying digital magazines.
For more on this topic, Don Nicholas will be discussing these three components of digital magazines in tomorrow’s Mequoda Daily.
In the meantime, take a look at his article describing the perfect digital magazine.
As a reference, here’s the New York Times blog article “A Race Between Digital and Print Magazines”.
