Much has been debated, written, blogged, Tweeted, and otherwise bandied about on the topic of online publishing versus traditional publishing. You will find wild-eyed advocates on both sides, each espousing their viewpoints with equal passion.
Reality, in my humble opinion, can be found between the two extremes. The answer for the publishing world, now and for the foreseeable future, is there is room—and need—for both. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of print magazines versus e-zines to you, dear readers.
The advantages of printed publications are numerous. Readers can line their shelves with purchases they may enjoy repeatedly and at will.
Magazines are still pretty cheap to buy and readily available from retail outlets both physical and online. Subscribers enjoy the rush of their favorite publication showing up in their mailboxes. Magazines are also portable, allowing readers to entertain themselves with ease on trains, planes and in cars (hopefully not while driving). As one panelist I saw at a convention succinctly put it: “I can read ’em on the can.”
The disadvantages of print for consumers are relatively few. Yes, the prices of some magazines have increased over the years but not by any significant amount. Plus, when compared to the skyrocketing costs of other entertainment such as movies and concerts, print magazines compare quite favorably. Though at risk of destruction by fire, water, or hungry dog magazines are rarely difficult or expensive to replace.
There are advantages to online publications, as well. Once you purchase a still-rather-pricey e-reader, the downloadable contents are usually much cheaper than their print counterparts. There is practically limitless room to store these contents in your portable forum—you can literally carry around an entire library.
Some e-zines include nifty features such as embedded links that, when clicked, take you to any number of expansions and embellishments on a given subject. Many also include graphics, audio and video clips to enhance their readers’ online experience in ways which print cannot compete.
The negatives? Right now, it’s primarily the cost of the readers and still-limited convenience. You can download to and read from some cell phones and PDAs, but the screens are not conducive to visual comfort for long reading sessions. Even the best of the readers are not as kind on eyes as print, nor are they as unbreakable and portable. When it comes to convenience, consider this: use of electronic devices can be prohibited at times on a plane, whereas no one is going to accuse your magazine of interfering with navigation.
Some consumers are also leery of the risk of losing their purchased content, either due to glitches or censorship by providers. There are also not that many magazines available for download yet, due in part to the technical requirements for converting print into pixels.
So when it comes to magazines vs. e-zines? For readers, there is no wrong answer. Printed magazines aren’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future (at least not all of them). There will still be plenty available by good old-fashioned subscription, on newsstands and in book stores for at least as long as anyone reading this article will live.
If someone prefers to carry around all their reading material on a portable device or sit in front of a screen to read content provided at little-to-no-cost, no problem. E-readers and cell/PDA offerings are only going to improve and, as they do, their price tags will come down until they are eventually affordable by most everyone. More magazines will become available online and through portable devices as the technical issues surrounding conversion are resolved. Readers should rejoice in their expanded options and the stable-to-lower expense for readable entertainment these competitive markets provide.
Hildy Silverman
Publisher
Loading ...
