Railroad Model Craftsman has gone digital. They are offering a free preview of the digital version of the December issue; click here to see it.
Personally, I prefer paper. Then again, I'm older; I remember a time before computers.
Plus, my paper copy never shuts down and needs to be recovered, as happened when I browsed the December issue online. (Or wait for a page to load, for that matter.)
I also don't think this is great for advertisers. It's way too easy to click past the ad pages. You can do that in paper, too, but you might linger a little longer on an image or text. This is like having TV remote in your hands--get me to the articles!
But it is the way of the future; one day kids will say: "Tell me again how they used to print things on dead trees."
It's not great for advertisers is right. For decades advertising was based on the idea of distraction. A reader is reading a magazine and perhaps we can make an add exciting enough to distract them from the content they want and direct them to our message.
ReplyDeleteThe instant nature of technology now days, from iPhones to Tivo is that people expect to be able to consume media right away. Expect to see advertising lagging behind but eventually they will start catching on that instead of being a distraction they need to be an attraction.
"Sponsored content" is pretty much a failure as anyone with half a brain can smell when they're being sold something clothed as an article. So far the only route advertisers seem to have figured out is to setup a situation where independent individuals are willfully creating an attraction that benefits the brand. An example of this would be a contest to use the company's product to build something, with the winner getting a prize.
By the way, I agree, I'll keep my print mag, thanks.
Don't forget the other benefits of your printed magazine. You can easily lose it. Silverfish think they are delicious. Want more information on an article? Well you can just keep wanting that. Don't forget those attractive ink stains on your thumb. Plus the privilege of pay $6 or more per copy
ReplyDeleteI have been reading Model Railroad Hobbyist online for several months and I absolutely love it. BTW the ads all have embedded links, many of which I click on. I have stopped buying magazines as they are expensive.
Just as I couldn't wait for something to replace vinyl records, I can't wait for full-on digital publishing.