Webzines Killed the Magazine Star

Magazines today are facing a hyperlink world. Now more than ever magazines need to be creative with the way they present themselves to readers because so many opportunities are available to them through technological advances, including the most influential the world-wide-web.

One essntial way to expand and grow as a magazine is to maintain a website along with the print publication. Many print-published magazines find it necessary to have a website since most of today’s world revolves around a computer.

With the costs of producing magazines sky-high and competition fierce, a new form of the magazine has taken over. The magazine website, also know as a webzine, cyberzine and hyperzine is becoming a common plank for up-and-coming magazines to launch off.

It is less expensive to maintain a website and an easy way to connect with readers internationally. Just take www.budgetsavvy.com as an example, whom had to give up on the idea of being a print magazine after a short time.

A webzine is not to be confused with blogs because a webzines bypasses the strict observance to the reverse-chronological format that you must stick to on a blog. Also, you have more control over a website as far as design, which leads many avenues for webzines to be creative and add content that was never possible with a print magazine.

The biggest change from jumping from the page to the computer screen is that with webzines you can add audio and/or multimedia projects. These new features allow readers to experience more of what they are reading on the web or feel like they are more a part of the story.

A good example of how webzines have changed the magazine industry is apparent on www.salon.com, www.pitchforkmedia.com and www.theowlmag.com which are highly respected as sources for news.

By adding videos, audio of interviews and multimedia projects, webzines are creating a new standard for receiving information. You can log in, sign up and click away at up-to-the-minute information compared to waiting a month in between for your subscription to come in the snail mail.


Though fighting through pop-up advertisements and the absents of computers on long journey’s are arguments that keep print afloat, only the future will tell how much longer glossy print magazines have in this ever-changing magazine market.