Question... online or print

[drfrightner]

Do you think magazines in our industry should go 110% digital or all online? If you go all online you could have more content than you do now with a printed magazine.

Just wanted to get everyones take.

Larry

[Jolly Pumpkin]

Are you insane Larry? The reason why Hauntworld Magazine is unique is because it's in print form. If you were to ever decide to change Hauntworld Magazine's format to online there would be no reason for people to purchase the magazine since they could easily just go to another site and read an interview or article that's just as good.

If you were to have the magazine online you would have to cut the price of each issue in half or less than half and have a reason why people should buy the online magazine versus getting their information somewhere else for free. Plus if you were to have it downloadable it would be extremely easy for people to send people the online magazine for free. Hauntsearch Magazine did this years ago and it was completely free. So if you ever decide to take Hauntworld Magazine online it better be free also.

[themagicofjustinarrigo]

In a time when pretty much everything is digital, I think there are some things that need to stay the way they are. If I am going to pay good money for something I want to be able to hold that something in my hand. Even though you can buy mp3 songs online and download them right to your ipod, I like to have the CD and the case and the paper insert. Same with Books and DVD's. If I am going to buy a magazine, I want to be able to take it to bed, on a plane, in the bathroom, to work, to the doctors office, pretty much be able to take it anywhere without having to worry about lugging around my laptop or sitting at my desk. Maybe have the magazine, with extra additional features that are available online to the subscribers. Additional articles, advertisements, photos and videos! I say keep the print, maybe I'm old fashion, but that just my 2 cents.
Justin

[Darkblood]

My vote. Call me old school but I like to hold the magazine in my hand. I only buy very fews mags/comics each year. If I'm gonna pay, it's gotta be in my hand.
Which reminds me...I joined HHA last Nov. (the 50 dollar membership) and was supposed to get a year supply of HW magazine. I got 2 or 3 issues and haven't gotten the recent one...hmmm?
Oh well...

[Motograter]

I like to hold the magazine in my hand. It's great reading material for when I'm at work on breaks or even sitting on the Jon.

[shawnc]

I also vote for a printed copy. I like flipping through new and old issues for things that catch my eye. I think you could possibly increase readership by not including any or most of the articles on this site. Make subscribing the only way readers can get that particular information.

Someday you won't have any choice though. That's the direction the print industry is headed. I remember it wasn't that long ago that Shutterbug (a photography magazine) was huge. Now it's down to the same size as all the rest and it doesn't seem quite so special anymore.

[Mad Wax Sculptor]

stay in print however it might be nice to get a few archived articles to appear as digital

[Brutal Industries]

Larry, are you familiar with New Web Pick? Its an e-magazine.

IF.. and I only mean IF you do decide to go in the e-zine direction. This is a great idea to follow. What is extremely cool about this magazine is that its interactive. You turn the pages like a normal magazine on your screen and some of the pages are even animated. When you come to some advertisements, they are like mini commercials. Its very very cool.

Its just an idea.

I love how this e-zine works and its very well known amongst designers.

Doing something on this level for a haunt industry magazine would just blow peoples minds. Imagine reading an article of a favorite haunt and the pages graphics are changing and animating. Characters are ripping through the pages and you capture the sounds of the haunt as well. Its just on a whole different level. Of course not every page is like that, but some ads and major articles are animated.

Check it out here.

They give you many options. You can buy the full version of the magazine for $2.50 or you can download the lite version for free. Or subscribe for the year.

http://ezine.newwebpick.com/

http://www.newwebpick.com/_issue/


Travis

[BruiseMuse]

Print, I prefer having the tangible magazine that I can take with me.

[gadget-evilusions]

I vote print. I like to have the magazine to read in my hand, not on my computer.

[Brutal Industries]

This just came to mind.

How cool would it be to actually give a video tour of the haunt within the article?

You could click a button that opens up the video tour of the haunt so people could actually see what the haunt is like.

Just remember where you heard it first. =)

Travis

Larry, are you familiar with New Web Pick? Its an e-magazine.

IF.. and I only mean IF you do decide to go in the e-zine direction. This is a great idea to follow. What is extremely cool about this magazine is that its interactive. You turn the pages like a normal magazine on your screen and some of the pages are even animated. When you come to some advertisements, they are like mini commercials. Its very very cool.

Its just an idea.

I love how this e-zine works and its very well known amongst designers.

Doing something on this level for a haunt industry magazine would just blow peoples minds. Imagine reading an article of a favorite haunt and the pages graphics are changing and animating. Characters are ripping through the pages and you capture the sounds of the haunt as well. Its just on a whole different level. Of course not every page is like that, but some ads and major articles are animated.

Check it out here.

They give you many options. You can buy the full version of the magazine for $2.50 or you can download the lite version for free. Or subscribe for the year.

http://ezine.newwebpick.com/

http://www.newwebpick.com/_issue/


Travis

[drfrightner]

What if I made the magazine FREE????? I was just thinking OUT LOUD that I would make the magazine 110% FREE and do everthing the same just make it digital. What if it was FREE but a PDF file you download?

Not saying I am doing this just asking what you think?

Larry

[SomeThingInTheIce]

I like the print, there was a e-zine called Haunt Freaks, one day it just stopped updating.
http://hauntfreaks.com/hauntfreaks/home.html it is still there frozen in time.

[Kelly Anderson]

Online or Print??

I was reading a review of a book on building a haunted house. The review is in the latest Hauntworld magazine and was wrote by Rich Strelak. The last couple of paragraphs reminded me of this thread.

He stated that most haunt publications are not meant just to read it and shelve it. But to read it, put it away, and read it again later. The thought is that you may view things differently a second time you read them. Likely sparking new ideas from what you had the first time.

He then stated, "So publications like this can pay dividends long after your initial investment."

If I had subscribed to a magazine I would expect to recieve a copy that I can hold onto and read. And if several months or years down the road I want to read it again, I'll have the ability to do that rather easily. May be hard to do that if the magazine was online.

If the subscription was free... Great! And if you could look up earlier online mags without a charge, better yet. But having the magazine mailed to my door, would be the haunt resource I would use and pay $$ to have. Afterall, I did just order a year subscription to Hauntworld.

Kelly

[shawnc]

On the plus side, doing it online will give you room to add some recipes.