In case you hadn’t noticed, print media is dying. Newspapers are going out of business. Magazines are losing subscribers in droves. For years both have been moving online.
Today I took a look at the first edition of the new online magazine CatalystLeadershipDigital.com
It’s an innovative partnership between the folks who put on the Catalyst conferences and the folks at Christianity Today’s Leadership Journal.
What I love about this new magazine is the way it integrates all sorts of media. It looks and feels like a magazine, but it has video embedded throughout as well as links built in to get more info on various items.
Is this the future of magazines?
Well, first let me say there is no such thing as “the future of magazines.” If the 21st century teaches us anything it’s that change is constant. There will never be a new plateau for media. It will forever be innovating.
Beyond that, I think it’s on the right track in terms of the media integration mentioned above.
In other ways I think there’s…
Room for Improvement
It looks like the pages were scanned in from a print magazine. The text is annoyingly blurry. I have to zoom in to read it and then when I zoom in, it looks big and fuzzy. I hope this will be improved quickly.
The magazine also seems to have carried over two elements of print magazines which are inconsistent with the values and trends of new media.
First, there is no interaction. There’s no place to comment or discuss the articles.
Second, the magazine appears to be published bi-monthly. Two months between issues is an eternity in this day and age. Today’s media is all about community and conversations. I wonder if they would be better served to publish an article a week rather than 8 articles all at once every 2 months. It would certainly help develop community among readers.
Third, the magazine doesn’t have the social media hooks built in to share the magazine or individual articles in Facebook or Twitter or social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us.
Apart from the technology, the authors and the articles are fantastic.
What do you think? Is this the future of magazines?
Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.
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