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26 Jun, 2012

Why Print Should Embrace the Web

Like it or not, the Internet has become a vital part of all our lives.

Like it or not, the Internet has become a vital part of all our lives. We use it to connect, inform, educate and entertain. While that is the case, some print publications have been slow to adapt to the web.

The New Yorker was one of the many. Publishing in print since 1925 and known for its distinct style, a hesitancy to embrace the digital world is understandable. But as Nicholas Thompson, the editor of The New Yorker online told Mashable, the magazine has suddenly decided to make a substantial investment into their website. In six to eight months the site now consists of 12 full-time employees, improved navigation and several new sections, and has also seen a near 50 per cent jump from the same time last year. The New Yorker's site currently offers up to a third of its print magazine content and produces over a dozen exclusive stories daily.

While many smaller newspapers and magazines may not be able to afford to staff as many employees to their site as The New Yorker, they can easily keep on the pulse of breaking new stories by sharing tweets and posts on Facebook with their readers online. These social networking sites also allow near instant feedback from readers creating a bond that may have been hard to establish otherwise.

With the Internet not being a new phenomenon Mashable asked why The New Yorker had suddenly decided to invest so heavily online. Thompson said that the investment in new technologies like having their magazine available online and on devices like the iPad allows their readers to read their magazine wherever they'd like to. Thompson also added that the website helps to improve advertising and subscription revenue.

By following in The New Yorker's footsteps and investing heavily online you can not only reach out to new readers online but also make sure your brand reaches your readers no matter wherever they are. As Thompson has learned, a web presence also allows for opportunities to make more money online though advertising. Alternately, by taking a route like The New York Times, you could charge your readers through a paywall so they don't have to encounter advertising. This may also appeal to your readers as they may feel like they are contributing directly to your publication.

Thompson notes that the web allows for more fast-paced content and allows the magazine to respond to events immediately, nearly as fast as they happen. This would be a benefit that could be shared by many other smaller magazines and newspapers, even niche publications. Through brief updates on breaking stories your publication is able to fully fulfill your readers desires to be informed. Your readers may even return to your publication when the story is fully developed to get context, opinions or for more information.

The measure of success, Thompson says, is when visitors of the website say that they enjoy coming to the website because they know they'll find things that are of interest of them or even being introduced to the magazine through the website and picking up a subscription to the print magazine in turn.