We have a special place in our hearts for the often overlooked, downplayed digital magazine. They're definitely gaining popularity, though, and we're really happy about it - we personally read through so many and spend a lot of down-time flipping through digital pages. They're almost like a mix between a blog & an e-book, but more timely. We've put a lot of work into our digital issues, so we thought we'd highlight our favorite things about online magazines to show you the light, if you're not already there.
Anyone can use one
With print issues of magazines, the costs and environmental impact of many magazines we love make buying them a bit prohibitive. Especially with smaller magazines that aren't in as many stores, it makes it hard to get them. The beauty of digital magazines is that as long as you have a device, be it a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, you can read them. (All of our digital issues are PDFs, so they're device neutral - you can read them on pretty much anything.)
Lower price
With considerably less overhead, digital magazines cost much less than print issues. That means we can read way more magazines, and more people can read ours. We're information sponges so this aspect really appeals to us!
Less resources used
While there are environmental costs when it comes to digital devices (power use, materials), you ultimately save on paper and shipping when you buy digital issues. Our print issues do use incredible methods to save resources, so it's hard to tell what saves more, but if environmental issues matter to you, you might also consider digital magazines.
Anyone can make one
I would say that today, online magazines are almost a new kind of zine. You don't even need any fancy software to make one, even something as simple as Word can create something easily readable. This kind of power has created an explosion of unique, interesting, and really fun collaborative online magazines. In this way, we get to see more perspectives than ever, especially independent and non-professional viewpoints which we especially love.
Space isn't an issue
When it comes to print, space directly correlates to price. Even four extra pages per issue can cost thousands of extra dollars, not including added weight when it comes to shipping. But online, we can add dozens of pages - usually 20-40 in our digital issues that can't fit in print. This means even more great work that gets exposed to more people.
Great for minimalists
As we get older, we're starting to pare down a lot of items around our house. Clothes, DVDs, records, paperwork, and books are slowly donated or given to friends. One of my guilty pleasure reads was Martha Stewart Living, but I hated the quality of the print and felt guilty just throwing it out when I was done with it. I instead subscribed to their interactive digital version and I felt so much better about it. Having less things around our house and not feeling the guilt of tossing things is a win-win in my book.
Easy to use online
One of our favorite things about these magazines is that they're really easy to use. A lot of our favorites utilize video, animation, and interactive elements that you couldn't get in print. Our digital issues include clickable/tappable links and an interactive table of contents to easily navigate around.
So, what are your favorite online magazines? Let us know in the comments below!