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Useful for different thingsApr 18 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Magazine Subscriptions
The Bottom Line Whether you want a paper subscription vs. a website entirely depends on what you want the magazine for.
Magazine subscriptions vs. web sites. Hmm. Here I sit, filling out address change forms for all of my magazines, so I have reason to think about the advantages and disadvantages of paper magazines. Moving Oh, yes, would all-web-site subscriptions be preferable now. I'm tired of filling out little address change forms. My fingers are tired. I'm inherently lazy, so this is a real drag. Especially because the address change instructions are often buried in tiny print after a half-dozen pages of ads. Paper Mags: 0 Online Mags: 1 Advertisements Sure, it's annoying to have to page through lots of ads when reading the magazine. I find it more annoying, however, to get animated, blinking banners at the top of pages on a website. At least paper advertisements won't crash the magazine. On the other hand, electronic advertisements don't kill my asthma with heavy perfumes - I had to cancel my subscription to National Geographic Adventure because of the scented ads. Paper Mags: 0 Online Mags: 1 (No one wins here) Looking for Specific Information? I just got a subscription to Consumer Reports, and I specifically went for the online version rather than print. We're buying a house and getting into all the little purchases that go with, and we want to do it right. I don't want to have to search through a paper library of magazines to find the article I want, and I don't want random articles to tempt me into buying things I don't need. I'd much rather be able to log on and search for exactly the information I need. They even have surveys to help you figure out whether you should lease or buy a car! When it comes to pure research on specific topics, search engines and in-depth databases win over paper magazines almost every time. Paper Mags: 0 Online Mags: 2 Looking for Random Inspiration? When I want random inspiration to kick off some creativity for a story or writing contract, being able to search for specific keywords isn't going to help me. I want random information in an easy-to-browse format with lots of pictures. In this case, paper magazines win. The graphics won't slow things down or stall out. I can page through an issue picked at random off of my shelf and open it to a random page, finding who-knows-what, so it's pretty darn random. Paper Mags: 1 Online Mags: 2 Are You Lazy or Forgetful? Websites take more effort to make use of. If a magazine shows up on my doorstep, I'm almost guaranteed to at least notice the cover, if not page through it and skim a couple of articles. If I have to go to a website, I'm likely to not even remember to do so for a couple of months. Note: some magazines make this easier by emailing out a sort of table of contents with every issue. I find this works almost as well, but that I'm still more likely to look at a print magazine. Paper Mags: 2 Online Mags: 2 The Money Issue Some online versions of magazines are free or less expensive. Not all, but many. This is awfully useful to people on tight budgets. Paper Mags: 2 Online Mags: 3 The Writing Issue How does the magazine handle copyright issues? A lot of those magazines can afford to make their online version free because they're pushing their writers to give away electronic rights for free. Many magazine companies take advantage of the newness and uncertainty of electronic rights to grab everything they can. Paper Mags: 3 Online Mags: 3 (Hmm - coming out awfully even here!) For me the ideal magazine would have a great print version, accompanied by a web site that added additional features and utility, like the ability to search through back issues. There are too many little useful things that come with paper magazines for me to be ready to give them up just yet. Take a good look at what you want your magazines for, and decide for yourself whether an electronic magazine is more or less useful to you.  |
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