Publishing content for profit on the internet is one of the fastest-growing areas of online business. New online magazines are being launched everyday covering every subject imaginable: Some are started by print magazine publishers moving online, some by small businesses who see value in sharing their knowledge, but most are being started by individuals with specialist expertise or a deep passion for their subject.
What Is An Online Magazine?
An online magazine is an internet –based information site focused on well defined subject area. Some focus on serving the business sector, while other target consumers. As the traditional print magazines, they tend to be a mix of news, opinion, feature articles, reviews and case studies. IS THERE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BLOGS AND ONLINE MAGAZINE? There used to be a big difference, but the gap is narrowing. Blogs is an abbreviation of “web log “and that is what the early blogs were. They were simple chronological records of people’s thoughts and interests. They were the equivalent of keeping a simple online diary. As blogs have evolved, however, they have become more sophisticated in terms of both their content and their functionality. Many of bigger blogs are now more like magazine with multiple contributors, feature article and sophisticated functionality. A good example is smashing magazine (www. Smashingmagazine.com)
WHY IS ONLINE MAGAZINE PUBLISHING BOOMING?
There are many reasons for the explosion in the online publishing
* Cheap, easy –to- use online publishing tools that don’t require any technical knowledge.
* The low cost of reaching a global audience which means that niche subjects can now attract big enough audiences from around the world to become profitable businesses.
* Many new ways of generating money from content, including google adsense and affiliate marketing.
* A realization that anyone with specialized knowledge or expertise can make money online.
* Improvements in search technology, which has resulted in niche sites being Indexed and given high page ranking.
* An inevitable and unstoppable migration of content to the internet.
* Contents creator wants to deal directly with their audiences,without having to go through third parties such as publishers,record companies and agents.Running an online magazine is one of the simplest businesses available to the entrepreneurs and small businesses.
HOW EASY IS IT TO SET AN ONLINE MAGAZINE?
It is very easy to start publishing content on the internet. There are just a few bits of functionality you need to be sure your websites has to turn into a successful online magazine with the potential of making money from advertising, subscriptions or e-commerce. The most important are:
- A content management solution ( cms) which gives you complete control over updating the content.
- Flexible design interface so you can give the site its own look and feel.
- Payment processing to enable you to take payments for download s, advertising, subscriptions, products or merchandise.
- A member database so you can capture your customers details.
- The ability to add new functionality as you need it. This could include a forum, events calendar, polls and surveys or email newletter.
ONLINE MAGAZINE START-UP CHECKLIST –
THE PRACTICAL STUFF
This checklist will take you through the top list of things you will have to do to setup an online magazine. Below the list is a bit more details about each activities
Planning:
- Choose a subject.
- Research the competition.
- Decide on a business name.
- Buy a suitable domain name.
- Decide how your online magazine will make money.
- Write a business plan
- Create a content plan Write the background content page Create the first articles (or the content- video clip, pod casts etc).
Designing the website
Sketch out the layout.
- Plan the navigation.
- Create a design.
Build the website:
- Identify the platform you will use.
- Specify the website functionality.
- Add the design to the platform.
- Add the background content.
- Add the first article.
- Implement payment processing.
- Integrate addition functionality.
Lunch the website:
- Test all the links.
- Test the payment processing.
- Test the subscription and renewal process.
- Go live!
Choose a subject:
Before considering setting up an online magazine, you must be very clear about what subject area you are going to cover on the internet it is much better in a narrow area than to be a generalist on a broad subject fly fishing in Scotland than to crate a broad fishing site with only a few articles covering each area of fishing.
Research the competition:
Once you have an idea of your subject, check out who your competition will be. To do this simply types the words that describe your subject area into google search result page. These are your better competitors are you confident that you can create a better online magazine then the best website that you have found! If the competitors look too tough, review the area you are going to discover.
Decide on a business name and buy a suitable domain name
Once you have decided on the subject of your online magazine, it is time to choose a name; this will simply be largely determined by what domain you buy.
If your website will target on international audience, you shall try to get an international domain name, e.g. one that ends in “.com”or”.net” if your website will target only a national domain name, e.g.”.co.uk”
DECIDE ON HOW YOUR ONLINE MAGAZINE WILL MAKE MONEY
The best online magazines have multiple revenue streams. They usually provide some free content and show ads alongside the article; they have product and book reviews with affiliate links. They sell stuff through a combine shop, such as e-books, reports, DVDs and branded merchandize, they sell subscriptions to premium, members-only parts of their sale; and they promote off-line events such as workshops, seminar, and conferences. |