The iSlate and the future of magazines (and Afar!)
Bonnier's Mag+ protoype shows some of the possibilities of a digital magazine.
The tech and publishing media are working themselves into a frenzy about the possible launch of Apple’s much-anticipated tablet computer later this month. If that is the new product they’re revealing, then the company has once again proved its ability to tap into the zeitgeist.
Just a few weeks ago, this demo video of an interactive Sports Illustrated started making the rounds, tantalizing faithful print readers as well as those of us who work in publishing with the possibilities of our digital future. Bonnier, publisher of Popular Science and many other magazines, is even working on its own platform.
In his column in last Sunday’s New York Times, David Carr took all this one step further, saying that the iSlate (or whatever it may be called) and an iTunes-like model for magazine or other content subscriptions could save publishing.
So, my question to Afar readers is what would you like to see in a digital version of our magazine? Personally, I’d love to see links to translation and location-specific GPS smartphone apps or maybe RSS feeds with the most recent content from blogs written by locals. Most important to me, I want to be able to easily access the content from my home and work computers and my iPhone. I hate it when I get on the train in the morning and realize I’ve forgotten to bring something to read.
What else? What content would you like to see? What features would you want it to have? What frustrates you about reading onscreen now? What frustrates you about print now? What aspects of print would you like to keep? Let us know!
[Post updated by author at 11:20 am with Mag+ image.]
Mag+ image courtesy of Bonnier.
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Afar readers and would-be readers: What would you like to see in an e-reader/tablet computer version of Afar? http://bit.ly/7UngkT
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
AfarMedia
5 Jan 10 at 7:08 am
One of the reasons I love Afar is the quality and uniqueness of the photography. The biggest frustration I have is that images take an eternity to load on an I-phone. The image quality and size is also very important to me. There is no point in producing amazing images if they are the size of a postage stamp. I would love to see large high quality images that load fast! Looking forward to seeing what the digital future holds : )
Becky Hill
5 Jan 10 at 10:20 am
Video of course… along with images that aren’t the typical “travel images”. Nothing wrong with typical travel images, but I think the detail and abstract images mixed with the street stuff… serve to take the reader deeper into the experience.
Sort of like I’ve done in this recent entry: http://skiphunt.travellerspoint.com/7/
Also, nicely done audio soundscapes mixed with the best still images… I find often to an even better job of taking the viewer to a given place than straight up video does.
Skip Hunt
5 Jan 10 at 10:25 am
Great point, Becky! The load time was my biggest frustration with the NYTimes iPhone app when it first came out. Now it’s speedy.
What if the in-article image was small, maybe even cropped, and then you double-click on the image to zoom in and see the full photo?
Nicole Solis
5 Jan 10 at 10:26 am
What I would like to see is mini destination based content. For instance, if I find myself in Dubrovnik, I would love to be able to pull that up on a mobile device, and find a list of must do activities or restaurants along with maps and phone numbers.
The key is short and sweet, and therefore easy to download to a mobile device.
Timothy Faust
5 Jan 10 at 10:57 am
Timothy: How do you use print content now for that purpose? Would it be helpful to be able to save articles, etc., to a mini travel guide for your mobile device?
Skip: What sorts of things would you want to hear in a soundscape? What are some examples of audio that you’ve heard that really transports you?
All really fascinating insights. Thanks, everyone, for sharing. Keep the ideas coming!
Nicole Solis
5 Jan 10 at 11:11 am
I only learned of AFAR today after an ad I got in the mail… so I really don’t know exactly what the target demographic is. It seemed to be more of a first person exploration of other cultures and that particular dynamic and not so much a “travel guide”. Not that one is any better than the other, but I think it needs to be clear if this media’s prime target is as travel resource? Or, taking the user into another world so that they can almost experience the place as if they’re along for the ride… in deeper sense through multimedia delivered through a tablet device, and not so much of the editorial or guide stuff.
Skip Hunt
5 Jan 10 at 11:15 am
I think it’s easiest for me to answer your questions by telling you what I like about print magazines in general: Large,high-quality photos. Comparison pieces, where I can look at two things side-by-side, whether it be gear, destinations or pricing. Long destination or travel narrative pieces that I can hunker down with on a long flight or in my favorite chair and absorb myself in. Stuff I’d want to tear out and take with me on a trip (phone numbers, addresses, maps).
What I think is better suited for web:
Articles that do well with embedded links. Shorter, newsier pieces. Things I may not want to read and I can quickly scan in my RSS feeder. Video and audio clips.
I am not really a multimedia person so links to apps and the like would be lost on me. Overall, I prefer a good, hearty print magazine, but I do spend most of my time online, so I guess I can handle either … I just prefer print over digital.
Thanks for asking for our feedback!
JoAnna
5 Jan 10 at 11:26 am
While I do love print magazines for the big pictures, I am head over heels in love with Kindle for the iPhone. The color pictures are just fine small. It’s faster than reading online, because it’s downloaded entirely once. Considering the cost of printing, shipping and storing paper magazines, I vote for the digital. Just the thought of being able to carry all my magazines with me everywhere I go, just like my music, is making me woozy already.
Cindy Ann
5 Jan 10 at 3:05 pm
@Nicole… if you go here and scroll down to the audio recording of “casual walk in Mexico City” http://skiphuntvagabond.tumblr.com/page/6 It’s what it sounds like to walk through this plaza. I just used an iPhone so the quality isn’t great, but the next trip I’ll be taking a small dedicated digi device for audio soundscapes.
Or listen to the video clip that’s simply the waves coming in while watching the sunset in Puerto Vallarta here (scroll down to video clip) http://skiphuntvagabond.tumblr.com/page/3
If would be nice if while reading a journal entry and looking at embedded photos.. if you could also hear what it sounds like to be walking through a Kasbah in Morocco, or when you touch a video clip like the one I just cited… it automatically fills your screen with waves and sound.
Skip Hunt
6 Jan 10 at 9:58 am
Is this thread dead or something? I replied to the specific question Nicole had and my reply is still awaiting moderation?
Skip Hunt
7 Jan 10 at 8:58 am
The good thing is that designers are still needed to design. The iSlate and the future of magazines (and Afar!): http://bit.ly/81MGg9
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
visualnotepad
10 Jan 10 at 7:28 pm
I guess for me, I use print and digital media very differently. I read magazines when I have spare time, sitting on the couch, on a plane, or indisposed if you follow my meaning. I look for great pictures first then I read the articles. I like articles to be a little more quirky. I don’t want to read about specific things to do while travelling. I like to read about other peoples adventures. I want it more story driven than destination driven.
However with digital media I want the exact opposite. I never read in depth stories online. I want specific pieces of information, and I want them fast. I might want to find out about a local restaurant or a hiking trail.
With mobile content it is even different. I want GPS based content, it would be nice to have user comments as well. Think Yelp for the travel minded. Keep in mind that readers of AFAR probably don’t want to find the closest gas station, but we might want to find the little whole in the wall locals’s place. Also, why not add a pronunciation guide in the local language for the restaurant’s specialties? In other words, I don’t want a walking Lonely Planet guide. I want to visit places that few people go. And if I find something new, it would be handy for me to be able to add my own destinations and points of interest.
I guess in summary, I think that print magazines are for entertainment, and digital versions are for getting info quickly. The digital, particularly mobile versions, should be unique or supplementary to the print, and should not just be the same content in print available online.
Timothy Faust
18 Jan 10 at 11:08 am
I’m way late to this discussion, but: the main reason I haven’t subscribed to Afar is because I’m away from home for 3-4 months/year and am trying to reduce all paper mail to make it less of a pain to deal with. I’m an iPhone, not iPad, user but would certainly look at and likely subscribe to an online version using my laptop.
I love the idea of including sound clips. Video, even just handheld stuff, could also be great.
There are already plenty of apps for general tour-guide info, including ones that use GPS, so I don’t see a need for you to join that crowd. What would be good in my view is to include links to places or info mentioned in your stories, such as links to sites where I could learn more about Nollywood movies (or links to YouTube versions if that’s legit).
For the amazing photos in your publication, how about a full-screen slideshow of all photos related to a story?
It would also be nice to have a calendar that shows all the upcoming festivals that you mention in the magazine. Links to other festival resources would be nice.
I’m not sure how RSS feeds from local bloggers would work. I’m pessimistically picturing an onslaught of possibly irrelevant information translated by machine, but maybe I’m just burned out on blogs. If you could focus on blogs that discuss current, local events, that would help, but many blogs don’t have a tight focus.
Other info that might be useful and that isn’t necessarily included in the usual tour guides are links to NGOs in the area that need support, whether it’s money or volunteers.
Finally, it would be cool if your online version worked smoothly with Instapaper, so people could save longer pieces for offline reading. All that really entails is having a “one page” option for stories that you’ve broken over several HTML pages. I usually export my Instapaper reading to my ebook reader.
Cathy
16 Aug 10 at 11:43 am