Triathlete Magazine Goes Digital
About a week ago, I was listening in to on a conversation in Singapore about the high cost of print published content that will ultimately be out of date sooner than you are able to refer back to it. Question is, why are we still printing on paper?!
Reaffirming my position on the last posting, here’s more indication that news, articles and literature that are susceptible to expiration simply do not make sense to be on print. It is insanity to proliferate the more chopping of trees for information that expires as soon as your eyes leave the trail of words behind.
Although light years away from how I see magazines should be, I’d like to commend Triathlete Magazine for going digital earlier this year. They deserve a medal for promoting “green” business practices if anything. Gone are the days of sourcing for the popular U.S. sports magazine in Asia at exorbitant prices and questionable availability. Gone are the days of settling for Triathlon 220 as a substitute in the U.K. Now you can get your issue anywhere, anytime, anyplace as long as you have a net connection. People who want to get in on the triathlon scene in places like the Caribbean can now do so without information being withheld from them due to analog challenges.
Smart move guys. Virtually microscopic distribution cost, bigger revenue margins and you’ve now extended your market globally. I can only hope Runner’s World, Conde Nast Traveller, and Yachting magazines will head this direction.
Critics may want to quickly discredit the digitization of a print magazine because it is still working with a print format. Delivering news in this manner do not offer the kind of interactivity that a news portal provide, but this is the first step toward changing the way we receive our monthly magazine. Discussing the overall future of publication and a profitable and working business model is outside the scope of this post, although it is something I wish to revisit when time permits.
Moreover, media giants will not revamp their business models overnight because they are still collecting revenue from their usual channels (however futile), so changes will likely be introduced gradually and the phasing out of print will happen over time. It is the change in attitude about the digital medium as a viable delivery channel in traditional publication companies that I am happy to highlight, because this shift in consciousness will make it that bit better for the millions of people who want access to that information for the pursuit of their happiness.
I believe other publications will soon follow suit, so keep your ears and eyes open!
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Who?
JACKIE MIAO
Digital Consultant
PRINCE2 Project Manager
Location: London, U.K.-
