The Ecologist moves 100% online

By Trash Talk on Jul 14, 09 04:54 PM

Nearly forty years after it first appeared the Ecologist magazine has ceased its printed edition and moved completely online.

They get the obvious environmental benefits of saving in material (ink, paper and packaging) plus the saving in energy from print and transport (both at the front end as the magazine pallets are sent to the shops and at the back end, as the returns go back to the distributor) there will also be a savings in waste from paper off-cuts, spoiled copies, pulped returns and landfilled copies - although I would hope that reader of the Ecologist are reusing and recycling the magazine.

Despite these obvious ecological benefits there is a radical difference between web and print and I hope they are taking that into account.

A magazine is not just a distribution mechanism for the content it is also provides an easy to understand content hierarchy, good page design makes it easy to look at and read at various level, (you can scan it quickly or read articles in depth) and the equipment to read it is built in (no need to be near a computer or web connection) and that equipment (the printed page) is very robust - drop the magazine in the bath and it can be dried out.

For advertisers a printed magazine allows a well understood way to get their message across. I am not saying that online advertising is crude in comparison, but I would estimate that the better and more successful online campaigns take more money to produce and perhaps require a more sophisticated marketing mindset than the average advertiser in the Ecologist.

The arrival of the magazine on the newsstand or through your door acts as a reminder that it exists and you should read it; publication organises content by time. You do not get that input from a website as easily and the producers may also feel pressure to increase the frequency of updates to promote visits to the site, but are you going to miss something because you do not visit for a few weeks and the content that you would have found interesting is now buried.

Last but not least the magazine cover is an advertising hoarding attracting new readers who pass it and see something they would like to read. It is not so easy to attract people to a website and even harder to get them to pay for extra content.

So I mourn their disappearance from the newsstand but wish them every success in the online world. I will put a reminder in my computer diary to visit the site every month.

You can find the Ecologist here: www.theecologist.org