10.21.09
Is the Magazine Dead?
At Wikia we are announcing this week the launch of HP MagCloud print-on-demand for Wikia users. The concept here is simple but powerful: let communities create magazines from their work seamlessly.
We have no idea how popular this is going to be at first, but I see the potential for a huge future here.
Recently, Conde Nast announced the closure of Gourmet Magazine. What happened there? It’s really very very simple: the traditional magazine has not kept pace with the needs of readers or advertisers. It isn’t that reading is going out of style – quite the opposite. It isn’t that people don’t care about quality – quite the opposite. The death of the traditional magazine has come about because people are demanding more information, of better quality, and faster.
Take a look at the web traffic rankings (according to Quantcast) of Gourmet Magazine’s site and Wikia’s recipes site.
October 21st Quantcast rank for Gourmet Magazine
October 21st Quantcast rank for recipes.wikia.com
How did this happen? How did a Recipes wiki become more popular than one of the most famous food magazines?
It’s because Gourmet offered a handful of recipes and articles per month, while Recipes offers literally thoughts of recipes on-demand anytime anyone wants.
But there still *is* value in the paper form-factor and there still *is* value in carefully selected “best of” content, delivered on a per-issue or subscription basis: and that’s where the MagCloud/Wikia partnership comes in.
Communities can now produce print magazines of higher quality, and of a more timely and customized nature than traditional print magazines can. YOU can publish your own cooking magazine or cookbook on Wikia. (Make one for your family, with all your great grandmother’s favorite recipes?)
I predict that this could end up having a huge impact on dozens of titles. How soon will car magazines be replaced by our auto wikis?
I’d like to hire the former publisher of Gourmet Magazine – and the publishers of many more magazines, because I think they will be valuable assets at a company which knows where the world is heading.
It won’t happen overnight. But the growth of Wikia appears to be on a trajectory as overwhelming and consistent as what Wikipedia experienced.
As Clay Shirky put it in the title of his book, “Here Comes Everybody”.
theaxx said,
2 Nov, 2009 at 6:07 am
This is exciting and I think I completely agree…
Am launching a little magazine myself about enhancing the everyday, a little happiness companion called ‘Spoonful’ (TM).
Perhaps I should consider Wikia…
thea.
(www.forthevisionaries.tumblr.com)
novyharris said,
13 Nov, 2009 at 5:18 pm
The increase in use of online resources has definitely killed traditional media but in so doing has it killed the communities that were built around traditional media? I think so, but i think wikipedia could remidie the situation by devising a way (navigator) to synthesize the community forming nature of facebook and myspace with the relevant facts individuals believe in, that are hidden within it’s pages.
Such a navigator would only work if it allowed anonymous users to be associated by data that they would mark as significant. If people are associated together by their work ethic, their interests and by what they find significance in history and culture they are more likely to produce quality independent publication that would enrich both wikia and their own communities.
Does Wikipedia have anything like this?
Izzy said,
26 Nov, 2009 at 6:31 am
I agree in principle with Novyharris and Suzy; Wikipedia is a vital part of making a village and. equally, a global network of education and ideas. Wait, I think I have it: launch another part of Wiki and call it, say, Wikihumana, where I can post something of alleged significance, candled by entries that would be important to the interests of the community and the education at large of our global existence for the good of scientific and spiritual health.
Suzy Stewart said,
24 Nov, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I thank you for all your efforts in the education of the world. You are a jewel among thorns.
Mike Hedge said,
26 Nov, 2009 at 8:38 am
Jimmy, nice post. great partnership.