Comments on: Rodale Publishes Nearly Up To Date Back Issues on Google

By: Magazines on Google « Photo Blawg

Magazines on Google « Photo Blawg — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:36:02 +0000

[...] on Google 8 02 2009 “A Photo Editor” blogger Rob Haggart reports that Rodale, which is a magazine publisher, is publishing back issues of the magazine on [...]

By: Kim Taylor

Kim Taylor — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 05:27:20 +0000

Bah

I want hard copy when I’m in the sauna or, as has been said, when on the throne.

But Magazines aren’t textbooks, they are disposable reading, longer articles than in the newspaper but not more important.

Yes a magazine subcriber goes for about two years by which time he realizes that “get that 6pack-abs for summer” is the same article as last year. And…..

Look, fitness hasn’t changed since Sandow. What changes is the kids who are 20. So what’s the harm of putting the back issues online?

I want something I can read in the sauna, or on the throne, and I am 20 so I figure what I discover is brand new. In other words, I don’t mind spending the price of a magazine to get a glossy hardcopy of what my father knew 20 years ago in a pulp magazine format.

Kim Taylor

By: Dave Woods

Dave Woods — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:08:30 +0000

What good are these? How am I supposed to read these while on ‘the throne’??

(and no, taking my laptop in isn’t a viable alternative).

By: Oswald Bates

Oswald Bates — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:58:01 +0000

@Nick Turpin, Love the video, man. Sent it over to Strobist. cool snaps.Thanks for sharing.

By: Nick Turpin

Nick Turpin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:58:33 +0000

This is an interesting development, I have a spread of street portraits in the current issue of Menshealth, I'm not sure I'm being paid for web usage. Its almost like a republication of the magazine.

By: jkm

jkm — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:04:26 +0000

God that’s awful, they’re streaky scans. I wonder why no pdf–>gif exports?

By: GTFU

GTFU — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:36:23 +0000

Who even buys those magazines?

By: matt

matt — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 02:08:23 +0000

Keywords:

Lunesta, Advair, salmeterol, Men’s Health, calories, diabetes, glucose, insulin resistance, blood sugar, asthma

By: Lucas

Lucas — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:21:05 +0000

This is sad. Our newspapers and Magazines are stuck in the printed page mentality. Most of us read our newspapers online, most would love to read our magazines online. They need to figure out how to make money from online distrubutions. The online version need to be online friendly. It would require a change to the business model that has worked for years. It seems to me most magazines have forgotten what they are, words and images arranged in a compelling way, regardless of the media – newspaper, or online. Most magazine websites are just ads for getting you to purchase the printed magazine. I’m really not sure why magazines have a hard time getting ad prices that work for online content. I would think a great webdesign, with cutting edge technology and content would bring readers. Instead we get scanned in pages of past stories no one will be reading. OY!

By: Gordon Moat

Gordon Moat — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:05:00 +0000

When you look at the media kits of most publishers, they list circulation and secondary views. Without increasing circulation, they have managed to increase secondary views of ads. Whether or not they increase their page rates, they have now made these publications more enticing for advertisers.

Regarding the legal issues, I think it might be open for challenge. The revenue generated would be indirect, and possibly difficult to prove. The other issue is who would challenge them in court in the current economic environment.

By: Eric Brazier

Eric Brazier — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:49:57 +0000

I think the answer is pretty clear why Rodale is doing this: ADVERTISING.

The provided magazines have not be scanned and posted sans advertising. Each and every one has been included.

Unlike web ads that are relegated to being banners or skyscrapers or pop-ups – all of which can be easily ignored or blocked – here the ad is returned to it’s FULL PAGE glory that fights for and often wins dominance over the content it is placed beside. That is quite the value added for future and returning ad customers.

As always with any google application there are also the ever present sponsored links, which I’m sure Rodale is seeing some revenue from. This is the ultimate double dip – getting ad revenue for providing content that is half filled with ad space for which you’ve already been paid!

And finally, the content of each magazine is searchable. I search one issue for “abs” which returned as results both editoral content AND advertisments.

If the future is digital and online Rodale has just found a way to make a three year back catalogue a little more relevant and bring in a little more revenue.

By: jimmyD

jimmyD — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:36:58 +0000

I stopped buying photography rags because, with the exception of reviewing the latest and greatest from gear manufacturers, they keep recycling the same info (Secrets of the Pros Revealed) and not much else.

By: Ian Aleksander Adams

Ian Aleksander Adams — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:30:16 +0000

I love seeing lineups of magazine covers in thumbnails – it makes it really easy to see the extent their willing to risk themselves on creativity.

By: bobscott

bobscott — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:13:39 +0000

It looks like the interns at Rodale got their work cut out for them. but serious I’m looking into it because a couple of those covers are mine as well as images within. Based on that Greenberg lawsuit , I’m sure that’s their legal right to do this without spending more money on usage.