Sunday, October 28, 2012

Digital Magazine

What is Digital magazine?

A Digital magazine is an electronic replica of your favorite Summit magazines. Its main advantage is that you can read on different platforms (PC, laptop, Macbooks, iPad, iPhone and Android devices). While there will be some interactive elements from time to time, these will not be regular features of the digital magazine.For iPad and iPhone, They have an app called Newstand, where you can read online magazines and news online and up to date.

Digital magazines are becoming increasingly popular among publishers and readers for a variety of reasons. First, publishers can save printing and postage costs by publishing a digital magazine instead of a print magazine or by simply replacing part of its print run with the digital publication. Second, publishers are able to reach a whole new audience by distributing or making available their digital magazine to the online world. Finally, publishers can make more money by selling such things as circulation, ads, videos and surveys in their digital magazine. In short, the upside of digital magazines is huge for the publisher.

The extent to which the print magazine model is transferred into the digital world is another area where choices exist and are being widely explored. Some presentations use a "page flipping" graphic model to simulate the handling of a physical magazine. Others argue that this is unnecessary visual hyperbole and simply use a landscape visual format to present their product.

 2. Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages:
Search Engine
Digital magazines can be easily indexed by leading search engines.

- No Costs Needed
- Wider distribution
Online Magazines are open wide for everyone, some are free but some are not.
- Go Green
By posting magazines online, we can reduce the use of paper everyday and less ink is needed.
- Can be Downloadable formats for hand readers
Disadvantages:
Ease of TheftPirating printed books is very difficult, but when a work is stored in digital format, files are easily shared, distributed, and copied ;often with a loss of revenue to the rights holder.
- Small Profits or makings
If the website is not doing well in terms of visitors it will be hard to make a profit. Poor advertising of the magazine will result in lack of visitors. 

Here are some programs that can be used to make your own Digital Magazine: 
 
Desktop Author:
http://www.desktopauthor.com/default.asp
Dotminded:
http://www.dotpapers.com/home/
3D Issue:
http://www.3dissue.com/
eMag Creator:
http://www.emagcreator.com
LCM Digital Media:
http://www.lcmdigitalmedia.com
Paperator:
http://www.paperator.com
Page Gangster:
http://www.pagegangster.com/ 
Zinio:
http://beta.zinio.com/www/