Web2.0 Online Magazine Analysis

Canadian Living
http://www.canadianliving.com/

The Canadian Living website has a great array of web2.0 features. On this website you can find many RSS feeds for things such as their feature articles or a recipe of the day. All of their articles have the “Share This” feature that lets you bookmark the page using Delicious or so you can link the page to Facebook. This website also features many blogs such as “The Foodie File” and the “Mom Blog.” They also have a video section where you can watch short clips in categories such as entertaining, baking and health and wellness. On top of all this  they also have free e-newsletters and internet freebies such as downloadable coupons and desktop backgrounds. All of these features are beneficial to the reader as it offers them so much more than they can ask for from the print edition. The instructional videos and the downloadable features are something that is just not available in a print version. Being able to follow the RSS feeds is a bonus as well because the website content is being updated fairly regularly while the print edition is monthly. Since the magazine can control their content easier they can bring their readers to their page on a daily basis instead of making them wait every thirty days.

Having the web2.0 website is beneficial to the publisher and the editor as they can continuously load as much content as they want. On the website they can have any articles that they just could not fit into the magazine. They can also have more timely articles as the website can be updated at any time while the print version only comes out once a month. For marketing representatives, having the videos, freebies and blogs advertised in the magazine drives more readers to the website and helps to keep them there, making Canadian Living Magazine a more permanent installment in their lives. For advertisers the website helps because they can advertise twice as much as in the magazine. There is no space limit, and if the readers are being driven to the website on a daily basis then the advertising will be more largely seen.

Macleans
http://blog.macleans.ca/

Macleans Magazine has a web2.0 website, but while it is effective they have not employed all of the features that they could to make it the best they can. Most importantly, the Macleans website does not feature RSS feeds. This is a detrimental move because readers will not be notified when something new comes to the site, they have to seek it out themselves. Some of the web2.0 features that this website does employ is the “Share This” function, as well as an “Interact with Macleans” function that allows you to send articles and videos to your mobile phones and other social networking websites. The website also features many blogs put into categories such as arts and business. Blogs are important to have on this website as the readers are expecting more controversial and opinionated pieces, so blogs allow many writers to give their opinions more freely. The website also offers extras that are not available in print such as quizzes and video feeds. You are also able to comment on the articles and videos available on the site. This is all valuable to the reader as it allows them to participate and give their input on some of the more hard-hitting articles that they would not be able to do with the weekly print version.
This website is beneficial to the publisher and the editors as they can get feedback on their articles and judge what their readers really want to see in the print edition. Macleans is a weekly publication so having a website is not so much about being able to load extra content than it is about reader interaction. Marketing professionals can lead readers to the website with things such as the University Guide which is available online throughout the year. Also having items like the blogs that would appeal greatly to the readers of Macleans helps the marketing people direct readers to the website. For advertisers the website is a bonus as they can advertise more often and to a larger audience than they can in a print version.

The Walrus
http://www.walrusmagazine.com/

The Walrus online magazine has an amazing amount of web2.0 features. You can subscribe to many different RSS feeds, such as feeds for article, blogs and discussion threads. These keep the reader up-to-date on what’s happening on the website. In addition, there is the “Share This” feature that allows you to link the page you want to websites such as Delicious and Facebook. This website also offers links to some of their many podcasts. Through the website you can listen to the podcasts or you can link them and subscribe to them through iTunes. They also offer web extras such as contests, photos and extra articles. A website like this one is very valuable to a reader as it allows for a lot of participation. The print version of this magazine only comes out 10 times a year, so having so much web content allows the reader to stay in touch between print editions. The RSS feeds also keep the reader up-to-date by notifying them as changes happen so that they are never out of the loop. This website is clearly designed to let the reader interact with the content as much as possible.
For the publisher and editors this website allows them to post as much content as possible as they do not have as large a budget as Canadian Living and Macleans does. Their smaller budget keeps their page limit down for the print version, so the publishers and editors can still include all of the content they want by putting it online. For the marketing reps, the website is a great tool as there are so many exclusive articles online that it can really draw a loyal reader in. As well it can bring in new readers by having very clear and concise article titles that will show up well in a search engine. They also have an online store where you can buy merchandise such as their tote bags which have sold out and limited edition prints of their covers that have been designed by people such as Douglas Coupland. Since these items are exclusively online the marketing reps can drive traffic to the website based on the store. For advertisers having the website is an incentive for them to advertise with the magazine. The sales reps can draw them in with ads in both the print and online forms to help gain more advertisers for the magazine to push revenue.

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