Where Print Media and Rich Media Collide

Relatively fresh off of completing my reading for the required book review, “Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide,” I am inspired to take a moment to pinpoint my own observances of media convergence with digital magazines.

I received a comment on my first blog posting regarding the magazine industry’s use of the digital publishing software, in query of whether online magazines might evolve away from the model of providing an electronic magazine that is nothing more than an electronic replica of its print version, to one that takes full advantage of the interactive capabilities of the Internet.

The answer is yes.

I have praised the digital versions’ page-by-page synchronicity with print versions, but that does not even scratch the surface of the features of a digital publication. So let us examine a few of the countless possibilities where print magazines converge and collide with Web features.

Ranking top among the interactive capabilities of digital publications is the effect on advertising. One might say that this is where print advertising collides with television, and converges with the Internet. No longer a static, print display of a product or service, the interactive features of digital publishing software embeds rich media Web casts in the advertisement. Upon clicking on the advertisement, the reader is launched into audio and video of the featured product or service. This interaction makes panoramic scanning, close-up scrutiny of the details and intricacies of the product, and even demonstrations of the product or service’s usage possible. Anyone who has worked for a revenue-generating publication knows that advertisements are synonymous with bread and butter! The income potential with features such as this one are inestimable. Sales representatives are now able to sell this feature as an add-on or “bundle” in advertising sales.

From what we have observed in the growing use of interactive capabilities of the Internet in real estate and car-buying—with their panoramic “tours” of homes, and simulated test-drives—we are already witnessing the growing popularity and viability of this feature among certain audiences and demographics. There is also the added possibility of commentary and testimonials here, giving readers a truer sense of the sustainability of a product/service for example, along with the comfort of knowing that one isn’t simply taking the advertiser’s word at face value. This puts the power in the hands of readers, which we’ve learned is the epitome of participatory culture.

Another example… Few magazines are without a Letters to the Editor or Op-Ed section. Letters to the editors of publications give readers a voice and are perhaps one of the earliest forms of the participatory component—and even civic engagement in some instances—that we know. So many of us have thoughtfully composed our praises or disappointments to the editor of our most-read publications, or toiled over a thoroughly poignant opinion piece that never sees the light of day. Imagine the feeling of now seeing one’s piece published online by way of a blog-style letter to the editor.

I am only beginning to wrap my mind around the possibilities of using digital publishing’s features for audience engagement and to evoke that participatory element. On Saturday, we will delve into this further when we take a hands-on look at a few digital magazines. So for now, I leave the blog open to your comments and observations. What lies ahead in the way of interactive digital publishing, and audience participation or civic engagement?