Cyber-Libraries
The webzine market is now most vibrant on a handful of internet based publishers who are essentially the zine libraries of cyber space. According to Issu's website, it now attracts over 30,000,000 monthly readers and it’s digital book shelves are restocked with 250,000 new publications every month. Issuu makes it possible for anybody to contribute towards the webzine community and, thanks to exceptionally interactive and user friendly web-software, requires a minimum amount of technological know-how from its users. Comparative to the money-sapping print alternative, web-publishing can be completely free, thus liberating the individual or small company to produce very cost effective publications.
DIY Zinesters
In previous generations, before the arrival of the internet, zines were the hand-made creations of individuals or groups who, for no money and very little recognition, supported the ethic of DIY media and were often concerned with subjects too niche for mainstream print media. Webzines may then have more in common with the hand-made art-zines of previous decades than they do with the commercial, financially taxing print magazine industry. With web-publishers such as Issuu creating a virtual gallery of reading and viewing pleasure on any number of subject matters and interests, many webzines pay homage to the indie-zines made on kitchen tables back in the day. The do-it-yourself culture that surrounds webzines encourages some exceptional creativity and layout designs that probably wouldn’t make it to print. Some great examples:
Tablet-Zines
Last year Virgin launched ‘Project.’ A glossy, iPad only, lifestyle magazine which single handedly catapulted the digital magazine form into the mainstream. Much of the mainstream were, once again, Importantly though, the iPad and other such tablets are still relatively new platforms, and developers and designers alike are still arguing over the best ways in which to utilize their capabilities.
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