Well I’m a publisher (albeit a trade newspaper) and while on one level I see why other publishers would strongly object to mygazines, it’s really not a major threat.
On my broadband link it took about 5 minutes to load up a single double page spread. The pages aren’t that easy to read on a 20-inch lcd monitor (though that might be different on a bigger monitor). The selection of magazines is extremely limited and the search function is awful.
In short, mygazines may bypass publishers and advertisers to deliver a story here and a story there, but for me, the overall experience underlines the advantages of print magazines over online media.
The overall experience of mygazines.com does not reflect ‘real’ online media. It takes print media and makes it available in the same format online. Sites designed as an online medium provide many many advantages over print. One only has to look at magazine circulation and the shift in advertising revenue to see that there are more advantages in online media.
But regardless, it does not matter how many people will use a site such as mygazines.com – the fact is they are clearly breaching copyright laws.
People have been sharing scanned books, comics and magazines from before napster made mp3 filesharing popular.
Sites like this come and go, It is actually encouraging that there is enough perceived value in magazines still to warrant the effort.
Its when these sorts of places ignore them that we need to start to worry, that people don’t even care enough to ‘steal’ them because there is so much alternative and legal access to the information they provide.
Well I’m a publisher (albeit a trade newspaper) and while on one level I see why other publishers would strongly object to mygazines, it’s really not a major threat.
On my broadband link it took about 5 minutes to load up a single double page spread. The pages aren’t that easy to read on a 20-inch lcd monitor (though that might be different on a bigger monitor). The selection of magazines is extremely limited and the search function is awful.
In short, mygazines may bypass publishers and advertisers to deliver a story here and a story there, but for me, the overall experience underlines the advantages of print magazines over online media.
Bill,
The overall experience of mygazines.com does not reflect ‘real’ online media. It takes print media and makes it available in the same format online. Sites designed as an online medium provide many many advantages over print. One only has to look at magazine circulation and the shift in advertising revenue to see that there are more advantages in online media.
But regardless, it does not matter how many people will use a site such as mygazines.com – the fact is they are clearly breaching copyright laws.
People have been sharing scanned books, comics and magazines from before napster made mp3 filesharing popular.
Sites like this come and go, It is actually encouraging that there is enough perceived value in magazines still to warrant the effort.
Its when these sorts of places ignore them that we need to start to worry, that people don’t even care enough to ‘steal’ them because there is so much alternative and legal access to the information they provide.
Jarryd,
I don’t disagree that the real threat comes from ‘pure’ online media. To me mymagazine.com is more like an advertising showcase for print.