As all of you know, Domino magazine is one of the latest victims of the bad economy. In fact, it didn’t even go digital only first – instead it was completely axed. This New York Times article describes well why they had great numbers reader-wise but not ad-wise.
Domino is a magazine I liked since the day it came out but I never got around to subscribing to it. I read it whenever I got a haircut or a pedicure. I even bought it a few times a year – usually at Penn Station or Union Station. It was a welcome distraction from the grayness of Amtrak.
Ironically, the year Domino came out was the year I decided to cut all of my magazine subscriptions – partially because I never read them all, partially because it was an awful lot of paper coming through the mail every month – and I was getting more and more information via the web. So I cancelled or let lapse all my subscriptions and waited to see which magazines I missed.
Within a year I had resubscribed to Real Simple and a couple of cooking magazines. And yes, Harper’s lured me back with a ridiculous $2 for the year deal. But I let that lapse again.
I have a theory that I probably would have resubscribed to Domino had it been part of my magazine simplication program – especially since the only reason I kept postponing getting a subscription was that I wanted to wait until I lived in just one city. Not just because it was a decorating magazine (and I wanted to wait until I was down to one apartment to think about prettifying), but also because 3 subscriptions was the optimal number as long as I was commuting (Real Simple and two rotating cooking magazines – I switch around year to year on those). And that’s why I waited to make a decision on which ones of the following to suscribe to: Domino, Lucky, Body and Soul. Even InStyle maybe.
Obviously I will make a decision sooner rather than later – and hopefully the ones I choose won’t go the Domino way. I am torn about the fact that magazines (especially niche ones with lower ad revenue) are going paperless. Don’t get me wrong – I think the paperless option is great. One should be able to get a print or a electronic subscription (or both). There are certainly magazines I would rather read on the web, but some really should be more tactile.
Do you prefer your magazines strictly paper or digital or does it depend on the magazine?
General Disclosures & Disclaimers
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
That is a great question and something that I have pondered on many occassions. My response? It depends on the magazine.
I must have my Washingtonian in print, hard copy. I tear out bits and pieces and have been known to save an entire issue. However, I would prefer to receive an email with links to an electronic version The Economist.
I love the feel of glossy paper almost as much as I love the smell of books… but it makes me feel guilty about recycling them every few months. Digital is probably the way I’d go.
I still prefer the real thing. I subscribe to Body + Soul, Country Living, In Style and Redbook. I read them faithfully.
I am also the same way with the newspaper, though. I read it daily cover to cover and am a loyal newspaper girl. I LOVE reading the Sunday paper over coffee.
I check online for breaking stuff, but I still like to read the actual thing.
don’t even get me started on this. I am having a hard time accepting it. I even wrote a letter to Conde Nast to express my disappointment. I paid less than $1 an issue bc of the professional rate and bc I get SO many Conde Nast publications. Speaking of which…to answer your question, for me it really depends on the magazine.
Mags like New Yorker and New York and Time I read online all the time but they are great subway magazines bc they are not bulky and can be folded etc for easy reading when you’re standing. Others like Vogue, Vanity Fair and W I refuse to even look at online. It’s all about having it in my hot little hands and studying the photos and really reading the and devouring the articles.
If you’re having a hard time deciding, allow me to make some suggestion: As I said, I love Vogue, W and VF and I save the majority of them. I go back to them and read some articles months later. I also LOVE Harper’s Bazaar and get it instead of Elle (which I think is comparable). I really like Allure bc it’s short and sweet – I toss them out after two months bc I always get through them. I LOVE Lucky bc it’s so simple and mindless and the clothes and ideas are fantastic. Then we also get mags like Time, Fast Company and GQ. Yes, we have A LOT Of paper in our mailbox every month. But, we either recycle it, or like I said, I save the issues.
Any magazine with inspirational pics (Domino, O, Martha Stewart, Real Simple, Vogue, etc.) i MUST have a real copy!! To me, it’s not the same to just look at it online… I know it’s not very eco-friendly but sadly, that’s the truth.
I love when a post gets people really enthusiastic about posting comments
Pink Heels – I agree – any magazine that I read for information I don’t mind reading online. But some magazines I just need to have in paper form.
RTW – I hear you on the guilt. Sigh.
Karley – oddly I feel less guilty about the influx of paper if I read the magazines faithfully.
Chessa – I SO know what you mean about great magazines for subway reading.
Carolyn – so true!
I used to buy magazines at the drug store. Never did the subscription thing for some bizarre reason. But I had time and money to burn back then.
For awhile, before kids, I had a few subscriptions but I let those lapse without renewal. I purchased an O magazine in January – I forget why I did it. It was the first mag I purchased in about a year. I haven’t read it yet!! Haven’t even opened the cover.
I just don’t have time to read them. I love reading but there never seems enough time and it doesn’t make sense to have subscriptions to mags I’ll never read.
I’m pathetic. I will get to a doctor appointment early, so I can get more time to read their germ infested magazines…