At one point, a print magazine about the online world was inevitable. (Remember Yahoo Internet Life?) But now, with the proliferation of smart phones, tablets and magazine apps like Flipboard, not so much. So the launch of The Social Media Monthly is a bit of a surprise. Even more so its distribution.
The first issue of the magazine is out today. Publisher Cool Blue Company announced its availability at the Barnes and Noble bookstore chain in the U.S., as well as distribution in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.
Hopefully, the print version is more elegant and effective than the magazine’s online presence. Stumbling around the Geocities-inspired web site I made the signal error of clicking “Check In.” My browser crashed and my computer froze. So, there’s that.
The publication is also available as a “standalone flash digital e-zine” and an iTunes app.
The debut issue’s cover was designed by Yiying Lu, known for her design of Twitter’s fail whale.
Robert Fine, the founder of Cool Blue, says advance orders of the second issue are up 20% over the launch issue. Single issues are on sale for $4.99 for a print copy and $2.99 for the digital version. A year’s subscription runs $29.99 and comes with digital access. There is no information on how many copies of the first issue have sold.
It seems that, after a long period of expansion, with many products offered for free, we have now entered a period of contraction. Earlier today we wrote about the movement away from free online television content and maybe this magazine’s approach is an expression of that same trend.
The articles in the first issue do not seem particularly compelling to me. (See graphic below.) But you may feel differently. Let us know in the comments.
More generally, I personally I love the printed page. But I’m unsure of its utility when it comes to the topic of social media. What do you think? Is there a reason for a print magazine on an essentially paperless topic?
