Assignment:Develop an e-zine article.
Initial Thoughts:
Whats the difference between zines and blogs anyway? Apparently quite a bit.
- While both can be about a variety of subjects, e-zines typically have an editor who filters out content.
- As the Zoning in on Zines article explains, e-zines originated out of fanzines which are
homemade publications that usually have a staff of one and are produced as entertainment and not for profit. They generally don’t have regular publishing schedules, and they’re usually traded or sold through the mail.
- A trend in online publications is for major print magazines to post online. Off the top of my head some examples are: ELLE, The Economist, Wired, and all the other Conde Nast Publications, some of which are purely digital (epicurious).
There are several different topics that I am considering for my e-zine article.
- FOOD. Being a major foodie. I would love to create an article for Epicurious. Maybe a recipe or cooking experience. Since I am new to cooking I have plenty of disaster tales to write about. Another take on this topic would to review my favorite restaurants in Arizona. The Phoenix New Times features a zine/blog that I love called Chow Bella that would be perfect for a restaurant review piece.
- Occupational Safety and Health. I know it seems totally random and super boring but I work for a consulting company specializing in occupational safety and health. I am the marketing strategist for the company responsible for establishing the company brand. For the Zine project I could write an occupational safety and health article much like the ones featured on on EHS Today and OH&S.
- Fashion. I have recently developed an interest in fashion. While I don't feel like I'm super fashionable I think I can bring a unique perspective to the fashion world.
- Others. I am also considering doing an article on fun random facts, China business, cheap travel, personal finance, and personal development.
Having read the article Writing for a Web Audience, I have tried to incorporate the techniques in constructing this blog post. Did you notice a difference?
Good post! I think the differences between blogs and ezines are now very few. Before blogs, there were a lot more ezines (and as my inclass demo showed, most of the links in zine directories are out of date and most of those zines no longer exist), and they were easy to locate.
ReplyDeleteThat is no longer the case; in fact, I'm beginning to wonder if the zine has gone the way of the dinosaurs. As you note, most print publications now have online versions available, and blogs look a lot like what used to be called zines.
This makes this assignment more difficult, I know. My suggestion is to work with an online environment that you feel suits you.
I really like your post here: at first, I just skimmed it and had an overall impression of something I wanted to read. So I started from the top...then skimmed some quote-y looking boxes...and realized that I was reading your blog not as if it were something I had to read for a grade, but as I would if I were browsing the internet. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI've had a lot of trouble trying to locate a zine. In fact, I'd have to say that I've given up. A mac junkie, I just got on Zinio and choose one of the top 8 magazines...it'll be fun to work on, if nothing else. See how close I can get my pages to look like a magazine spread.
Good luck with whichever zine you choose, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
It seems that there are others out there that are interested in submitting to a food zine. "Putting an ellipsis on it" is another blogger that would like to submit to a food zine. Maybe you could get ideas from each other.
ReplyDelete