MC549
Assessment One
Hannah Chamberlain
A report on the Home & Garden Magazine Sector
How are they experimenting with new media forms of distribution?
Review of Website features in Home & Garden sector publications
Firstly, i would like to point out that this magazine sector attracts an adult audience hence why many of the website features involve spending money, as you need to be over 18 to purchase online by credit card.
Each magazines website features that indicate new forms of media are highlighted in bold, and have links in brackets next to them to show the form in use online.
(www.allthingshome.co.uk) Website Features:
Advertising
Useful Links
Address Book
Free Store Listing
Business Options
Magazine Subscription
UK Area Search Option (http://www.allthingshome.co.uk/default.asp)
Stores to Look Out For
Product Search Engine (http://www.allthingshome.co.uk/search.asp)
Newsletter (http://www.allthingshome.co.uk/newsletter.asp)
Website Search Engine
Register/Login/My Details
Browse Product Categories (http://www.allthingshome.co.uk/default.asp)
Bargain Product Category Search (http://www.allthingshome.co.uk/bargains.asp)
(www.gardenersillustrated.com) Website Features:
Diary
Index
Podcast (http://www.gardensillustrated.com/podcast.asp)
Competitions
Polls (http://www.gardensillustrated.com/polls.asp)
Contact Us
ECards (http://www.gardensillustrated.com/ecards.asp)
Book Shop
Web Links
Shopping
Directory
Newsletter (http://www.gardensillustrated.com/newsletter.asp)
Reader Offers
Subscribe
(www.gardenersworld.com) Price: £3.10 Website Features:
Magazine
Forum (http://www.gardenersworld.com/talk/index.jsp)
Blog (http://www.gardenersworld.com/talk/blogs/)
Discounts
Advertising
Your Scrapbook
Sign In/Register
Problem Solving
News Team Blog (http://www.gardenersworld.com/talk/blogs/)
Weather Forecast (http://www.gardenersworld.com/)
Desktop Wallpapers
Plant Search Engine (http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/search/)
'How To' Videos & Advice (http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/)
Shopping & Special Offers
Gardeners Weather Forecast (http://www.gardenersworld.com/weatherDetails.do?postcode=B1&city=Birmingham)
(www.homesandgardens.com) Price: £3.40 Website Features:
Homes
Contact Us
Newsletter (http://www.homesandgardens.com/newsletter/)
Gardens
Shopping
Product Search Engine (http://www.homesandgardens.com/)
UK Area Search Engine (http://www.homesandgardens.com/)
Decorating
Cookery
Competitions
Forums (http://www.homesandgardens.com/forums/ubbthreads.php)
Expert Advice
Gallery (http://www.homesandgardens.com/gallery/main.php)
Current issue
Subscribe
Voting (http://www.homesandgardens.com/)
Events
Contacts
Blogs (http://www.homesandgardens.com/blogs/)
(www.houseandgarden.co.uk) Price: £3.40 Website Features:
Latest Issue
Design Through the Decades (http://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/design-through-the-decades.aspx)
Advertising
Contact Us
(www.houseandhomeideas.co.uk) Website Features:
Home
Directory
Tips & Advice
Latest Issue
Shop
Offers
Giveaways
Editor's Blog (http://www.houseandhomeideas.co.uk/index.php?option=com_myblog&Itemid=97)
Forum (http://www.houseandhomeideas.co.uk/forum/index.php)
Contact Us
Subscription
Weekly Newsletter (http://www.houseandhomeideas.co.uk/index.php)
Website Search Engine
(www.housebeautiful.co.uk) Price: £2.99 Website Features:
Subscribe
Reader Panel
Features
Email the Editor (http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/)
Current Issue
Competitions
Voting (http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/index.php)
Events
Shopping
Newsletter (http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/subscribe.php)
(www.housetohome.co.uk) Website Features:
Blogs (http://www.housetohome.co.uk/blogs.html)
Newsletter (http://www.housetohome.co.uk/auth/registration)
Buy It Now
Hot Topics
Style Quiz (http://www.housetohome.co.uk/quizzes?menu=reset)
Advertising
RSS Feeds (http://www.housetohome.co.uk/articles/rss_feed/121023.html)
Green Living
Buyers Guide
Expert Advice
Voting (http://www.housetohome.co.uk/articles/advice/gardening.html)
Competitions
Todays News
Gallery (http://www.housetohome.co.uk/galleries)
Address Book
My Scrapbook (http://www.housetohome.co.uk/auth/registration)
Register/Login
Product Finder (http://www.housetohome.co.uk/products)
Decorating Tools
(www.idealhomemagazine.com) Price :£3.10 Website Features:
Home Page
News
Voting (http://www.idealhomemagazine.co.uk/)
Shopping
Advertising
Bargain Buy
Subscription
Ideas & Advice (http://www.idealhomemagazine.co.uk/ideasadvice/)
Blogs & Forums (http://www.idealhomemagazine.co.uk/community/)
Competitions & Offers
Today’s News & Ideas
Inspiration & Decorating
Gallery (http://www.idealhomemagazine.co.uk/inspiredecor/gallery/main.php)
What’s new on the website
(www.livingetc.com) Price £3.30 Website Features:
Offers
Gallery (http://www.livingetc.com/gallery/main.php)
Forums (http://www.livingetc.com/forums/ubbthreads.php)
Houses
Shopping
Decorating
Advertising
Newsletter (http://www.livingetc.com/newsletter/)
Deco Advice
Competitions
Subscriptions
Where To Buy
Blogs (http://www.livingetc.com/blogs/)
Buyers' Guides
Search Engine
Product Finder (http://www.livingetc.com/)
Property Advice
Paint Calculator (http://www.livingetc.com/calculators/)
Designer Hotels
Digital Magazine
Design Classics
Newsagent Locator (http://www.ipcmedia.com/availability/index.php?code=livingetc)
(www.traditionalhome.com) Website Features:
Decorating & Design
Antiques & collecting
Food & Entertaining
Gardens & Outdoor Living
Editor's Blog (http://www.traditionalhome.com/community/index.html)
Travel & Weekend Getaways
Community
Magazine Issue
Customer Service Center
Promotions
Search Engine
Free Newsletters (https://secure.traditionalhome.com/common/profile/regStep1.jsp?regSource=8351&_requestid=248687)
Advertising
Gallery (http://www.traditionalhome.com/gardens_outdoorliving/outdoorliving/horticulturalhealing_1.html)
Subscription
(www.womanandhome.com) Website Features:
Food
Horoscopes
Your Looks
Lifestyle
Forums
Voting (http://www.womanandhome.com/)
Competitions
Diet Club
Travel
Email the Editor (http://www.womanandhome.com/contact/)
Contact Us
Subscribe
Directory
Our Events
Newsletter (http://www.womanandhome.com/newsletter/)
Magazine
Shop
Special Offers
Advertising
Editors Blog (http://www.womanandhome.com/blog/)
Magazine Comparisons
The conventional features that each websites have in common are:
Most popular website features:
· Blogs
· Voting
· Forums
· Email Newsletters
· Search Engine
· Contact Us
· Gallery
Least Popular Website Features:
· Podcasts
· RSS Feeds
· Quizzes
· Polls
· Weather Forecast
· Product Search Engine
· ECards
· Videos
· Product Finder
· Paint Calculator
Common Colours Used:
Pink
Green
Purple
Blue
Black
Price:
Each magazine appears to cost similar prices between £3 and £3.50.
Website Layout
· Magazine Logo Top Left of page
· Advertising Top and full right hand side length of the page
· Magazine Topics run across the width of the page underneath the logo
· Website Contents run down the left hand side of the page
· Home Page contains pictures and videos
· Bottom of page contains Terms & Conditions, links to other affiliated wesbites, Privacy Policy's, Contact Us and a sitemap.
How do magazines generate income?
Magazines rely heavily on advertising to generate income. The greater the magazine circulation, the more advertisers will benefit from advertising. However, due to popular selling magazine demand, magazines will be able to charge advertisers more money for advertising space.
If a magazine is heavily dependent on income from advertisers, you would expect the magazine to be targeted at appealing to an advertisers taste, more than your reader's interests. In this case, I noticed a whole section at the back of the magazines i purchased with a directory specifically for advertisers to advertise in. The magazine would argue this section is for its readers to look at what is on offer, but as many people are more interested in the magazine content than the advertisements, they could argue that a 14 page directory specifically about advertisements is only to an advertisers interest.
This same theory applies to online advertising. The greater the number of website ‘hits’, the greater the demand for advertisers to buy space will become. On the websites i researched these advertisements came in the form of banners, sponsored links and flash advertisements.
Questions to Editors, Publishers and Writers
I contacted some of the magazines i researched and asked them the following questions:
-
On your website, you use new media forms such as Forums, Voting, Blogs and Newsletter Emails to promote your website and keep your audience interested. What other forms of new media do you use to attract new customers and keep current ones engrossed?
-
In what ways has using new forms of media to advertise your website and magazine impacted on your sales and viewing rates?
-
Before using new forms of media and online advertising, what was your circulation rate?
-
In what ways has writing articles for your magazine website changed due to new forms of media?
-
Are there any other new forms of media you are planning on using in the future to increase your circulation?
-
What are the most popular forms of media on your website, and the least popular?
The replies that i received did not tell me much that i did not already know from my research. Most of the feedback i got was telling me that:
In Conclusion
It is clear that the internet now plays an important role in magazine interests and distribution. It allows companies to expand on income using different methods of advertising, publishing and writing. Although the use of websites has impacted negatively on printed media, i think it is obvious from the popularity of interactivity online that magazines and their websites are going to succeed more in the long term with sales. Although websites offer interactivity features, they are not a thing to be enjoyed in the same way reading magazines are for many people. Many people purchase magazines because they enjoy sitting and reading them in their spare time, which is why i believe that although the internet is a popular feature, magazines also have their own purpose. Afterall, you can't hold the internet in your hands.
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