Do you want to become an online magazine publisher? Or have you already established an online presence for your magazine and want to improve it?

Many print publishers are also online publishers. It is virtually impossible to succeed in the magazine marketplace nowadays without some sort of online presence. Some simply repurpose their print content for online audiences. Some develop separate content especially for online. Still others, particularly new entrants to the magazine industry, produce strictly online content without any print editions.

That raises the question of what exactly online publishing is. It is the dissemination of information or other content via the Internet or other computer networks. As such, it differs from the more traditional print publishing primarily by the means of dissemination.

Some magazines opt to produce online editions of their publications in PDF or Page Flip format. Others publish content in a blog format. There is one key difference between an online magazine and a blog magazine. Much like their print predecessors, standard online magazines (i.e., those published in PDF or Page Flip format), remain fairly static once published. They are, in effect, a series of episodes. Blog-format magazines, on the other hand, publish content on a continual (sometimes daily) basis. However, the standard online magazine (particularly in Page Flip format) offers an opportunity for a reading experience more reminiscent of print media, which will appeal to a certain segment of readers.

Regardless of the approach to online publishing a publisher takes, one fact remains true: gone are the days when physical newsstand presence alone was enough to carry a magazine. Today's publishers must master the online publishing milieu, including various digital content management systems (CMS), programming languages, social media avenues, RSS syndication, online advertising, and search engine optimization (SEO). They must set up their magazines to be at the receiving end of multiple revenue streams online. While the concept of multiple revenue streams is hardly new to magazine publishers, it is the types of revenue streams that are changing.

Not surprisingly, the number of online publishers is growing very rapidly compared to the number of print publishers. The primary reason is the relatively small amount of capital that is required to get started. For instance, a new magazine can be designed and put online for very little money, especially if the publisher chooses not to engage the service of a professional magazine designer. In addition, the cost to put a new publication online is very low. Print publications incur much more expense for the paper and printing they require. The dissemination costs for print publications are relatively high, as well.

There are a number of expense items that are overlooked, however, by many neophyte online publishers. The first is that of audience aggregation -- in other words, getting visitors to see and read the publication. It is usually a fallacy to believe that once a publication is online, that it will automatically acquire an audience. That rarely happens. More likely, it is necessary to pursue a well-thought-out online marketing plan to acquire readers. Once an audience has been obtained, the burden shifts to the content as the means of sustaining audience interest.

If you are thinking of publishing an online magazine, be sure to read our article about magazine design software. This will help you to choose a design suite that will optimize both the appearance and functionality of your digital publication. The article looks at Adobe InDesign Creative Suite 4, Quark XPress 8, 3D Issue, and Pressmart eMag 3.0.

For more about publishing in blog format, read our article, "Blogging and Publishing." There is a brief discussion whether or not blogging qualifies as publishing, and whether or not bloggers qualify as actual journalists.

To be really effective at online publishing, one should employ the best practices of the publishing world in writing, editing, and design. Our sister site, Editors Only, provides readers with extensive information and advice in the areas of writing, editing, design, and online and social media issues.

And, finally, there is the matter of the business plan for your online magazine. Do you have one? Read our article about business planning to learn more about developing a workable plan. This stage may also necessitate help from a publishing consultant.