It's Baaack

I was more than a little excited yesterday to learn that Organic Style, one of my favorite magazines on sustainable living in its short life (it lasted from 2001 to 2005), is back. And it's online (hello, environmentally responsible publishing and easy access for the masses).

Check out the winter issue. I'm a big fan of the digital publishing they use for it—it's the same format as one of my other favorite green magazines, Greenlight (which, by the way, you can subscribe to for free and have delivered to your email inbox). What's so great about this form of digital publishing? For one thing, you get to read a magazine that looks like a magazine rather than web content. And if a story interests you on, say, the cover or TOC, click on it and you're taken right there. Plus this form of digital publishing allows you to easily provide (and get readers to) additional content online. Like a product featured? Odds are with one click you can be on the company webpage ordering it for yourself. (And I have to assume advertisers love the instant access it provides to their products too.)

I haven't read the winter issue of the new Organic Style yet, but I flipped through it (yep, you can do that with these online magazines) and liked what I saw. It's certainly different from the original print version (owned by Rodale), but I'm excited nonetheless.

Take a look. Tell me what you think.

Wikipedia

Just a reminder: Wikipedia is NOT a real source.

Dairy Today

I found this post about Dairy Today via How About Orange. What? An ag mag with great design?



The magazine was designed by Pentagram, of all places -- a great design firm.

See? You don't have to be at some glitzy glossy to get great magazine experience.

my weaknesses

Things to improve on:

Clever headlines
Cover blurbs
Well, display copy of all kinds
Ledes
Conclusions

I'm fast and I do good work, says my boss (well, I added that "do good work" part. I think I do good work ...). But I need to not go with my first instinct on ledes, he says. Hm. I hate ledes. I hate clever cover blurbs. Perhaps that's why I'm not good at them. Any tips? What are your weaknesses?

the questions of 2008

My media newsfeed posed some interesting questions today:

Where did you go, investigative journalism?

I don't know about you, but I went in to journalism thinking I'd write groundbreaking investigative pieces, ala Seymour Hersh's expose on the Mai-lai massacre (he's still one of my journalism idols). I'm not sure we'll ever have another era of hard-core investigative pieces that don't become salacious and "To Catch a Predator" in their ridiculousness. Thoughts?

Is everyone creating a Facebook application?

I find it very humorous that media and political pundits are essentially tripping over themselves trying to "harness the power of Facebook." I guess it's inevitable that if there's money to be made with anything, it'll be taken advantage of until it barely resembles what it started out to be (and I'd argue Facebook is nothing like what it was originally, thank you very much, newsfeed.)

Are J-Schools teaching the right things?

I'm curious: what do YOU think Drake's J-school should be teaching that they're not? What are they getting wrong? What are they getting right?

***

Are you caucusing today? Man, if I ever would miss Iowa, it'd surely be today. Caucus for me, ok? Though I'm still not 100-percent sure what side of the room I'd be standing on ...

These Portlanders just don't get the fervor that is caucus season. This time four years ago, I was running scripts for CNN. So fun -- yup, it's true. I miss Iowa today.

The verboten list.

Awesome how a gimmick can put a JSchool on the map: Your neighbor, Lake Superior State University, polls students and faculty for the year's most overused words and blasts them across the Internets every January first. (Note to Drake admissions folk: This sort of thing would have revved my 18-year-old engine as I was applying to schools, nerd that I am/was.)

The truncated list, for your pleasure:

• PERFECT STORM
• WEBINAR
• WATERBOARDING
• ORGANIC
• WORDSMITH/WORDSMITHING
• AUTHOR/AUTHORED
• POST 9/11
• SURGE
• GIVE BACK
• 'BLANK' is the new 'BLANK' or 'X' is the new 'Y'
• BLACK FRIDAY
• BACK IN THE DAY
• RANDOM
• SWEET
• DECIMATE
• EMOTIONAL
• POP
• IT IS WHAT IT IS
• UNDER THE BUS

Ruh-Roh!

J-School Confidential: Can Professors Catch Up?
This gal poo-poos how web-lame her profs are.

I have nothing to say about that.

Tumult on the Radio

Though I work mainly at home, I do drive to our Boston office weekly. It's nice to have a reason to Listerine and take off my slippers, and I basically walk into a day full of edit planning meetings. But it's about a two-hour drive (sans snow, which adds another 1.5), and so I listen to This American Life and RadioLab. (If you've not heard the latter obscure sciencey podcast, download immediately and pass along to Todd Evans and any other broadcast major you know. It's the sort of work that makes me wish double-majoring in the J School wasn't verboten.)

Anyway, TAL episode 344 (The Competition) had a real J-Law flavor to it that will make for a nice ride to your great aunt's boyfriend's daughter's house over the holidays. Specifically, listen to Act Two: The Race for Second Place (although Act 1 will make you reconsider when you last laughed off a human rights canvasser).

and may she RIP

I thought this deserved its own post:

Blueprint has folded.

Sigh. Although the magazine had its faults (a front-of-book too frenetic and random to be read easily, too much fashion in a so-called shelter publication), it was also fairly prolific (I think) with its use of typography, design, and content (it featured it's editor in chief's teensy-weensy Manhattan apartment, for one).

This is the latest in a many great magazines to sigh its last breath. Jane, Budget Living, Organic Style are three of my favorites that have recently shuttered. House & Garden, perhaps the grand dame of high-end shelter pubs, shut down a few months ago. Travel+Leisure Family, a mag I worked on while an ASME intern, couldn't survive out there on the newsstands all alone and gave up. There's even a website dedicated to the death of magazines. How morbid is that?

What do you think? Is it a terrible time to be in publishing (if Martha can't make it, who can?), or are these all just magazines being terribly unsuccessful finding an audience? Or, do I just have terrible taste in magazines, thus all my favorites die?

and, exhale.

It's done, kids. We finished the first issue of our new magazine. It will be out January 14; for now, you can get a sneak peek here.

There was a time after college where I actually missed the all-nighters we pulled at Drake Magazine. I thought I'd never have that experience again; the commraderie, the creative collaboration, the feeling of really putting your own personal stamp on a publication. Well, let me tell you: launching a magazine is like that college stuff times 842. It was the late nights, the bad food, the pressure to be creative, plus the stress of trying to also have a life. (My dishwasher still isn't emptied and I haven't done laundry in weeks.)

However hard it was, though, I can say that I learned more still about magazine industry--stuff I didn't realize I didn't know: little nuances of the break of the book, budget issues (even more than we learned in J119!), things of that nature. I refreshed my copy-editing, proofreading, and fact-checking skills (yes, you WILL need this knowledge past your internships! And keep that copy of Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style." Seriously. Speaking of, have you seen Maira Kalman's illustrated version? That's a book after my own heart.) On the flip side, I realized I do know a hell of a lot about the business of magazines--my previous jobs have given me at least a working knowledge of what makes a good cover, how to include more service in the magazine, how to keep the reader top of mind, and that, really, 2,000 words about paint colors is TOO MANY WORDS.

As a staff, I'm hoping we learned a lot about what we're not going to do for the second issue. We're not going to wait until a week before we go to the printer to entirely switch out a department for another story. We're not going to start fact-checking two weeks out. And we're definitely not going to work until 10 p.m. without coffee or food (that makes for crabby associate editors ... me). And we may--I hope--re-introduce the serial comma (I miss it).

But I know all the hard work will pay off. After the new year, we're having a launch party, then it's all hands of deck for our second issue. (Secretly, I had a dream that I quit the magazine, and I was only sad because I couldn't go to the launch party. We all see where my priorities are, huh? Ha. I told my boss that; he didn't really find it funny.)

I wish I could send everyone I know at Drake a copy of the mag; you'll just have to watch the website and order a copy if you're interested. Oh, and check out the website for my blog! It'll be DesignSponge meets UltraPDX with a little Rachel thrown in there for good measure.

Alert! Alert!

Sound the gongs: Pratt's back.

The smartie behind Sassy and Jane mags is going to be hosting a reality show spin-off of Ugly Betty (yes, the show that our own Tanner spends his days and weekends chained to; explain, Tan). I'm willing to let the type of TV show slide since it's Jane who's involved. (If you've not picked up How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time—or if it's not required reading, which I would completely vouch for—it is a super-fun way to spend an afternoon hopped up on Seattle's Best in Borders.

If you're a Pratt fan, give a shout.

Unproductive? Yes, Please.

I recently moved from Des Moines to Illinois and, over the past week, have discovered the challenges and rewards of working remotely. (I'm still working full-time as an editor for Lexicon but am working from home ... I have more structure in my day than a freelancer would, but it's just me in my sunny little office, so I'm just waiting for distractions to beckon.)

So far, I've managed to be incredibly productive, in part because we're too darn busy for me to slack off. But, just as there is in any office setting when a deadline looms or in your college dorm room when there's a paper to write, the temptation to fall victim to lures of You Tube or all the darn RSS Feeds I subscribe to is there.

So I have two questions to pose to you, whether you're working full-time, freelancing, or going to school. The first is, where do you go online when you want to be productive but you need to stop staring at that article, if only for a minute? And—let's be honest, more importantly—where do you go when you don't want to be productive?

Gawker, remembered

While you're hedging Meredith hall pre-finals, take a gander at this smart recap of Gawker Media's history, brought to you by N+1 magazine (which I really don't understand--art? culture? music? NYC needs another?).

Coal in their stockings.

You know the holidays are approaching when Rachael Ray is on every channel hawking spicy doughnuts and olive oil, and the Post is headlining with women's hips-to-smarts ratios.

But, oh, Blueprint, how you make me yearn for hostessing abilities. This is the magazine I'm giving my newly-nuptialed or homeowning friends this year. UPDATE: Apparently, this mag was way ahead of its time. Like many before it, it's folding, but the website it staying. Guh.

Got a mag you're gifting?

The rest of Gen Y wants to kick my shins.

I am afraid of LinkedIn.

I am afraid of yet another social network in the way that I'm afraid of getting a GAP credit card: I already have a Banana Republic one. And an Old Navy card. I use them occasionally (enough to get the birthday coupons), but don't especially need the impetus to spend more time and resources on more stuff that's novel but not all that exciting. And if I cave and get another piece of plastic for the same monolith company, I'm basically committing 90% of any future purchases of tissue t-shirts to one of three stores. (Out here in the woods, it's slim shop-pickings, for sure.)

It's late and my metaphors, like this plum wine here, suck. But it's like this: I already have a moldy Friendster account, OK? I MySpace a couple times a week. I accept the requests from people I met once at a friend's friend's barbecue, and then wonder, when they post new haircut photos, if I have ever actually met this person at all.

Isn't life too short to spend time confirming the existence of the art assistant you never actually spoke to from three jobs ago?

(To muddy this tirade further, what if LinkedIn goes the way of that schmancy Forth & Towne, the Gap too-hip-for-its-own-good brand that tanked badly last summer? That is: What happens to all those webs of friendships and colleague relationships when the au courant network is abandoned like ponchos from four years ago? Do we re-seek all those folks again when the next network launches? Moreover, what does it mean if we don't?)

Because Facebook didn't exist when I graduated and was student-only until recently, it's a site that I just cannot navigate or get jazzed by enough to have a personal account. (Where's all the glitter?? What about my tickers?!) But when you work on the internet, you have job-based accounts for everything online, and Facebook's about to fall in line for me, as well. (I have another post in me about the debacle of merging personal and professional profiles on social networking sites that don't allow corporate accounts (or pseudonyms, say irate Canadian bloggers)—thanks for nothing, Facebook—but that'll be for another day.)

LinkedIn, though? Another place to virtually nod in the direction of some people I don't speak to but once every two years, at most?

Wanna Learn More?

In case anyone was in the least bit intrigued by my pitch about the Legal and Ethical Issues of New Media seminar we held at Drake recently, here's the link to the podcast so you can listen for yourself (you'll need iTunes to listen in).

The first portion features a lecture and Q&A with Professor Peter Yu about copyright issues and the Internet. The second portion includes a panel discussion/Q&A with:

• John Riha, editorial director of Special Interest Media at Meredith Corporation (he has some interesting insights, magazine people!)
• Chris Snider, assistant managing editor for digital at the Des Moines Register
• Nathan Wright, founder of social media consulting firm Lava Row
• Mike Sansone, an independent business consultant specializing in business blog and conversational copywriting

OK. I'll talk about something else soon. Promise.

my motivation level

So, who knew? Des Moines is cool. Or, so they're trying to make you believe. Thoughts? Do you agree? And if you aren't planning on staying in Des Moines after graduation, is an ad campaign going to change your mind? But hey, kudos on the effort, really.

Back to Portland though. Tonight, my motivation level to work at home is at an all-time low. Working on a start-up local magazine requires a lot of work from home. And a lot of work on the weekends. And a ton of networking every minute I step out into the city. It's for that reason--because I'm in a brand-new city and I moved here completely solo--that I feel like I have to take advantage of every social opportunity. Tonight, instead of writing an 800-word article on Oregon paint palettes, I went to a spelling bee. A real-life spelling bee in a bar on N. Mississippi Ave. A few slices of pizza and a Sierra Nevada later, I made it through the third round and was ultimately rejected on "dicto-someting." I can't remember what word I lost on; it may not have even been in English. This was hard, folks. I'm going back next week after studying the dictionary.

Anyway, the point is, I can't work. I told myself I'd work when I got home at 9 pm. Well, it's 9:53, and so far I've done nothing. I thought this procrastination jazz would end after college. Not so much. Any advice on how to get through the "but I don't want to" barrier?

In other news, the new job is going well. A lot has happened since my last post. In short, my furniture finally arrived, I spend a lot of time meeting strangers and converting them into new friends, I've found a new favorite Thai restaurant (does it count if it's actually a cart?), and I'm on a search for the city's best falafel. I'm planning a trip to the coast, Mt. Hood, and the Columbia River Gorge. Yes, it rains. Almost everyday. So, I've learned the bus system.

Workwise, there are definite growing pains of being on a start-up mag (we have to order our own printer paper?), and I sure do miss my old staff. Small steps, though. It took three weeks for my boss to tell me I did a "great job," and a story presentation I did today went over with flying colors. I tell myself I don't need this sort of positive feedback from my editors, though. I'm not one of those compliment-starved Millennials. I have thick skin! I know I'm doing a good job; who cares if no one tells me that, right? Why, though, do I still feel like I'm wading through the muck, unsure if my work will be ultimately rejected?

I've worked with editors before (in college and outside) who ok pieces from the beginning but when it gets to a point just preceding publication, he/she decides it all needs to be changed. Why, oh why? Ah, insecurity. Another thing that didn't end after college. As many articles as I've written, as many editors who have edited my words, I still (still!) take criticism personally. (P.S. I had to spellcheck "criticism." Apparently there was a reason I got out on the third round.) So, hey, if you're dreading getting those comments back from a prof or an editor, just remember: we ALL get edited. No matter what. I edit everyone. It's my job. So, when I put on my writer hat, I just have to remember that there's a red pen sitting on the other side just waiting to mark up all my words.

It's 10:09 pm now. I gotta get moving. I'll let you know how the article goes.

I Want To Know ...

Hey alums and current magazine students. I have question for you.

What legal and ethical issues of new media (ie blog, vlogs, wikis, social networking sites, etc.) concern you? What do you have questions about in your own careers or classes related to these topics?

The Drake SJMC Junior National Advisory Council is hosting a seminar on the topic on Friday, October 19 in the Drake Legal Clinic courtroom. It's from 3 to 5 p.m. and if you're in Des Moines and can make it we'd love to see you there. We have 6 expert panelists representing the following fields: law, magazines, newspapers, PR, advertising, and broadcast/radio. And in addition to giving you insights into how they deal with legal and ethical issues surrounding new media in their own fields, they'll be answering your questions.

So if you have any questions of comments you'd like to share, post them here. And if you're around, come join us at the seminar. It's free (and there will be treats afterward).

And stay tuned ... If the stars align, a podcast of the event will be available online. More about that later.

Blogroll.

Before you send that passive-aggressive email to one of your co-staffers, read this. According to neuroscientists: polite face-to-face exchanges, 1; email bullying, 0.

Also, the J-School Confidential series on Mediabistro.com is a solid look at what's up with the folks who'll be vying for your (and my) job someday soon.

I take my toast in the morning with the NYTimes.com, Mediabistro, and Celebrity Baby Blog. (Shut up, it's my job.) And whatever got caught in my Google Reader. Alummies, etc.: share it.