Something interesting I have noted since I started publishing the tinyStudio Creative Life magazine, is the difference between ‘Online’ and ‘Digital’. Why is this important to me? And what is the difference?
tinyStudio Creative Life magazine is a ‘digital’ magazine, this is why it is important to me 🙂 In the big picture, there isn’t any kind of earth shattering difference between the terms ‘digital’ and ‘online’, however in your day to day life, the differences between them can be useful to know about! tinyStudio Creative Life magazine is published and delivered to you in a digital format, however it is not an ‘online’ magazine. An online magazine is more like a fancy blog, it might have pages, it might have a range of topics and articles, but it may not have the same kind of editorial input or quantity of content as a digital publication. Most importantly, you read it online, you need to be connected to the internet and in your browser in order to read it.
A Digital Publication however, is exactly the same as a paper publication in its structure, editorial input, and quantity of content. It is formatted to look like a magazine, in fact it is a complete magazine in one digital file, it has a contents page, articles, tutorials, and reviews, and you do not need to be online to read it. For example, all your Kindle books (which are complete digital books and exactly the same as the print versions) can be read at the beach, in a plane, in your garden, at a cafe, or even in the middle of the ocean on an internet free cruise! A digital publication only requires the internet for you to download it, and then is it internet free 🙂 (Yay)
An online publication does not feel as permanent to me, the website could disappear, the internet might not be working, or it just might take ages to load every page. This is why it is important to me to make the distinction between ‘online’ and ‘digital’. Your tinyStudio Magazine is a digital publication, so it can be downloaded to your devices, it will be stored there and can be read any time. If you have the ‘Books’ app for iphone, ipad or Mac you can enjoy the magazine in all its page turning glory. If you have Android you can use Google Play Books or any PDF reader to open and enjoy the .PDF version of the magazine, anytime and anywhere 🙂 Just be sure to download it and it’s there whenever you want it 🙂 You can also read it on the big screen of your desktop or laptop, again without the aid of the internet after your initial download. Of course, if you want to click on any of the live links embedded into your digital magazine, its great to have access to the internet (to ahem… go shopping) but you can always save that for later 🙂
The other wonderful thing you get with the tinyStudio digital publication is a contents page which links magically to each article, and when the magazine is over 100 pages per issue it’s great to have the option to go direct to the article you want to read! One of the most exciting moments when I am putting all the pages together is completing the Contents page and checking it 🙂 It really brings the magazine to life!
I hope this distinction between digital and online has been useful information, you can read more about it HERE or HERE You can also view some little flip throughs I made of tinyStudio Creative Life magazine below, I am so proud of the rich and beautiful content I have had the privilege to curate and showcase in the pages, and my goal is to do justice to the work of the wonderful talented contributors who have helped build this wonderful new publication. This is why it is important to me to distinguish between a lighter, internet based online magazine, and this indepth read-at-your-leisure complete and beautifully designed magazine in digital format. It is a wonderful alternative to print and paper, great for our environment, and I hope a convenient way for you to read and enjoy some unique and inspiring content!
Happy Reading!
Suzy