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Digital Magazine Publishing Definition

Originally Published by David Blankenship – Advontemedia Post – Digital Publishing Solutions | Moment

The Modern Magazine

Digital publishing today can be defined as Publishing content in a digitally accessible format.

Traditional definitions related to publishing in electronic formats placed emphasis on the mediums in which early media formats included disk and cd. These media storages are no longer relevant distribution methods for immediate media accessibility required based on modern audience expectations. We use the terms in our definition based on the following term meanings in the context of magazine publishing:

Term Breakdown for Digital Publishing Definition

  • publishing: dissemination and presentation of organized content to audience
  • content: edited and/or organized materials presented to communicate value; typically news, knowledge, art or entertainment
  • digitally accessible: digital data accessed via mobile or network technology
  • format: formatted properly when the published content is presented in an appropriate media channel for the intended audience and is observant of UX principals which facilitate predominately utilized desktop/laptop and mobile/tablet hardware devices of the era

However, “digital publishing” is a transitional term similar to “digital magazines.” As the vast majority of all published content will be digitally accessed by 2025 we will see the core term “publishing” return as standard to represent both the process and state of published materials without the need for the qualifier “digital.” Instead, we will have to specify “Print edition” to describe the brand extension publishing channel where the ink on paper magazine printing and physical distribution of mailing are used by the publishing company. The term ‘Digital Publishing’ has broadly represented both the process of publishing to digital mediums and the publishing design, content distribution, and content management software or platform utilized within digital publishing processes.

The bridge to our modern understanding of digital publishing has evolved from the origins of digital where the traditional meaning emphasized the process of publishing digital data (1’s and 0’s) to electronic media. Publishers still use software in terms of specific applications that perform a production or presentation component of the publishing business model but the medium is now the Internet. And the trend for the publishing industry is on-demand, cloud based professional publishing services which integrate into the specific publisher business model and deliver greater value to the all-important audience. Publishing suites and cloud platforms aggregate necessary content organization and design tools and vertically integrate steps involved in the publishing workflow to distribution output deliverables. The publishing solution might also include e-commerce or other marketing capabilities to control circulation and access to subscribers.

Full Article – Digital Edition Platforms and Software