Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Could a personalized magazine called Mine help save print media? - By Farhad Manjoo - Slate Magazine

Could a personalized magazine called Mine help save print media? - By Farhad Manjoo - Slate Magazine: "When I signed up for Mine a couple of months ago, I was mainly looking for a laugh. The new magazine from Time Inc. seemed like a gimmicky, goofy effort to save a beleaguered industry: Time wanted to print a magazine just for me! First, I had to choose several popular Time publications and answer a few odd questions about my interests. ('Which do you crave more—sushi, or pizza?') Then, every two weeks, I would get an issue, curated just for me, filled with articles from different magazines. The process seemed hopelessly anachronistic, like if the horse-and-buggy industry decided to compete with cars by letting me pick my buggy driver. Doesn't Time know that I already have a way to get a magazine tailored to my interests? The Web isn't just faster and cheaper than print; it also doesn't need to know what I ate for dinner in order to let me read exactly what I want to at any time.

Turns out my skepticism was misguided. I've received two issues of Mine, and I love it."

I signed up too. My first issue was screwed up, with material from magazines I didn't select (they extended my sub an issue--along with thousands of others screwed up apparently). It may be a good idea, but I don't find the aged content from Time-Life's other mags that compelling or sensical. Apparently it's a six-issue experiment. I wouldn't pay for it, and I love magazines.

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