after asking here in discourse and on the discord server about whether or not folks think a print & digital magazine would be worth it, i’ve decided to move forward with this project that’s been in the back of my mind for a while!
a magazine?
for some background, i was a journalist for 10 years for both newspapers and magazines before pivoting to digital content. i’ve laid a lot of type in my day. this project is kinda combining these two passions!
yes! enter good internet magazine!
some observations that kicked off this project:
- the small web is decentralized by design. this means that keeping up with this side of the internet can be difficult, especially if you’re trying to unplug from social media habits.
- having an outlet to get as many folks seeing, sharing, and getting to know other websites, website owners, and designs will only help the personal web grow!
- most hobbies have publications about that hobby. webweaving should be no different!
format
the print magazine will be 8.5"x11" glossy pages, likely under 24 pages. illustrations will definitely be needed and preferred to promote small web artists.
the digital version will include two types of articles: low media (text and images only) and interactive. low media articles will require just text from a writer with perhaps some images attached, like a standard news article. interactive articles will have entire pages dedicated to that article, displayed exactly the way the writer/coder intended. think of the interactive articles as webpage submissions to our code jams! code the page however you want to tell the story.
both interactive and low media articles will be in the print version, with a QR code to take folks to the interactive version directly on the page.
topics
here are some ideas for topics of articles that we could have:
- showcasing someone’s website or giving an overall review of someone’s site–not critiquing, but explaining what it’s like to experience the site.
- unplugging, divesting, or degoogling from corporate social media and products
- using the web as an art tool, highlighting weird & wacky projects on the web
- aesthetics of the indie web
- self-expression, collecting, curating–what “making content” looks like on the personal web
- building communities, what social networking looks like in the small web
- news about different websites, projects, open source collaborations, etc.
- highlighting aspects and communities around this side of the web and their differences
- different layout types, CSS tricks, design tips, planning out aesthetics of your website, design trends
- “last [month/quarter] in the small web”–news and happenings around the different communities
- interviews with other website owners, project owners, and figures within the indie web spaces
- showcasing lesser known websites to give them some love~
- how were people talking about personal websites in the 90s? 00s? 10s?
- art around the small web, how to help artists
- first-hand experiences of the small web like setting up your first web server or moving hosts for the first time
- indie social media like pixelfed, cohost (rip)
- explanations of federation and decentralization and its relationship to the web
- reviews of web hosts or comparisons
- zines within the indie web, finding guides and compiling them
- answering frequently asked questions we commonly see around the small web
logistics
periodical cadence
a monthly magazine would be ideal, but we can also start quarterly if we think that might be too much to begin, considering we don’t know the number of subscribers we would have.
printing
i’ve found a printer who will accommodate $2/copy, so the print version will be paid to help us pay for future issues and postage. we can keep it low cost, which is awesome! i will be aiming for a preorder model initially to help offset the cost of the initial run, but if that doesn’t happen, that’s OK too.
website
the website, goodinternetmagazine.com, has a placeholder page currently with an email capture to notify when we launch.
first issue
may 2025 is a reasonable deadline (4 months) to develop an overall style, brainstorm article ideas, write articles, edit articles, and develop imagery. if we start quarterly, we’d need to accomplish this in four months anyway!
volunteer staff
i will definitely need help with this. i can’t write this all myself. <3
if you like writing about the personal web, the best way you can help right now is by brainstorming ideas for articles that you could write about the small web. if you’re unsure, ask me if the article idea is solid! i’m happy to help!
if you’re a digital artist, please consider lending your talents for illustrations, collages, and designs for our magazine! hoping for a polished, high-res look. if you’re interested, please let me know. we’ll have a better idea of what will be needed when our article ideas are finalized.
please share your thoughts!
if you have ideas, hesitations, questions, please let me know below.