Anyone wishing to publish and share information, news, curiosities and specific contents (art, music, culture ...), there is no more immediate and convenient way than opening an online newspaper or magazine.
Ideas, originality and knowledge are the necessary elements to be able to create a digital magazine and to be successful. The essence is not the way in which the texts are written or design an impactful site, but to be aware that for this type of project there are precise rules to be respected. In fact, it is not possible to proceed without any reference point.
Once all the regulatory issues have been deepened, in particular on privacy, the design of the online shops it requires specific requirements such as a CMS Software and the definition of its frequency.
Il Content Management System (CMS) is a program that allows users to structure the magazine as they wish, designing its layout.
Periodicity, on the other hand, is another fundamental requirement that must be correctly evaluated with respect to the contents to keep the newspaper "alive".
There are also key points on which to base the correct functioning of an online magazine.
It is necessary to define a territoriality as well as a verticality to contextualize the specialization regarding topics intended for a target of readers, without forgetting interactivity, so that Users can post comments, participate in surveys, express themselves on news and multimedia content.
Another tip to be able to take inspiration and inspiration for your project is the observation and study of other sites. Finally, the economic sustainability of the project must not be underestimated: the idea must be original and must generate appeal, thus arousing the interest and curiosity of a wide audience and offering the possibility of obtaining success and profits.
Interview with Antonio Campeglia
Director at “Age of Audio”, an online music magazine based in Naples
A "piece" dedicated to all those who rely on "Age of Audio" and who wish to know its history from its origins to today, its activities and the spirit that moves them ...
MG What were your working experiences in this field before “Age of Audio”?
AC "I took my first steps in an online magazine 15 years ago (www.wapparia.it) created by Eng.Fabio Pesce, as well as my friend and editor of “Age of Audio”. Later I collaborated for a print magazine (CM2 Magazine): very demanding work experience as no margin of error was allowed and everything had to be perfect and concluded before printing. Unfortunately, the latter magazine failed for a variety of reasons and so I and some of the old editors gathered all our strength to create the online magazine. www.digitalaudiocentral.com, until, after two years, I founded a magazine of my own: the current one Age of Audio".
MG When and why was “Age of Audio” born?
AC “The online magazine comes to life in 2009 from the ashes of the previous paper magazine. In the beginning I considered it convenient, but also sufficient, to use a web space with the sole purpose of cataloging and saving the work done by me and my colleagues over the course of two years. Only later, with this idea maturing, did I decide to devote myself to writing articles, an activity that led me to meet my first external editor, who supported me throughout the work of editing and publishing the articles ".
MG What topics does the magazine cover?
AC “The magazine was born from my passion for writing articles, the subject of which originally concerned exclusively my field of work as I relied only on my personal skills, that is, professional music hardware and software. And like every magazine has its own evolution, with every risk and danger I decided to include other musical branches in "Age of Audio" to avoid creating an excessively sectorial magazine: articles concerning the world have been introduced guitarist e DJing, tutorial of popular programs such as "Final”, Made by the Master Beppe Bornaghi: this is the only section of the magazine entrusted to a person in some way connected to the product from a commercial point of view as Beppe is Finale's own official demonstrator. Obviously this collaboration must be seen as a service of excellence to readers and not as an attempt at sponsorship. In fact, in this period I set myself the goal of inserting in the magazine a new tutorial on the competing product, which will be analyzed and presented by an equally capable person ".
MG What catchment area does it have and how many readers?
AC “The magazine is extended over a wide perimeter of view: as subscribers to the Newsletter we count about 50.000 readers of which the 30 % it is represented by foreigners, instead through Google Analytics the total number of views reaches i 5.600 users per day with an average reading of 4 articles per person ".
MG Is it an online magazine that also offers multimedia content (audio, video…)?
AC "Absolutely. Today it is essential to accompany most of the articles with audio and video demos. The reader is demanding: he is no longer satisfied with just reading, but also wants to listen and above all to see. So the goal of “Age of Audio” is to fully satisfy it ”.
MG Has “Age of Audio” followed overseas? What is the importance of having a multilingual portal?
AC “We have a good following from abroad, especially from Spain and from South America so much so that the articles translated into Spanish e Portuguese have a number of views of the 40 % more than those translated into English. Therefore it is very important to offer readers the opportunity to learn about the potential and functionality of products that are not only distributed in Italy. In this way, we get more requests to test new products from small foreign companies ".
MG How is an editorial office of journalists managed and how are their articles published?
AC “Each editor specializes in a specific area. Some write articles as their main activity and are therefore considered journalists in all respects; others, on the other hand, are engaged in other work activities, typically music schools or recording studios, and therefore carry out the activity of editor with less continuity, but not for this reason with inferior results in terms of quality. In fact, everyone has the task of reviewing a product by analyzing and offering readers a more complete and objective evaluation possible.
During the analysis phase it may happen that a product, presenting various bugs or instabilities, is sent back to the distributor or manufacturer with the editor's notes, as if it were a beta testing. Once the problems found are fixed, it is tested and reviewed again.
This process may seem to many an incorrect editorial line since, if a product is not valid, it should always be reviewed and presented as such to consumers. In reality this depends on how negative the opinion of those who have tested the product is. In most cases, if the machine or software has some small problems, if the advertising disproportionately overestimates the product that also has valid strengths, then we proceed without delay to its review.
At the other extreme, if the product is not convincing to the editor, there is no need to invest more time. The result of the product test could also be conditioned by an error in our evaluation with respect to the target audience for which the instrument is intended. At the end of the test I always ask for images regarding the product during use and if possible audio files. Once the editor has delivered the article, it is passed on to the proofreader, who intervenes as little as possible to avoid distorting it. It is subsequently sent to the webmaster or directly to me to define the layout. Then our expert intervenes SEO which creates tags to increase visibility within search engines. Finally, everything is advertised on social Network and on forum.
MG How do you find the products that are tested?
AC When one of the collaborators buys a product that he considers interesting, he contacts me and asks me for an opinion on the possibility of reviewing it. Other times, however, when a tool or a program has attracted the attention of some editor, I receive the request to test and study them: in this case I personally borrow the product from the distributor or manufacturer and finally we proceed with the review by entrusting it tool or software to one of my editors. Almost always, if we have direct authorizations, in the case of non-proprietary products, the possibility of making comparisons with similar products is evaluated. So most of the tested tools are products bought from them or lent by friends. Others, on the other hand, are sent on consignment by the distribution companies or directly by the manufacturer ".
MG Do the editors have any constraints for drafting the text?
AC “Editors have very few directives, due to layout rules. The only constraint is not to send the articles to the producers for their approval or filing: they can ask me directly for information on any problems they encounter ".
MG How do you go about your multilingual section?
AC “Once the article is complete, before advertising it and creating the section SEO, the work is handed over to the supervision of Gabriela Pentelescu, journalist and head of the multilingual section. She is responsible for checking the quality of the translations, making sure they are as accurate as possible and their subsequent publication ”.
MG What are the advantages and disadvantages of an online magazine?
AC “The advantages are many: it is possible to correct an article when necessary and continuously update it with Demo content; once the test is completed, the review can be published without having to wait for the production of a certain number of articles as is the case for a paper magazine. But there is also a negative aspect to consider, typical of online publishing: often in an attempt to beat the competition over time, there is the risk of being too superficial and not duly deepening the product.
Another important factor to manage is the right to respect for privacy and, more generally, the various provisions of the Guarantor Authority on the subject: from the moment of the collection of personal data of those who access the site, up to the subscription to the newsletter, the everything must take place in maximum security, duly informing the interested parties about the use that may be made of the related personal data. It is for this reason that we immediately entrusted ourselves to an expert in the field, the lawyer Diego Cordua, who not only watches over this type of problem, but has also become our editor and delights in writing articles on copyright ”.
MG How are the Demos produced?
AC “Audio Demos are typically produced by individual editors in their own Home Studio to maintain the spontaneity and originality of the musician.
All the editors who write on our magazine are musicians and 2 of them are also journalists: the Maestro Capozzi e Gabriela Pentelescu.
As for the video Demos, on the other hand, a very professional audio support is required, in particular I turn to an excellent studio in Naples, "The Control Room", With whom I established a very effective relationship as the two sound engineers have a very similar taste to mine on the recovery factor and above all on the editing: few effects and a lot of substance".
MG How much does sending a product directly from the company that makes it affect your judgment?
AC “A good relationship has been established with the companies, they know our working method and therefore we do not receive particular requests aimed at making the product more interesting: we know that there is no perfect product. All may have small defects, due for example to the release of the first release of a software, which, when properly detected, will allow the correction and dissemination of a more advanced and improved version in the future. We even receive thanks not only for having identified bugs in the various devices, but also for having solved them ".
MG“Age of Audio” doesn't run a real real-time forum, for what reason? Forums usually bring many users to a site.
AC “I don't like forums very much: most of them are managed by people who never come into contact with the products, but only with manuals, acronyms and numbers, never concretely. So we turn to a different target ".
MG In your opinion, what are the strengths of the magazine?
AC “The strengths are numerous: first of all the team of editors is always up to the task entrusted to them, which is always carried out in the best way while remaining objective. Any product, whenever it has presented defects, has always been detected in a responsible way and in the case of particularly exciting products its qualities have been enhanced without exasperation. Furthermore, each editor was given space for free expression, without external intervention, as often happens in other magazines. I always try not to enter the language and the way of conducting a test and I believe that this has led to having a magazine that cannot be interpreted as a single unit, but deliberately composed of different people with their own points of view: this has been recognized and appreciated by our readers.
Another strong point is the fact that I do not focus everything on my person, as editor of the magazine, leaving the editors the opportunity to grow by entrusting them with products that would have a great impact on visits. In my opinion this was the choice that differentiated us from the standard ”.
MG With what criteria do you choose collaborators?
AC “Most of the contributors to the magazine are old friends with whom I have shared previous work experience; the rest are people with whom I have come to know during the various training courses I have attended. As a rule, I always choose musicians who use many instruments and from different brands. I want to work with people who are mentally open and neutral towards the various brands, therefore able to analyze the product in the most correct and objective way ".
MG How many collaborators does your magazine have?
AC “Our team consists of approx 40 Guests between editors, lawyers, Web Design e SEO managers. The most active are about thirty, while the rest collaborate from time to time for work and time reasons ”.
MG What advice would you give to anyone wanting to open an online magazine for the first time?
AC “The first step is to have a clear project right from the start and to know how to compare with other people: by nature I don't like editorial projects that feature a single protagonist as a great expert in his field. The important thing is not to overdo it: don't be a web designer, SEO manager… leave room for other people and ideas. If this is your first experience, find out about all applicable privacy laws and never underestimate it. When you are successful, entrust your decisions to an expert. Finally, have one goal at the start and one at the finish, be ready to face all the intermediate stages of the journey, but above all BE ORIGINAL!
