When it comes to digital content, a premium is placed on being able to update minute by minute.
The most recent news, the latest commentary, and a real-time feed of reactions frame what’s online.
But when it comes to print, trying to follow this model is as daunting as it is misguided, says Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson.
“We are not the web,” says Anderson. “[Print] is like a movie, rather than television … they don’t show it to anybody until it’s done.”
When you work for months on a product—researching, editing, packaging—the result is curated for your readers. At the end of the process you’ve got a permanent, unchangeable product.
But Anderson says this isn’t a curse—as those who knock print are apt to call it—in fact, it is a blessing.
In print, what’s on the front cover matters, because it’s not being changed minute by minute. You need to live with what you place there, and that puts a higher premium on getting it right.
Anderson calls magazines “events” and “events can mobilize the marketplace in a way a stream can’t.”
The full interview:
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Could it be? Are we finally emerging from the “let’s beat up print” era? It’s about time someone took a stance like this.
I couldn’t agree more. Nothing legitimizes content like being put into print. It shows that it was worth spending money on, that it has been vetted rigorously, and it has been curated specifically for a specific audience. Yes, you are unable to click on it. No, it does not automatically update. And yes, that’s more than fine. It’s great.
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