Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Just so you don't think I'm only doing those lame-ass cartoon captions
Happy Premise #1: If you have a print journal, you should have a website for that journal. Even if you have little money for it, the primary investment for a simple website is time.
Happy Premise #2: Once you have a website for your print journal, there are certain things that your website should contain (many print journal sites omit one or more of these):
Happy Premise #2: Once you have a website for your print journal, there are certain things that your website should contain (many print journal sites omit one or more of these):
- Contact information for your journal.
- Enough staff information that correspondents can figure out who to address letters to.
- Clear and detailed submission guidelines.
- Instructions on how to order and subscribe. A Paypal/online credit card option is a good way to sell a few more too.
- Some sample poems from past issues--they're not only a good way for people to figure out if they should send their poems to you, they're (get this) a good way to entice people into buying full issues.
Comments:
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So many active journals (even very good ones) have WAY outdated sites. Ugh. Very annoying. They even have outdated reading periods listed. Amen to everything you said!
I agree with what you're saying here, but watching a magazine from the inside, I can understand why the website tends to get short shrift: we only have 1 person doing all the administrative and managerial work for our pub, which includes oversight of the web, which is then outsourced to our single graphic design grad student, whose workload is divided among about 12 projects. Print materials take precedence, as does production on the magazine, communication with authors and those who submit, and payment. If you ask me, the website is important, but not as important as putting the priority on the artists and readers. :)
I do sympathize with short-staffedness. However, I think my point stands: I have one person overseeing the administrative and managerial aspects of my journal too, as well as the submission reading/selection, design/layout, distribution, author relations, etc. And I still update the website too. I do agree with you about putting the authors and readers first. I think updating your website is one aspect of doing that.
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