This
is the last issue of Magazine, at least in its current form. But fear
not, we're not taking our foot off the gas just yet... we're just
changing gear.
Magazine
has become the most popular feature on the site, and it is the one
thing I endeavour to ensure is bang up to date. Features are normally
written in the week before they go online to keep them as current as
possible and they often involve a lot of research.
Unlike
when Magazine first started, I am now the only person who writes
articles with any regularity.
In the
last year I have written over 100,000 words for Magazine, so I hope
you understand the amount of commitment that goes into it.
The
problem with Magazine is that the expectation is there that it should
be updated by the 1st of every month. This has become harder and
harder to achieve.
To give
you an idea of what goes into Magazine, this is what the typical issue
of Magazine involves:
-
Decide
on a topic and how to best approach the subject
-
Research
research research
-
Write
the article, normally over 3,500 words
-
Source
images, either from the CK Photo Library or by getting permission
from other sites (which I often have to await a reply for)
-
Get
the lovely Roz to proof read the article/check facts
-
Format
images, write captions, polish up the article with diagrams or
stat boxes and split onto separate pages
-
Find
a suitable cover image, and design the cover
-
Resize
the cover for thumbnails on the site, write the introduction for
the issue to go on the Magazine homepage, Coaster Kingdom homepage
etc
-
Find
image for the Photo of the Month - criteria: it has to be a
Coaster Kingdom image, it has to illustrate Europe and it has to
be landscape
-
Link
it all in and check it works
-
Update
the site, the RSS feed (if I remember...) and send out an update
email to the mailing list
All this
happens within a few weeks and assumes that there isn't an Open Mic
article too. If there is, there has to be dialogue between me and the
author, and that's another article to format, proof read and link in
too.
I hope
you can see why something had to give.
What
will change
-
Magazine
- in its current form - will be replaced with a yet unnamed
section. Like Magazine it will have high quality features, unlike
Magazine we have the ability to update more than once a month, or
less, depending on how much there is to write about
-
The
whole site will move across to Blogger. This means that it is
easier for us to update, easier to link stories to each other
which will make the site a bit more interactive
-
Open
Mic will remain. And because it isn't tied to Magazine, we
don't have to worry about months where we don't receive any
articles, it will just be updated ad hoc
The
site will be made up of the following sections:
-
Reviews
(many will hopefully soon be rewritten)
-
In
Depth (provisional name to replace the Magazine)
-
Open
Mic (your chance to write articles for the site)
-
Blog
(more features and editorial will be introduced)
This
change will happen towards the end of the month and will likely be
phased in.
Simple
things like not having to design covers, update several pages with
promos for the Magazine and having things like RSS feeds automated
will save a lot of time. It moves away from being a monthly
periodical, but you will still get regular updates of large, in-depth
features.
I hope
you understand why this is happening. It shouldn't mean any less
updates, and the optimist in me says it will allow for more as the
site will be more versatile in that respect.
I don't
get much out of Coaster Kingdom - most emails I get are telling me
that I'm wrong in no uncertain terms because I don't like Valhalla, but while
people are still reading the site, and while I still enjoy doing it,
Coaster Kingdom will form a part of the internet.
It is
just striking a balance between offering high quality content and not
going completely mad.
Marcus | Click
here to email me
