ON THE OCCASION OF of our 40th Anniversary, Great Lakes/Seaway Review is expanding its print magazine into a full multi-media format. Beginning with our July-September issue, Vol. 39 No. 1, the magazine may be viewed in a new interactive format with page-turning and search capabilities at www.greatlakes-seawayreview.com.
The digital magazine will also feature links to websites and videos. Harbor House Publishers will continue to produce the print version of the magazine, knowing that many readers maintain a collection of issues that date back to the magazine’s 1970 beginning, while acknowledging the outreach benefits of a multi-media presentation.
Great Lakes/Seaway Review was started shortly after the system’s 10th Anniversary because, as founding Publisher Jacques LesStrang put it, “There’s a job to be done along the St. Lawrence Seaway and among the inland seas we call the Great Lakes. The job is one of development, of information, of persuasion.”
For 40 years, the magazine’s staff has focused on addressing the issues, reporting the latest developments and serving as a communications tool that connects the U.S.- and Canadian-based system. It is distributed overseas to inform shippers of the Fourth Seacoast option for transportation. The magazine’s Washington, D.C. and
Ottawa ties are strong, with magazines provided regularly to elected officials and other decision-makers.
“Presenting the magazine in print and online combines the best of both worlds,” said Publisher Michelle Cortright. “The strength of being online is that the magazine has borderless distribution with its relevancy enhanced through links to other information. However, we know that no screen in the world can replace the portability and satisfaction of holding a printed publication in your hands. Our digital version is not meant to replace the printed copy, but to supplement it.”
For several years, Harbor House Publishers has researched and followed online advancements, choosing to create a digital magazine over a “webzine” because of proven results. According to a survey conducted by Smarter Media, 82 percent of respondents said digital magazines were “more engaging” than websites with similar content.
As a result, Great Lakes/Seaway Review will appear online as a fully-designed digital magazine, with a cover, table of contents and full-color design. However, the digital format will offer enhanced capabilities. For example, if the reader is looking for information on emissions standards, they can use the search tool to find every use of the phrase in the magazine, including advertisers who offer services or technology that relate to the subject.
With the digital format, the magazine will appear the same way, regardless of the user’s browser, computer platform or screen size. It offers a thumbnail view of the pages to enable readers to easily jump to the desired page.
Advertisers will be able to have video and website links integrated into their ads. Seventy-five percent of survey respondents said that, of all the features, video enhances the reading experience the most. When readers select a link or watch a video, separate windows will appear, allowing them to remain at the magazine for continued reading and research.
“We have taken a number of our publications multi-media and have noted many benefits,” Cortright said. “The outreach benefits are truly infinite.”
A $20 one year, online subscription has been introduced. Subscribers will be emailed the digital magazine when each issue is released.
However readers choose to subscribe, the staff at Great Lakes/Seaway Review will continue to focus on journalistic integrity, professional design and furthering the use and understanding the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway system.
—Janenne Irene Pung