Format change = process change

I have just read that Dr. Dobb's Journal is going Web-only. My question now is will they try to fit a square peg in a round hole?

Traditional print magazines gather articles and publish them on a strict schedule. This is imposed on them by the publishing industry, where it is more cost effective to print one million copies every month then to make half a million every other week.

By going online, however, a magazine becomes free of that constraint and can release content every day or so. I hope that Dr. Dobb's Journal change their process this way instead of doing it the good old way just because "it's what we've always done!"

I have a subscription to the Crossfit Journal, a newsletter turned online magazine about fitness. They moved away from a monthly PDF to continuous content creation, which is a fabulous way to make your customers come back for more every day or two. Also, reactions to articles and discussions happen on a much shorter span where authors can respond or react almost immediately.

Changing your medium is a great opportunity to change your model for the best!