I’m a magazine reader. Even in the day when I have four devices that can browse the Internet in my pockets at the same time, I still prefer a paper magazine. They’re not going anywhere, and that’s why it appears Google is targeting them as its next venture.
The Goog has filed a patent for a system that would allow the “Customization of Content and Advertisements in Publications.” That sounds to us like custom-made magazines.
The way we think it, it’s like RSS for print; you subscribe to feeds, either as they pertain to specific items or broad topics, with categories or keywords. Each month, you’ll receive your print magazine with all the feeds you’ve subscribed to, along with targeted ads.
It’s a neat idea, and hasn’t really been explored very much. Google’s idea seems to be one of both subscription and on-demand. Imagine you’re in a mall, and you see a Google Magazine kiosk. You approach it and select your articles, or perhaps even login and just print what you have pre-selected.
There’s a lot going on here, and we’ll keep you posted.
Google Magazine? [Michael Arrington's Tech Crunch Blog]
Google preparing to enter the print magazine “space?” Please stop using “space” – the most tired and jargin-y word on all Crunch blogs. Stop or I’ll scream.
@ Oran: Ok, actually, you’re right. I’m taking candidates for new words.
Worlds? Lifecycles? Passages?
You mean I can read my favorite blogs, only weeks after the information has been published online? Awesome!
Anybody remember Yahoo! magazine? Yeah me neither.
Not all information needs to be read, immediately after it was published. There is different kind of content in RSS feeds and magazines. A lot of people still like to sit back and browse a magazine.
I think it wil take some time, if ever, to develop ways of printing a magazine like that. Not only for the rights on the content, but is there a printer ready to print such magazines? Completely customised content? Difficult one.
Personalized Print Content is Here
It appears that Google can see, contrary to popular online geekers, that the demise of the print medium is greatly exaggerated.
I for one prefer to read from paper. Google sees the likes of the FeedJournal:
http://www.feedjournal.com
…and wants to get into the game before upstarts can get a first mover advantage on the “Personalized Print Content with targeted advertising”
I hope the FeedJournal can beat them to the punch.
Check out how the FeedJournal application has become my “Personalized News Paper” from Full-text RSS feeds I selected on my blog.
Click on the Paper to Publish and Print it in Adobe Reader:
http://www.NewsCloud.blogspot.com
Regards,
~Becks