Thursday, February 27, 2014

Google Ozine 

Making use of online services 

The fifth in a series of ten essays on ten things to try in the vein of using crowdsourcing to get his PrintmakingWorld Ozine started in three months based on an article by Rachel Bartlett describing how existing online promotional services can be useful. 

Preface 

How do you start a printmaking magazine for online only? Most of the histories given online are based on magazines that already exist as paper-based businesses. They follow the traditional mode—get content, get money from advertising and subscriptions, and go.
I want to start a new Zine-style online service and call it PrintmakingWorld Ozine, and fill it with content that I used to offer at the University of Washington. Printmaking is not only an art form, it is the ancestor of all media arts and technologies. By this point in time, printmaking should be offered both as a good old timey, hands on craft and art, and also as the basis for all mechanical and digital communication.
That’s what I believe should be the core of a really useful online magazine—partly about the art and craft, but also including the newest non-art processes of printmaking, especially the relationship of printmaking to time and space.
But there is an obstacle: Before I can enlist people with the skills, knowledge, interest and attitude to make this idea come to reality, it appears that I need money for things like compensation, hardware, software and security—such as legal help.
In fact, I am not certain—even though I have the idea clearly in my mind—of all the things that should be put in place for a good foundation. In number 5 in her article, in which Rachel Bartlett gives ten ideas that involve crowdsourcing, she has this 5th one to suggest [paraphrased]:

Make use of Google+ Hangouts/Skype to hold open meetings

“Publishers can often use video conferencing platforms, such as Google+ Hangouts or Skype, to engage with their communities. The functionality varies from carrying out interviews live 'On Air', which anyone can watch, and selected individuals can partake in, to editorial discussions ahead of publication with writers across the world.
“For example, Company ran a Google + Hangout On Air as part of the production of its "social issue". It invited readers who would like to have some input with the editorial team in the meeting to register in advance.
" ‘We thought, why not get readers involved and have people come in and almost suggest features to us – using a Google Hangout – as to what should go into this special issue. The planning is where readers can get involved. They can pre-register to be involved in the hangout if they've got ideas they want to suggest and put forward.’”
“Femina also used Google + Hangouts to hold an editorial meeting with half of the 60 contributors who ended up successfully submitting content to be published in the magazine.”

Yesterday

Like a wake-up call, yesterday I got an invite to join the Google Circle of Pat Austin, one of my former students from the 1970s. She is retired now, and taking up writing, and we are in touch regarding her downsizing and selling one of her Halfwood Presses. Google Hang Out is a way to hold a forum on the subject of the selling of pre-owned presses, I think; as I am the co-founder of the Halfwood Press venture, it would be natural to start with this instance and share it.

Also yesterday

Another interesting thing about yesterday (Feb. 26, 204) was the sudden appearance of two web pages having to do with popular printmaking (pop printmaking?). One was from the Craft and Concept, which makes portable printing presses and promotes printmaking experiences. The other was from a private school in France, where a German-made miniature model of the company’s normal, “full-size” presses was provided for the student who held a printmaking fair.

The two events suggested an interesting article to me but, with only two paper-based magazines in the world to report it, I wonder if as many people will get to learn about the experience, and grow it in such a way as its educational value is known, as would learn about itin an online magazine.

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