A lot of magazines now offer digital editions which can be read on your tablet, smart phone or computer. I used to prefer the paper editions, but lately I have really gotten into the digital ones. It's nice to have a whole library of woodworking magazines in my phone that I can page through when I'm waiting somewhere. I've even bought the back issue libraries of several magazines.
What about you? Do you like digital editions? Would you subscribe to a magazine that was ONLY digital?
It is nice to have the digital format already loaded on the phone for reading while waiting for an appointment and not be at the mercy of an iffy internet connection. However, I like a bigger and more accessible format to work from and make notes on if I'm in the shop. I can remember "it was in the middle" of a physical magazine to locate something. I don't have that kind of reference for a digital version.
I often wonder what will happen to the digital information as I look through and search for vintage books and tool catalogs. Will we someday be searching through digital flea markets for that 2014 version of fine woodworking.
I make a living building digital systems and still prefer a book or magazine in my hand.
While I love having actual paper in my hands, digital simply is more easier. I don't have to wonder where I put the magazine, can always look at back issues, and have access from my phone of tablet regardless of my location.
I've been contemplating the idea of renewing my paper editions to digital.
I have tons of paper editions dating back several years and are categorized at best by "who" and "year" in boxes. This leaves no easy way to go back and reference old editions. I don't want to get rid of them, but yet have no manageable way to keep them organized.
The one obvious advantage to digital is storage. But what are all the advantages?
A couple of questions I can think of off the top of my head about buying digital libraries are:
Are the libraries indexed or have a table of contents for quick reference?
Are the contents in the libraries formatted to be printable?
I prefer digital … easier to read out on the patio (wind doesn't blow the pages), easier to search digital collections (I buy the DVD's of back issues of magazines that offer them every year), and the pile of magazines heaped on the table next to my easy chair doesn't grow so fast.
As my subscriptions expires, I am either canceling them altogether or converting to digital.
I am simply too frugal to pay for most things when there is so much available for free. Disappointingly, most magazines are half advertisements, which while I understand, still burns me even more to spend my hard earned money on. I have spent 10 bucks on a magazine countless times, to only find a few useful things. On the other hand I once ordered a set of 15 dollar plans from a guy in UK for a mobile cart, and it is one of the best set of plans I've ever seen. If I am going to pay for content, it has to be above and beyond the rest, well thought out and a complete set of plans and directions. Basically something like what you sell. Someday soon Ill be able to get some of yours.
I guess that I'm stuck in the dark ages.
Books, mags, newspapers, etc. are just meant to be handled while reading in my old mind.
Have friends who read on pads like Kindle (sp?). Just doesn't seem right to me.
I like the tactile satisfaction.
Bill
I'm a hard copy guy. I am 26, so I am likely one of the younger LJ's but technology didn't get me like it got all of my friends. There is something to be said for holding a stack of paper vs holding a piece of plastic. Much prefer magazines and books in hard copy. We've been doing it for millenia, why stop now?
I would not subscribe to a digital magazine. I suppose sooner or later, I will have to give up my gasoline truck and my books and my oreos and all the things that are "bad". Until then I will be reading hard copies. And burning gas. And eating processed food. As you can tell, I don't really like change…
I prefer digital … easier to read out on the patio (wind doesn t blow the pages), easier to search digital collections (I buy the DVD s of back issues of magazines that offer them every year), and the pile of magazines heaped on the table next to my easy chair doesn t grow so fast.
As my subscriptions expires, I am either canceling them altogether or converting to digital.
I suspect that not all digital magazines are created equal - but I have only used the Fine Woodwrking set.
FWW digital is pretty good. The search function works well and I can create a list of favorite articles. It is NOT easy to search through a set of magazines on a shelf.
One advantage not mentioned yet (or I missed it) is space. A full set of back issues is a few feet of shelf space but the digital version is REALLY tiny! My computer didn't swell up at all
Would someone be so kind to answer these couple of questions
I ve been contemplating the idea of renewing my paper editions to digital.
I have tons of paper editions dating back several years and are categorized at best by "who" and "year" in boxes. This leaves no easy way to go back and reference old editions. I don t want to get rid of them, but yet have no manageable way to keep them organized.
The one obvious advantage to digital is storage. But what are all the advantages?
A couple of questions I can think of off the top of my head about buying digital libraries are:
Are the libraries indexed or have a table of contents for quick reference?
Are the contents in the libraries formatted to be printable?
I'm not a huge fan of digital. I like having articles online to search but I still like having a paper copy, never really gotten used to flipping digital pages…
However . . . I travel a lot, so having them handy on the iPad is perfect. And at least with the ones I get, I can open them on my laptop and print out the pages if I need them.
All of the digital collections I have (Fine Woodworking, Shop notes, Wood Smith, Wood Magazine, Popular Woodworking, Woodworker's Journal) have indexes and link features to quickly take you to the articles you want. But that's only if you buy the collections on CD. If you just get a regular subscription, you get each single issue in digital format. You can keep them, as I always do, but there is no overall index for them unless you later buy the updated digital collection on disc. Some give you that update for free, like Shopnotes. On the other hand, the PDF versions are all searchable by word or phrase, so you can open an issue and search for "hand cut dovetails" for example and find it quickly.
I like to have digital collections for the reasons I mentioned above: Easy, indexed access to a large library of magazines. I don't mind reading on my tablet, but I have a 10" screen. I don't usually read them on my smaller smart phone screen. I especially like to have them all on the computer so I can access them when I am doing some research without searching through the book shelf.
I was always a paper guy, I liked to sit in my chair with a stack of issues and look through them one at a time. But once you get used to using a tablet, you don't miss the paper ones like you thought. I have floor to ceiling book shelves on all four walls of my office- hundreds of books. But guess where I do my reading now? On my tablet.
I have the Fine Woodworking Digital and am very happy with it. Yes you can search it, you can book mark topics when you search, and you can print. It is very easy to find things with the search feature. I prefer paper however and have a subscription to Fine Woodworking.
I have three other magazines on my computer but they aren't a disc compilation type set up. Not as useful as you have to open and click and scroll to see what they are about and may be offered in a useful set up, like FW, if purchased. It is nice in that if someone says the issue number I can find it quickly but most of the time the other magazines aren't exactly what makes me interested in woodworking (Popular Woodworking being the other exception).
I don't like reading it on a tablet. Magazine easier to carry around in my opinion. You don't have to worry about leaving it anywhere (no $$ lost). No charging and quicker to flip to where I need to be.
Would someone be so kind to answer these couple of questions
I ve been contemplating the idea of renewing my paper editions to digital.
I have tons of paper editions dating back several years and are categorized at best by "who" and "year" in boxes. This leaves no easy way to go back and reference old editions. I don t want to get rid of them, but yet have no manageable way to keep them organized.
The one obvious advantage to digital is storage. But what are all the advantages?
A couple of questions I can think of off the top of my head about buying digital libraries are:
Are the libraries indexed or have a table of contents for quick reference?
Are the contents in the libraries formatted to be printable?
As Stumpy mentioned, many digital subscriptions have the ability to use indexing and search features. Most are also able to be printed, but some require manual formatting.
While I prefer an actual magazine. The advantages I see are:
Easy storage
Fast searching
Access from multiple locations
Easy portability
Fast delivery
Never gets lost or has coffee spilled on the pages
Some articles will link to a manufacturer or authors website
One downside is that it isn't as nice to sit by the campfire with a laptop, Kindle, Nook, iPad, etc as it is with a paper magazine.
I have tons of paper additions dating back 15-20 years. I am going to the digital format as soon as I can afford to switch. The search for something I want to build and saw in what magazine, etc. Just makes it a whole lot easier and doesn't waste building (fun) time
When I was still employed we were urged to sign up for digital versus paper versions or have the paper versions sent to our home addresses to reduce the load in the mail room and distribution personnel. I found that I did not read as many of the digital versions compared to the paper ones and concluded that because I spent almost all day in front of a PC screen that the paper versions became a "break" from the screen.
Now retired I still prefere the paper version as I can take them anywhere, even where there are no connections to cell signals or internet. However, the ability to search for interesting items on the digital version is definitely a nice option!
I really like having a paper magazine that I can flip through (and more easily ignore the ads) to find what I'm looking for. The negatives sometimes outweigh the positives in that a few years of a few different magazines starts to take up a lot of room and searching for something you can't remember in which issue can take considerable time. Digital content can be searched more quickly and is almost always less expensive too.
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