Magazines + RFID tag: Have mags finally gone too far?

Tech blog Engadget posted on Monday about an announcement from France’s Amusement Magazine that their new issue will be the “first ever connected to the internet!” The print version of the March issue will be equipped with a RFID tag, allowing readers to connect to the internet and access exclusive content online.

Of course, the first problem is that for Amusement’s readers to benefit from this feature they must own a home-based RFID reader, such as Violet’s Mir:ror which retails for $59. But the even bigger problem is how this so-called innovation is making consumers resoundingly ask, “WHY?”

Web 2.0 for Magazines

(This post was completed as a web 2.0 analysis for my Online Magazines course in the Book & Magazine Publishing program at Centennial College.)

1. New York Magazine
The New York Magazine website stands out from the crowd as an exemplary online magazine due to its wide array of web 2.0 features. Visitors to the online version of this print magazine become active participants in the website’s offerings through RSS feeds of articles, blogs on various themes including food and entertainment, bookmarking tools, streaming video, and sidebar widgets for tags and popular posts.

All of these tools enable readers to have an interactive visit to the New York Magazine website, rather than a passive one. Tools such as the RSS feeds and blogs are of great benefit to the publisher and editors of the website as they are efficient ways to deliver content to the reader. The bookmarking tools at the bottom of each article act as an easy way for the reader to share the magazine’s content with others, thus increasing traffic to the website. The New York Magazine website also features sidebar widgets for popular tags and posts. This function can be very helpful from a marketing and advertising point of view because it is an easy way to determine what readers are most interested in.