SiteWhen you can’t get to the newsstand
I found a fabulous site this a.m. called Mygazines where you can browse current issues of many popular magazines. I found September issues of everything from Dwell and Parenting, to Oxygen and Men’s Journal. How it works: site visitors scan and upload current issues of magazines, which can then be read via the site’s “reader” that lets you magnify type and turn pages like a regular magazine. You can even search the table of contents. Very cool.
Not only should American freelancers find this site useful — I’m having trouble getting out to the bookstore this week — but for those of you who write for American magazines and can’t find current issues easily will adore this site! [db]
12 Responses to “When you can’t get to the newsstand”
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Kristen Kirk
Said this on August 20th, 2008 at 4:40pm:Thanks, Diana. This site will be great!
Ginny
Said this on August 20th, 2008 at 5:57pm:Wow! This is great! I have been receiving e-mails about this for weeks now, but was sure it was spam, so never checked it out. This is exactly what I have been needing. Thanks!
Jenn
Said this on August 20th, 2008 at 7:40pm:It’s interesting that you are excited about this site as a writer. This site goes far beyond the most liberal notion of fair use and neither the writers nor the magazines are paid for online rights.
megan
Said this on August 20th, 2008 at 9:55pm:That’s what I was thinking, Jenn. What’s the difference in this and sharing copyrighted music, etc.? I honestly don’t know how they are operating without legal threats of some kind.
Kara Williams
Said this on August 21st, 2008 at 9:07am:I’m pretty sure there have been legal threats. My guess is that it won’t be up forever.
Star
Said this on August 21st, 2008 at 12:01pm:They are asking mags to send themselves in…don’t know how that affects it. The signup function was temporarily not working. Looks interesting!
Annabel
Said this on August 21st, 2008 at 3:10pm:Another person wondering why the heck you would promote this site. Many mags have had their content put up their illegally. I know a number of UK publications are considering legal action. And here’s the thing: if you are writing a blog for writers you should not advocate copyright infringement. Someone ripping off a big-name mag is no different or better to someone ripping off a lone freelancer. I’m pretty disgusted you see this as a positive thing.
Aoife
Said this on August 21st, 2008 at 11:28pm:They are not asking the magazines to submit scans - they are asking the “mygazines” community to upload scans. (The “mygazine” community = you & me, my friend). At first glance this may seem like a fun (and useful) idea, but I agree with the other posters - it’s pirating. Uploading scans of copyrighted material may make us feel like we are self-righteously sticking it to the man, but we are really sticking it to the writers, designers, and editors - you, me, and all of our colleagues and friends in the biz - whose job depends ultimately on each issue making it into the hands of a paying subscriber. And I for one would like to keep my editors employed - they assign me work and make sure I am paid for it, therefore keeping me employed.
Just my two cents….
DianaBurrell
Said this on August 22nd, 2008 at 1:40am:I’m going to blame this on vacation brain and take this as a lesson that I should not blog when a. I didn’t take a deeper look at the site and think about the ramifications and b. I’m supposed to be on vacation, not working/blogging.
My apologies, folks. Now it’s time to apply some of this hard-earned knowledge and focus the rest of my vacation on my family.
Star
Said this on August 22nd, 2008 at 1:35pm:OK–it does not look interesting.
Annabel
Said this on August 22nd, 2008 at 2:31pm:In response to Aoife: actually, it’s not just that I want to keep editors employed. I only sell first rights to my work, on the whole. I can then re-sell it, e.g. in other countries. If the publications I write want to re-sell it, they pay me a cut. It’s the same for any writer with the sense to negotiate copyright properly - so this is infringing the rights of freelancers, potentially, who need those rights because their IP is their bread and butter. Nobody’s going to syndicate my work if it’s slapped all over the internet, are they?
Annabel
Said this on August 22nd, 2008 at 2:32pm:p.s. Aoife, sorry, didn’t mean to sound like I was attacking you. This issue just frustrates me. Why people cannot grasp copyright law I do NOT know.