[thelist] It magazine

deke web at master.gen.in.us
Sat May 26 10:04:09 CDT 2001


On 26 May 2001, at 9:01, Siim Einfeldt aka Itpunk posted a message which said:

> I just started to build an online IT magazine again and now I would like
> to get your opinion, what content would You like to see there? I want to
> make it as good as possible, but for that I will need some information
> about your needs-interests.

The *last* thing you want to be is an "IT" magazine.
Narrow your focus, so you have a halfway decent chance of doing
a good job. 

If you focus on web technologies, that's a dramatic improvement, 
but still awfully broad.

If you focus on webserver technology, that's a dramatic improvement,
but still fairly broad.

If you focus on Apache, that's a dramatic improvement, but still
broad.

If you focus on mod_rewrite, then you have an appropriate level of
concentration. Lots of people are interested in the rewrite engine,
and while there's enough meat there to provide plenty of content for 
your zine, it's something you could reasonably become authoritative
about.

That's not to say mod_rewrite is *the* thing you ought to focus on. 
Maybe you want to focus on managing IT people - or managing IT
careers. Maybe you want to focus on CPAN modules, or SQL.

But whatever you choose as your focus, if you are to have *any* 
hope of success, you need to get people enthused about your zine, 
and the way to do that is to exhibit excellence. Musicians who are
intent on being famous and acquiring groupies rarely succeed; those
who have great music within them, just bursting to be released, are
much more likely to become famous and acquire groupies.

When you can define your magazine's purpose with passion, then
you are ready to proceed, not before. People *like* to be associated 
with excellence, whether as providers or consumers. As Zig Ziglar 
would put it, your zine needs to be a meaningful specific, not a 
wandering generality.

And that applies to *all* websites, BTW.

deke





------------------------
 "The church is near but the road is icy; 
  the bar is far away but I will walk carefully." 
                            -- Russian Proverb




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