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May 22, 2009

OpenZine – Create Your Own Online Magazine

ss-openzine

Openzine is essentially blogging kicked up a notch—and we love it! The concept is pretty simple: users create their own online magazines, or zines, and then share them with other users as they like. If you’re signed up on the site you can subscribe to any magazine you want, leaving comments and interacting with other users at your leisure.

Not only do you create the content inside of your magazine, you also have the added benefit of creating your own magazine cover using Openzine’s online image editor. That’s another nice thing about Openzine—there aren’t any downloads needed to use it. As an added bonus, you can also use their “clip this” function to share content with other users.

Of course, Openzine’s magazines aren’t just limited to text and pictures; you can also add video—yet another reason why creating an online magazine is potentially more fun than working in print. Openzine is easy-to-use, sign-up is simple, and it’s a great way to inject some creativity into your standard blog posts. Done correctly, Openzine could potentially work out not just for creative individuals but for companies as well.

Practical Uses:

  • Create a zine promoting your landscaping business with local gardening and landscaping tips
  • Promote your music fan site using OpenZine to develop a virtual monthly magazine
  • Publish a college newsletter and magazine using the online tools from OpenZine

Insider Tips:

  • Use “Clip this” to share content with other users
  • Don’t just build your own zine, you can subscribe to plenty of other interesting topics
  • Turn off pop-up blockers to ensure that you can view pictures

What we liked:

  • The online image editor—no downloads, no hassle
  • Great creative outlet for artists and bloggers
  • Highly-engaged community

What we didn’t like:

  • Users can’t yet import content from other websites

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: 2008
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Miami, Florida
  • Founded by: Humby and Kiki Valdes
  • Web site: http://www.openzine.com

Costs:

  • Free

Comments

  1. Thanks for the write up. You’ve done a fantastic job explaining what OpenZine is.

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