A new twist on “on-line magazines”
June 1, 2007
It is amazing how a little common sense can take you a long way. The folks at Automotive Traveler an online-only publication that brings “travel back to the real world,” and where the editors like to say “every drive is an adventure,” did just that. Richard Truesdell, editorial director of the new magazines tells me in an e-mail that Automotive Traveler is “a hybrid, a combination of what I like to think is 75% Condé Nast Traveler with 25% Motor Trend.” He goes on to say, “We are totally interactive, using Olive Software’s innovative Active Magazine platform, combined with a few tricks of our own. You’ll notice we’ve designed and built Automotive Traveler horizontally, taking advantage of almost all of the available screen real estate (The Automotive Traveler viewer interface automatically scales to optimize the viewing experience from everything from a 9-inch laptop to a 42-inch flat panel home theater monitor). This minimizes the need to scroll and zoom; like a traditional magazine, you just flip the page by clicking on the upper right-hand corner of the image when you want to move on.” That horizontal platform is what caught my attention (it is in direct proportion to the magazine spread). I never understood why magazine publishers continue to try to fit a horizontal space on a vertical medium. It is just not easy on the eyes. I have said it before and I will continue to say it, we do not have a problem with any of our platforms…we have a problem with what we are trying to put in and on them… Using the right dimensions, the right typography and the right movement makes Automotive Traveler a welcomed addition to the world of on-line media. They do not need to call themselves a magazine and they do not need to be ink on paper. They are just another medium providing a relevant message through what they consider the best relevant vehicle. Interested in going for a ride, click here.
Mr. Magazine 
Dr. Husni,
It was certainly refreshing to see someone who has extensive knowledge of the magazine industry, respond as positively as you did to Automotive Traveler. While I am certain that we don’t have all of the answers, I firmly believe that we’ve found some of them with regard to the migration of magazine-style content to the web.
We’ve tried our best to make Automotive Traveler as reader-friendly as possible and we’re already making changes for issue three, which will publish on July 1. As I am sure that many magazine professionals, especially in the academic community read your blog, I hope that if any of them would like to offer comments or suggestions, that they would leave them here or contact me directly at richt@automotivetraveler.com.
I have an interesting story to share with those reading this blog. Our greatest problem at this stage is getting readers to our web site to view or download Automotive Traveler. I have sent out press releases, similar to the one you picked up, to newspaper travel editors in the hope that they will provide us with some exposure to their readers. My feeling is if they are serving their readers, they will inform them about what we are publishing, especially given that our niche is so well defined.
Almost without exception, these editors refuse to “show us any love” and in one instance, an editor has told me (whose publication has an outstanding online presence), that he/she doesn’t believe that online magazine are viable. Talk about having one’s head in the sand, in my humble opinion. Maybe they view us as competition too, I just can’t tell.
We’re going to continue on our planned course and do our best to bring our readers a compelling editorial package each month. We’ve published two issues, are working on our third and have the next six fully planned out. I believe that we will surprise the nay-sayers and establish ourselves as a viable alternative to traditional travel and automotive publications.
Thank you again for your vote of confidence in what we are doing. You can be sure that we can’t wait to let you see what we have coming for issue three.
Sincerely,
Richard Truesdell
Editorial Director, Automotive Traveler