Internet search engines like Google.com and information portals like About.com have become my preferred tools whenever I need quick reference material for Sport Compact Car, no matter how obscure or highly technical in nature that information might be.
For me, while the need to read print magazines, books or automotive press kits is not lost in the buzz of the Internet, there is lots of unique content to be had on the fly once you realize how easy it is to find what you want online. How I ever worked in this hectic publishing environment without these tools is beyond me. I guess I'm making up for lost time by spending more of my working hours online.
In 1994, when I accepted the post as the editor of Sport Compact Car, the Internet was just evolving; at that time, you'd likely spend more hours searching than enjoying the content you were looking for. Back then, the car clubs, aftermarket companies, automakers and tuners didn't exactly embrace this new medium as a viable avenue to have their voices heard by millions of users. Now as DSL and cable speeds the process even more, the 'Net is definitely becoming a convincing source for anything from A to Z for everyone. This is indeed an age of discovery.
I'm intrigued by the possibilities online for Sport Compact Car, too; we've only scratched the surface in our efforts to deliver everything a reader needs at the click of a mouse. The Web site, www.sportcompactcarweb.com, is steadily making progress as a one-stop source for any enthusiast looking to advance his or her knowledge of sport coupes and performance compacts.
I've written editorials in the past outlining my opinions as to the future of magazine Web sites like ours, and concluded that to be successful, they need to be assisted by the editorial print side of the business, not just a bunch of technical geeks that can make things dance around the screen. Shortly thereafter, along came an offer to assist with creating new ideas for our Web presence. Seventeen years of working in print journalism would make way for my next career move as the editorial director of Internet content for the McMullen Argus International Performance Magazine Group. I will oversee the online interests of Sport Compact Car, european car, Import Tuner, Turbo, VW Trends, Honda Tuning and a package of special issues.
I'm not sure what the future holds in that regard, but I am confident that I'll make my time in the director's seat as useful to you as I did as the editor of SCC. I'm not going anywhere; you can still reach me at Larrys@mcmullenargus.com and I will make regular contributions to SCC whenever possible...but in a different way.
As I see it, the future of publishing is multi-media, and I want to bring the same level of excitement that shot SCC to the top of its field to the Web and beyond.
It's been one hell of a ride. Be sure to join me for the second half of this adventure.