An online magazine can be called by many names including ezine, e-zine, disk magazine, electronic magazine, cyberzine, hyperzine or an online journal. They are similar to online newspapers but have more of the traditional magazine format and tight control by editors or editorial boards to manage content and uphold their quality standards. Editors or boards review any submissions and make approvals of those accepted for publication online.

Online magazines are produced in digital format and are presented on their own websites. They could also be distributed via e-mail or mailed out in disk form on CD or DVD. These are highly competitive to traditional magazines because they do not have the expensive costs of production on paper and mailing costs. More creative time is devoted to content and layout and production costs are minimal. This may be the cause for some magazines shutting down their print operations today because they cannot remain cost competitive with an online magazine.

This type of publication is ideal for certain industries such as science and research. Current discoveries and research are published quickly and widely distributed over the Internet. Mainstream magazine names are also published online in an effort to remain in business. Going online is a natural progression for print publications if they want to stay in business and be competitive. Design and image manipulation tasks are much faster and easier in digital format than with print production. Making changes even after publication is possible with online electronic magazines.

The benefits of online publishing to the consumer are in the speed and accessibility of receiving these publications. There is no need to go to a store and spend time looking for wanted content. A simple browser search will bring up many suggestions to fit a search for a particular topic in magazines. Delivery is not even necessary for many electronic publications; the audience can simply read it online at that website. If the consumer is paying a fee for a publication it is instantly delivered to their online mailbox.

One drawback to online publishing of magazines may be that persons without computer and Internet access will not be able to review the magazine or receive delivery via email. This can be overcome somewhat by borrowing someone else’s computer or going to a library to read the online magazine.

An online magazine is easily started up by virtually anyone who has a computer and Internet service. A website is helpful but ezines can be sent out by email and be in a short and simple form. Expenses are minimal.