How Do You Read Your Publications?

As technologies expand and traditional printed publications struggle to keep up, new ways to adapt, enhance, and ultimately enjoy, this media is becoming available. Readers of once strictly printed newspapers and magazines can find the same content elsewhere. So we're curious what you've landed on as the best way to consume your favorite publications. After the jump we've outlined some of the pros and cons of each medium.

The Printed Page
Ah the classic printed newspaper or magazine. It's with you for your morning breakfast, at the coffee shop or salon. It's easy to pick up, page through, read an article or two and put back. No muss, no fuss.
Pros: accessible, easily shared, cheap subscription rates
Cons: not as portable, potential (but solvable) storage issues

The Internet
The main hub of many publications is now their website. Content is typically available for free and updated regularly. This is what we check throughout our day and is often the source for most of our information.
Pros: fast, portable, free, easily shared through social media, content supplemented with additional media such as audio or video
Cons: lots of ads, can't be archived, can't be read without an internet connection

The eReader
The newest, hybrid form is the eReader. Blending the portablity of the printed page with the supplemented content of the internet, the eReader promises to have a lot of value. The problem is that it's still very much in its infancy and to us, feels underdeveloped. There is even exclusive offerings taking advantage of touch-screen interfaces which other formats can't provide
Pros: exciting new media potential, portable, content is viewable offline, exclusive content
Cons: hard to share, still in its early stages, expensive subscription rates

For us, our consumption of publications has remained strictly within the printed materials and online. We've found that we check the online content throughout the workday and during our leisure time over the weekend, we like to enjoy a long breakfast or sit at a cafe reading a paper or magazine. We're not opposed to eReaders but we simply haven't found the need/benefit to use one in-between our other methods of reading. So we're curious how you prefer to read your favorite publications. Let us know below.

(Images: Flickr member arvindgrover, erlin1, zandwacht licensed for use under Creative Commons.)

Comments (8)

I get Dwell and Elle Decor on Zinio and read on my iPad. I wouldn't mind all my mags that way except for when it's time to hit the beach (which is often being that I live on Maui). Newspapers are all online, I hate the inky paper anyway.

I like New York Magazine, but I like the crossword as well which I heard is not on the digital edition, so I'm more incline to get the paper edition.

Mostly through the internet via my iPad. I use an app for iOS called Spool, which will grab articles and videos from websites and allows you to read them offline on your device later. It's in beta right now but you can sign up for an invite. Also works through your browser or Android device.

Great for long-form journalism, editorials and magazine stories that can take some time to read through.

I read every books and newspaper on paper. But there are some magazines I read them on my computer.

I prefer tablet. I have an iPad 2, but I may get a Kindle Fire if apple doesn't make a 7" sized tablet I can hold more easily.

When I read a publication on my iPad, I look for what I want to read and select it. Reading a physical newspaper or magazine expands my information and intellectual horizon. In the paper edition, I read articles I may not have selected on my own digitally.

I read the news online, but I prefer to read magazines and books in their print version. Having to spend almost all day in front of a computer, I can't even imagine reading books digitally. There is something wonderful about holding a book in your hands and turning a page.

i'm a big magazine reader and i get a lot of subscriptions thru Zinio on my iPad. I love it but I wish I could cut and paste for the digital mags.