The Internet was a long way in the future when the magazine New Zealand Bloodhorse was launched 30 years ago.
Now, New Zealand's oldest surviving thoroughbred publication, which has itself progressed steadily from a relatively skimpy magazine with black and white pictures to a glossy, full-colour production of more than 100 perfect-bound pages, has "embraced the Net" and is available on line.
Managing director Saskia Struyck concedes that making the latest, and previous recent issues, of New Zealand Bloodhorse available on line in their entirety is a balancing act.
"On one hand, it could impact on the circulation figures of the hard-copy magazine. On the other hand, though, if eight thousand, ten thousand or twelve thousand people are visiting the magazine on line, it has huge benefits for our advertisers, and in bringing Bloodhorse to a wider audience. In fact that could even have the positive effect of increasing hard copy circulation.
"Personally, I believe our regular readers will always want the hard-copy magazine. There's a limit to how much you can or would want to read on screen in one sitting; it will always be easier to read the type-set page. And Bloodhorse is a magazine with a long shelf life compared to many publications; we know anecdotally that our readers often refer back to earlier issues for information, or to re-visit particular stories.
"But there is no doubt the Internet is the way of the future; the way not just our racing industry but the world is moving. At Bloodhorse, we want to be at the forefront in bringing our industry to the world.
"We think having New Zealand Bloodhorse on line is an exciting and significant development in the magazine's history. The Internet has such a huge and expanding reach that the pros must well and truly outweigh any cons."
Initially, at least, New Zealand Bloodhorse can be accessed on line free.
The magazine's website is www.nzbloodhorse.co.nz
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Now, New Zealand's oldest surviving thoroughbred publication, which has itself progressed steadily from a relatively skimpy magazine with black and white pictures to a glossy, full-colour production of more than 100 perfect-bound pages, has "embraced the Net" and is available on line.
Managing director Saskia Struyck concedes that making the latest, and previous recent issues, of New Zealand Bloodhorse available on line in their entirety is a balancing act.
"On one hand, it could impact on the circulation figures of the hard-copy magazine. On the other hand, though, if eight thousand, ten thousand or twelve thousand people are visiting the magazine on line, it has huge benefits for our advertisers, and in bringing Bloodhorse to a wider audience. In fact that could even have the positive effect of increasing hard copy circulation.
"Personally, I believe our regular readers will always want the hard-copy magazine. There's a limit to how much you can or would want to read on screen in one sitting; it will always be easier to read the type-set page. And Bloodhorse is a magazine with a long shelf life compared to many publications; we know anecdotally that our readers often refer back to earlier issues for information, or to re-visit particular stories.
"But there is no doubt the Internet is the way of the future; the way not just our racing industry but the world is moving. At Bloodhorse, we want to be at the forefront in bringing our industry to the world.
"We think having New Zealand Bloodhorse on line is an exciting and significant development in the magazine's history. The Internet has such a huge and expanding reach that the pros must well and truly outweigh any cons."
Initially, at least, New Zealand Bloodhorse can be accessed on line free.
The magazine's website is www.nzbloodhorse.co.nz
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