KATHMANDU, Jan 8: “We simply can’t stick to mainstream media (print) when it’s dying in the West. In Nepal, it’ll take a long time for online medium to take over the print industry. But thinking about the future, I thought it would be better to be innovative and opt for online,” says Arun Budhathoki, alias Daniel Song, founder of The Applicant, an online magazine based in Kathmandu.
Budhathoki launched The Applicant (www.theapplicant.org) on April 12, 2011 from Northampton, UK, while pursuing his Masters. Since the magazine came into being a year and ten months ago, it’s come out with seven issues.[break]
“I chose online medium because of the changing scenario of communication and the dawn of digital age. Print medium is costly, not environment-friendly and is limited by geographical boundary whereas online medium is accessible worldwide, cost-effective, and sustainable. Most importantly, it’s important to move along with the digital movement,” he adds.
The online magazine was started as a literary journal but after a year was transformed into an online magazine because Budhathoki realized that youths in Nepal aren’t that interested in literature. The change has pushed the website’s ranking in Nepal and has earned a lot more viewers. But submissions are sluggish, according to him. “Maybe it’s because of few English readers/writers and also because we don’t have a writing/reading culture compared to the western world,” he claims.
Similarly, ktmROCKS magazine first published in 2002 went on for 14 issues until 2004 and as the bills in the printing press started mounting, the print version of the magazine came to a halt. The magazine caters to selected individuals, music enthusiasts in particular. When the publication shifted to electronic media, founder and editor of ktmROCKS Umes Shrestha released the first few issues in html format, and after that, he designed pdf versions which could be downloaded for free.
Compared to print counterparts, online magazines, however easy and economical to produce, generate much less or no revenue. Shrestha calls ktmROCKS a voluntary organization where no one works for salary and no one benefits financially. The magazine, however, has earned a large readership over the years, and there’s “an almost constant” editorial team who works on the contents along with the contributors.
“Most of the writers are in bands themselves or musicians and thus the e-mag gives everyone a space to get connected with fans and other musicians. Contributors and non-professional writers we all may be, but I can bet, the quality of writing/designing is topnotch,” says Shrestha.
The Applicant doesn’t pay its writers and contributors either, but Budhathoki is hopeful that once the website starts getting online advertisements, he’ll be able to pay them. Most magazines abroad make profits through advertisements. For Budhathoki, it’s the online presence that matters and he believes eventually advertisers will be convinced.
Even with no financial output to expect, young people have started working for online magazines. Having their writings in the cyberspace gets young and aspiring writers a lot of exposure.
“It’s a great medium for new writers who want to get their works published,” says Aayush Niroula who’s been contributing to another online magazine, VENT (www.ventzine.com), and is also a freelance writer for ECS Media, “I take VENT as a personal space, and although none of us get paid, it’s about the collective spirit.”
“Writing is a means of communication and it’s due to sheer camaraderie that I feel motivated and inclined to writing without financial motives,” says Sarthak Upadhayay who worked with KtmROCKS.
There’s that school of thought, however, that vouches for the effectiveness of print media and that there are a limited number of Internet users and online medium is nonexistent for non-Internet savvy population. But the global audience and its accessibility with no geographical constraints can’t be ignored.
Print has its limitations. Once a magazine is printed, corrections can’t be made, let alone changing the layout or updating the designs.
“Online magazines, too, has their share of problems like domain hosting, server problems, getting hacked or managing space,” shares Budhathoki.
Niroula thinks that language in the print medium is strictly formal whereas online platform is flexible and gives more creative freedom.
Online is faster, global and, as Shrestha puts it, one doesn’t have to bother about getting advertisements and approaching sponsors. “There’s total freedom, editorial and content-wise,” he adds.
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