Online college magazines showcase student creativity and keep parents in the loop

More and more colleges today put their publications online. College magazines, academic journals and campus newsletters showcase student talent and keep everyone informed. And parents too find this a convenient way to keep in touch.

With the focus shifting online, the college print rag is bound to suffer. But is it on its way out?

Nitin Mukadam, senior manager, corporate relations with NMIMS Mumbai, spearheaded Adverb, the advertising and marketing stream's online journal. He does not see a shift of all campus literature online, but agrees that the Web has boundless potential in this area. "Lots of institutes are a part of the digital revolution. But our connectivity speed and the public's perception of the Internet might delay the process." 

He began Adverb to exploit the Web's interactive nature. "The medium can easily build communities around the world and these online student magazines and journals trigger widespread distribution and sharing of knowledge," says Mukadam. 

Shashidhar Nanjundaiah, director of Pune's Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication, believes that the Web has certainly gained importance these days among students. "Our institute publishes an online journal and a Web magazine since most students are Net savvy."

Digantik is the news e-zine produced and run by the students of the Chennai-based Asian College of Journalism. Associate professor Mahalakshmi Jayaram, who heads the effort, believes the Web allows readers to explore many different aspects of a story. "The medium is not constrained by space and production needs. Students can also think across media, using visuals, text, audio and video to communicate in a more comprehensive manner," she says.

The pharma management batch of NMIMS plans to start an online campus newsletter to get noticed by the public and the industry.

Symbiosis's experience already supports this fact. "The feedback so far has been very positive from industry professionals as well as alumni. It basically serves two purposes: While updating them about new developments, the publications keep them reminded of the institute also," Nanjundaiah explains.

Parents too stand to benefit as much as the students. Jeremy Hoffman graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. He was a managing editor of Silver Chips Online, the school's online student newspaper. According to Jeremy, parents prefer the online paper. "They don't have access to the print paper like students do at school, so they must either ask their kid for a copy or subscribe. With an online paper, parents can access it from home or work at their convenience."

The updates are fast and reader feedback is a vital component. "When a story breaks, the student paper has to wait until the next issue to print it. This could be several weeks away, depending on the frequency of publication. An online newspaper can update immediately," he points out. 

Parents and other readers can also send in their feedback, raising the level of their involvement and interactivity. "The feedback system allows readers to post their opinions, comments and questions, which can be read by everyone," continues Hoffman.

The other advantage lies in the low production cost. As Mukadam says: "Nowadays almost all educational institutes have Web sites. So running an online campus magazine as part of the already running college site, is more economical than printing a paper." 

Distribution is also easier. "Our e-publications are distributed to select readers, via emails. That way, we optimise the readership without indulging in unethical mailing." As Nanjundaiah says, the added advantage lies in the ability to showcase all kinds of student ideas and expressions.

Most students nowadays are computer savvy and running such a site is usually not a hassle. "Our online newspaper survives by having one or several computer geniuses among students and staff, who can oversee the files, write new code, add improvements and features," says Hoffman. 

Mukadam agrees that students today have no trouble at all using technical software: "The whole effort behind Adverb came exclusively from students."

Richard Choi, Web editor of Herbert Hoover High School's student newspaper Tornado Times explains the importance of finding the right student talent. "Apart from writing skills, our staff needs to be proficient in basic computer skills. For more complicated tasks, we recruit students who have advanced software knowledge."

There are challenges too, as Choi faced: "You might face a possible shortage of staff members who are competent enough to guide the site to a higher level. We found it a little tough to get students with advanced technical skills."

Besides showcasing student talent, Choi believes this trend will definitely inspire students to stay updated on new trends and technologies.

In the end, it is the student who stands to gain the most. As Hoffman says: "I acquired a lot of computer knowledge by working on the online paper. I also had the experience of working on a real-life product, rather than simply completing a class assignment of no use to anyone."