Reading material post Rennaisance was the best thing that ever happened to man. The amount of scope and the avenues opened to absorb fresh ideas and information were limitless and are now even further enhanced in the 21st century with wireless technology. Magazines, periodicals, newspapers and journals are all forms of reading material marketed over the world and the content of each may differ according to the target community catered to.



Magazines fall into two broad categories. There are consumer magazines and business magazines. Magazines are nothing but subsets of periodicals, produced by scientific, artistic, academic and other special interest publishers who write and publsih for the subscription-only audiences world wide. Magazines are more expensive and narrow in circulation, when compared to newspapers. They often have little or no advertising strategies in place at all.

Many business magazines are available only on subscription, while some are predominantly so and also marketed within the dedicated community. In some cases and in certain regions of the world, the subscriptions are available to any person prepared to pay for the content and the service. There are also free subscriptions available to readers who meet a set of criteria that are pre determined by the publisher.

This type of controlled circulation comes with the intent to guarantee advertisers within the magazines readership that is relevant and targeted. Such publishers can assure the advertisers that most of their subscribers are able to pay for the goods or services advertised. Many a times, publishers adopt both, paid-for subscriptions and controlled circulation and the two concepts are mixed to come up with a unique and very profitable marketing strategy, guaranteed to win. Advertising is also an important source of revenue in the case of business magazines.

Although similar to a business magazine in some respects, a consumer magazine is a periodical that features specific articles that are written in a more pre determined manner, based on the registered users and the category of consumers identified within a community. These publications typically offer advertisements in excess. The articles are vetted by a board of esteemed editors in the subject area.

Today, in the 21st century and amidst the engulfing Information and Communciation Revolution, the ezines are creating the much awaited stir online. The ezines are available for access from the comfort of your home and the content can be viewed in great detail, with the accompanying graphics and pictures and the specially designed 'live' news and reviews possible.

Magazines are the windows into the events and happenings within a particular community or within the sphere of influence of a particular indulgence. The content is always meticulously and diligently editied and compiled by a team of professionals who are an integrated part of the larger community being catered to. There are magazines dedicated to world of science and inventions, academics, sports and business. The magazines are focussed to make available to the identified 'reader' community all information that they would probably want to know and apply.