So I was thinking about starting a webzine.

CuckooTuli · 03-03-2011, 11:57 AM

I was thinking about magazines a while ago - I stopped buying women's ones when I was a teenager once I realised practically EVERY MAGAZINE marketed at female is the same:

Celebrity gossip
Celebrity pictures
"Issue" article (raep/rare diease/anorexia)
How To Succeed at Work article
How To Attract Men article
Fashion
Make-up

I was toying with the idea of starting some kind of webzine - not really aimed at women, just the kind of thing I wish I could buy.

Kind of things I like:

Cracked comedy articles (obviuosly, who doesn't?)
Viz. Oh how I love Viz... British comedy magazine, mostly cartoons but also comedy pieces (for example, they did an environmental scare-style article about how we're running out the most precious resource available: time. And gave mock tips from every actor who has ever played Dr. Who. Trust me, it was hilarious)
Feministing and the kind of stuff you read on there - issue articles without simulacra. Thoughtful, considered, interesting pieces on a variety of topics. I was thinking of Saya for this one, and people like her.
Music pieces, particularly on bands who've fallen by the wayside of history and whom you may not hear of widely, but who deserve recognition. I've found a lot of great bands this way.
Artwork, cartoons, photoshopped mock-ups of adverts and that kind oof thing. Basically visual comedy/art.

I don't really have any clue what it would take to organise even a skeleton of such a thing, but I'm sure I can find out the logistics with Google. What I wanted to ask you guys is, first, does anyone have any experience in working on something like this, on any scale? If so, could you give me any indication of how you found it, in terms of workload? Bearing in mind that I'm no tech-head.

Also, would anyone like to contribute, if I did find it doable? Obviously it'd be an amateur and very small-scale effort, so it'd basically be for a chance to get your work seen (probably mostly by the Facebook frends of the contributors) and links to your site or blog if you have one. But if there's anything you do pretty well that's burning a hole in your hard drive, hit me up.

MissCheyenne · 03-03-2011, 12:03 PM

Yo, Cuckoo, I'd write for you.

Couple of people I know run a online magazine about unsigned bands and they tell me it's a lot of work for them because there's only a small amount of contributors. I don't know much about the tech side of it because I just write bits and pieces for them but if you like, I can try and get hold of them and ask them some questions about the basics of setting that kind of thing up and such like?

Also you forgot the other major article in womens magazines : DIETS

CuckooTuli · 03-03-2011, 12:12 PM

That would be FANTASTIC - thanks MissCheyenne!

Oh god, the diets... how could I forget the diets... "If you do not drink ten glasses of water a day and live on grilled fish and steamed broccoli you will be a a monster - a MONSTER!!!"

You're UK, huh? Isn't Heat's "ring of shame" thing one of the sickest things ever??

MissCheyenne · 03-03-2011, 12:14 PM

Heat can suck my fucking BALLS. I despise that shit and anything related to it. Yeah, I'm UK, up in the grim North to be exact.

Do you eat your broccoli Cuckoo? DO YOU?

CuckooTuli · 03-03-2011, 12:19 PM

Oh god, I do! I swear it! For the love of GOD, don't turn to cellulite - it would be a CATASTROPHE!!!!

Yeah, I hate that shit. Women's magazines suck balls. Although I guess Nuts is just as bad as anything we've got.

CuckooTuli · 03-03-2011, 12:20 PM

This applies to magazines as much as adverts, I think.

Saya · 03-03-2011, 12:20 PM

This is why I only read the holy trinity of Bust, Bitch and Ms. At least when it comes to women's magazines.

And I'd totally write for you, although I have no idea where my thoughtful and considered posts are XD

ETA: hey, I used that video in my analysis of gender representation in advertisements last semester XD

CuckooTuli · 03-03-2011, 12:24 PM

Awesome! I must have a Google and see if it can be done.

Oh - short stories might be considered, but I'm going to be a total fascist about what gets in if I do get off my ass and start something here. I don't want to end up with a piece of crap publishing every brainfart anyone I ever met throws my way.

MissCheyenne · 03-03-2011, 12:26 PM

NOT CELLULITE!!!!!!!!! OH JESUS, WHO WILL WANT ME IF I HAVE THAT?!?!?!

Seriously, I'd rather read Nuts than fucking Cosmopolitan or any of that bollocks. At least Nuts has half naked women to look at rather than being 70% full of adverts for expensive designer shit that I can't afford.

Murder.Of.Crows · 03-03-2011, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saya

ETA: hey, I used that video in my analysis of gender representation in advertisements last semester XD

Sounds nifty. Do you have a link? Kinda interested...

Saya · 03-03-2011, 12:43 PM

For my analysis? No, that was school work.

Murder.Of.Crows · 03-03-2011, 12:47 PM

awww. Kinda wanted to hear ones ideas on gender representation, wikipedia is just a soulless beast with half correct information. Oh well, not a big issue.

CuckooTuli · 03-03-2011, 01:43 PM

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention porn and politics... two of the most important topics in life.

MissCheyenne · 03-03-2011, 01:47 PM

The politics of porn, that's what it needs

Saya · 03-03-2011, 01:52 PM

MissCheyenne can have a section of one handed reading ^_^

CuckooTuli · 03-03-2011, 01:53 PM

Hands-free corner for the fetishists.

MissCheyenne · 03-03-2011, 01:56 PM

Be warned, I won't write any crappy vampire porn, I'm sorry but even if it meant thousands of readers, I won't soil myself like that. ;P

CuckooTuli · 03-03-2011, 02:02 PM

God, no. Nothing tacky or otherwise abhorrent. Imma keep shit classy.

MissCheyenne · 03-03-2011, 02:04 PM

Thank fuck for that. I don't think I'd be able to look at myself in the mirror if I had to write some toss about vampires or whatever.

Solumina · 03-03-2011, 02:14 PM

You could write good vampire porn, I'm nor sure than any such thing actually exists but you could give it a try.

Saya · 03-03-2011, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solumina

You could write good vampire porn, I'm nor sure than any such thing actually exists but you could give it a try.

You have no idea!

Its all so horrible. So so horrible. But its out there. I'd say on most big erotica stories sites.

MissCheyenne · 03-03-2011, 02:17 PM

There's always a chance it could turn out well. On the other hand, it could become the next twilight and I would be forced to kill myself in a horribly melodramatic fashion for inflicting such horrors upon the readers of the world.

Saya · 03-03-2011, 02:22 PM

I have a nefarious plan to write a Twilight-esque book, only instead of vampires, it'll be Elves. It'll be a huge Tolkien wank fest and I will make millions!

MissCheyenne · 03-03-2011, 02:26 PM

Mmmmmmm, sexy elves.

CuckooTuli · 03-04-2011, 03:31 AM

No elves or vampires, sorry! Think more deep blues space-rock zombie werewolves.... FROM THE FUTURE. Possibly rumbling with skinheads on the mean streets of future Luton or similar. That's more the kind of aesthetic I'm thinking here.

Elf-porn will be considered, but only if it is sufficiently genre-bending to fit into the above.