While the magazine you’re holding circled through the presses last month, ink pressing on the white paper, a separate piece also was taking shape. With zeros and ones – the language of computers – the web issue of this magazine was formatted.
Notre Dame Magazine has been on the web almost six years. Until now, it’s followed the format of the print issue closely. Every three months, a selection of stories from the most recent issue was posted on the web for anyone to read. We also offered various services: With one click, viewers could request a sample copy, alumni could send in a change of address, readers could e-mail a letter to the editor, freelance writers could download our writers’ guidelines.
Now, like the print issue, the web version is evolving. You may have noticed in the past few print issues a small icon of a computer mouse with the message: “More at the website.” While we too often run out of paper space, the website allows us to be more expansive, to include sidebars and news stories and letters to the editor that arrived past our print deadline.
This year, even more of what we call “web extras” will be coming to a computer near you. We’re adding a search function to make it easier for you, using keywords, to find online stories. And, to give the online version a real campus feel, we’re starting something we call Notre Dame Reflections – essays by alumni and friends of ND about their time here. We could never fit those in the print issue, but new technology allows us to present them for your reading pleasure.
There’s plenty more coming, including new stories and information added every week instead of every three months. In the autumn 2000 print issue, we kicked off Café du Lac, a look at creative works by Notre Dame people. That feature allows us to shine a light on books, music, websites, movies or plays developed by students, alumni and faculty that we think are of special interest to you. We quickly discovered that the two page spread in the magazine can’t hold the burgeoning creative acts we’d like you to know about, so we’ll feature new “web extra” Café du Lac picks weekly.
Secure credit card capabilities are also on the horizon. Whether you want to order a Windows of Notre Dame poster, buy a subscription for a friend or contribute to our voluntary subscription campaign, we’ll soon take plastic. As always, of course, checks are welcome.
We’re not the only ones keeping you in touch with Notre Dame via computers. The Office of Public Relations and Information can deliver all press releases and a summary of the week’s news to anyone with an e-mail address. Surf to www.nd.edu/forms/news to sign on for the free service.
And visit us, too, at magazine.nd.edu. We love our print issue, where you also get some stories that aren’t on the web. The online version is lagniappe. Check out that website. Our Louisiana-born editor, Kerry Temple ’74, will explain what that means.
Carol Schaal is managing editor of Notre Dame Magazine.