Kung Fu Tai Chi for iPad

[MasterKiller]

If we already have a subscription, can we also get the iPad version?

[GeneChing]

We're new to this obviously. Everyone is. So we're still feeling our way about on how this works. We launched our digital mag on Zinio (http://www.zinio.com/browse/publications/index.jsp?productId=500626248&categoryId=cat1970036) on Friday and are still tweaking the basic whistles and bells of how this all operates. So for now, we aren't offering the digital version to subscribers. I've seen that a few other magazines offer it, but keep in mind, most of those others are much larger than us, so they play a much different game, especially with advertisers.

[Gowgee]

This is awesome! I haven't been buying KF Magazine unless I go overseas (the postage here is a killer), so this solves my problem. Are previous editions also going to be released??

[GeneChing]

I'm not sure if we will digitize all the back issues at this time. To digitize an issue isn't free, and at this point, we're not sure if this will be financially viable in the long run. Time will tell. I'm optimistic about the potential. I'm also very pleased to be one of the first martial arts magazines to be available on iPad. Right now, iPad has about 85% of the tablet market. Kindle requires different digitization, and there's a lot of talk about Nook. But who knows what tomorrow might bring us in technology? In a few years, tablets may be obsolete. Maybe we'll have implants by then. Who knows?

Frankly, as a publisher, it's a ***** to keep up with technology. We haven't even converted all our VHS to DVD and now it's all BRD and VOD. Conversions don't happen for free and for an old product, like back issues (http://www.martialartsmart.com/kungfu-magazine.html), they don't always produce enough income on a new platform to justify the conversion.

All that being said, support us now on Zinio (http://www.zinio.com/browse/publications/index.jsp?productId=500626248&categoryId=cat1970036). That will open doors for all. If you're on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kung-Fu-Tai-Chi-Magazine/135964689362), be sure to 'like' us on Zinio too. That won't cost you anything and it supports our growth there.

[GeneChing]

I'm taking the liberty of changing MK's thread title from 'iPad subscription' to 'Digital Kung Fu Tai Chi for tablets'. I'm not sure when this will affect us, but Zinio is opening up Android next.


Zinio Digital Newsstand Now Available on Android Technology (http://www.foliomag.com/2011/zinio-digital-newsstand-now-available-android-technology)
Offers 24 free issues for Droid users who download app before June 15.
By Stefanie Botelho
05/31/2011

Zinio, the digital newsstand that has previously been available for Apple iOS users, is now entering the Android market.

Zinio can be downloaded on Android tablets, including the Motorola Xoom, LG Optimus Pad, Acer Iconia Tab a500, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Tab 10.1 and S II, the Dell Streak, the Motorola Atriz, T-Mobile G2x and G-Slate.

To drum up interest from Droid users, when Zinio is downloaded before June 15, users will automatically receive 24 free magazine issues. The titles include: AFAR, BlackBook, Cosmopolitan, ELLE DECOR, ELLE, ESPN The Magazine, Esquire, Food Network Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Harvard Business Review, Home Theater, Juxtapoz, Marie Claire, Men's Fitness, Men's Journal, Motor Trend, O, The Oprah Magazine, Outdoor Photographer, Outside, Popular Mechanics, Road & Track, Robb Report, Rolling Stone, Seventeen and Us Weekly.

Interactive features for Marie Claire, Seventeen, Harper’s Bazaar, Harvard Business Review and exclusively digital Zinio sister publication VIVMag such as video, dynamic ads, social connections and search will be available in the upcoming months.

Over 20,000 titles are now available from Zinio for Droid users.

Rich Maggiotto, Zinio CEO and president, says, “In the coming month, we will also be adding other operating systems to the mix to allow Zinio users access to their magazines from all of their devices, as well as introducing new ways to explore and enjoy digital content.”

Earlier this year, David Carey, president of Hearst magazines, said that his magazines are seeing digital edition readers split between those who prefer the “full enhancement” of digital editions seen through the iPad, and others who prefer the PDF-like as offered by Zinio and other digital edition vendors. “We're learning that there's almost like an HD customer and the standard definition customer, and we have to make sure we develop the right products for both,” said Carey.

Zinio’s digital revenue has increased 350 percent in from 2010 to 2011, according to CNNMoney.com.

[Taijiren]

Any idea when the July/Aug issue will be available on zinio? I'm planning on getting a subscription through zinio, but I already have the May/June issue.

Are future issues going to be available the same time the magazine hits the newsstands?

[GeneChing]

We got a little off track for our second issue because of Tiger Claw's KungFuMagazine.com Championship III (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57943) and our own newness to the program. We're working on it this week, and they are pretty quick once it's all approved. I'll announce it on the forum so just stay tuned in.

And in future, the zinio version will come out the same time as the newsstand issue. Thanks for asking!

[Taijiren]

Still no zinio version, huh?

[GeneChing]

Sorry for the delay. We're still working out some of the bugs in our production schedule (plus our tournament (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57943) threw us off this time).

July August is available at Zinio now. (http://www.zinio.com/browse/publications/index.jsp?productId=500626248&categoryId=cat1970036)

[Taijiren]

I've been perusing the July/Aug issue since last week and noticed that quite a few of the chinese fonts are garbled. Hopefully, that can get fixed for the next issue! Other than that, the full color spread looks quite nice on my iPad. Thanks for staying on the fore-front of technology!

[GeneChing]

If you only knew how troublesome Chinese characters can be... ;)

[Taijiren]

Well I, for one, greatly appreciate having the chinese characters in the magazine. Many thanks for all the work you do to put out each magazine!

[GeneChing]

We can't find any problems with the Chinese characters on an iPad. There wasn't anything on our proof version or on examination of the final version (some of our staff have subscribed to double check). Can you email me an example of what you are seeing somehow? Gene@KungFuMagazine.com.

[GeneChing]

Taijiren was kind enough to forward screen shots and we now see what the problem was. There are two major fonts that can do both traditional and simplified characters, SimSun and PMingLiU. In the past, we've alternated in between them. Zinio only accepts SimSun. PMingLiU goes corrupt in this funny way that's almost still legible, but not quite. From now on, we'll be using SimSun exclusively to counteract this problem.

We aren't going to go back and reload the two previous issues. However, if you use the 'text' function available on your iPhone (Taijiren says it's now available on an iPad app too) you can get the original characters.

We're now available on Android too! That deserves it's own thread now, doesn't it?

[LuohanShou]

Hi,
I have seen your answer concerning digitalizing back issues. I would really like to be able to buy some specific older issues, namely the yearly shaolin specials. If it was possible I would really appreciate. I have seen them on MartialArtMart, but shipping cost makes them a bit expensive.
Thanks

[GeneChing]

We may digitize our back issues someday, but unfortunately, it's not financially viable right now. While digitizing is considerably cheaper than print, there still is some investment, and frankly, that won't return quickly enough at this stage.

If you're interested in the Shaolin specials, you should invest in my book, Shaolin Trips (http://www.amazon.com/Shaolin-Trips-Gene-Ching/dp/1424308976/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276188031&sr=1-1), as that encapsulates many of my major contributions to our Shaolin specials.

[GeneChing]

Thanks Violet!

Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine is now on iPad! (http://www.examiner.com/tai-chi-in-national/kung-fu-tai-chi-magazine-is-now-on-ipad)
Violet Li
Tai Chi Examiner
November 16, 2011

Actually, the new electronic version of Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine(KFTC Magazine) is also available on all Android-based tablet PCs, i.e. Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barns & Noble’s Nook, HTC’s Flyer and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab. Furthermore, it is also readable on smart phones and portable devices (e.g. iPod). You can take your Kung Fu Tai Chi magazines with you wherever you go.

As a journalist, watching how newspapers and magazines have been drastically declining and folding in the past decade, it is encouraging to see how this niche publication narrowly focusing on martial arts has swum upwards against the troubled tide of the print media industry. KFTC Magazine is one of the oldest English print media for martial arts. But seniority does not matter. Qi Magazine, Journal of Asian Martial Artsand Inside Kung Fu Magazine all stopped printing. In Feb this year, Borders filed Chapter 11 and closed its stores in July. Borders’ closure severely impacts KFTC Magazine’s distribution since its stores have been one of the largest newsstands for KFTC Magazine.

The management at KFTC Magazine recognized the inevitability of digitization of books and magazines. They researched and finally signed a contract with Zinio. Founded in 2000, Zinio is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in New York, London (U.K.), Paris (France), Barcelona (Spain) and Taipei (Taiwan). It provides sales and distribution of printed material in digital format including magazines, books, catalogs, newsletters and research, and is considered the world's largest newsstand and bookstore in these categories. Its magazine titles in North America include: American Photo, Bloomberg Businessweek, Car and Driver, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, ESPN The Magazine, Foreign Policy, Harvard Business Review, Men’s Journal, Metropolitan Home, Outside, Parenting, PC Mag, Playboy, Reader’s Digest, Redbook, Road & Track, Saveur, Seventeen, The Economist, U.S. News & World Report, Woman’s Day, and many others.

It was easy for me to sign on Zinio and purchase KFTC Magazine on my iPad. There was bonus with my purchase of KFTC Magazine and I got What Digital Camera, India Today, Star, NewScientist, and iPhone Lif for free. These freebies are offered by Zinio so the readers may find them interesting and eventually subscribe to them. The cost of the e-version of KFTC Magazine is the same as ordering print magazine online.

Compared side-by-side, the iPad screen is about 1/3 smaller than the print version. A benefit of an electronic reader is that you can enlarge and zoom any part of the page with your fingertips. KFTC Magazine uses high-resolution pictures; therefore, the details remain sharp when you enlarge a photo. Now you can tell how the martial art experts and masters perform their movements. You can tell the exact footwork or hand grabbing by zooming in on the photo. The Zinio platform provides standard views of the cover, table of the content, a butterfly (2 pages at a time) overview in a glance and individual pages. It also allows the reader to bookmark a page as well as read text only without photos.

Associate Publisher Gene Ching said they are very excited about going digital for a few reasons: all web links are live and they are convenient for readers and advertisers appreciate them. And in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue, KFTC Magazine is adding exclusive embedded video for smart tablets.

As matter of fact, KFTC Magazine’s new move to mobile devices shouldn’t be a surprise. It has a tradition of serving its clients through various venues. On its official website, KungFuMagazine.com, they publish exclusive articles on a weekly basis called E-Zine. They post reviews of martial arts movies on the day that they premiere, which can not be done with its bimonthly print magazine. It hosts the sixth largest martial arts discussion forum on the web, which has become a massive archive of news and information . They do special sweepstakes promotions weekly for the latest DVDs, books and products. They have been very active in social media like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Myspace. You can browse albums of celebrities’ photos and activities on its Facebook site. Three years ago, it started the annual KFTC Magazine & Tiger Claw Championship tournament and has attracted top-notch martial artists from the nation to compete and became a major national competition.

KFTC’s involvement with the martial arts community has expanded beyond their media business. They have provided free uniforms for the U.S. Wushu teams for international competition. They sponsor many local, regional and national martial arts and health related events. In a way, KFTC has been participating and/or developing the martial art community one venue a time and the latest one is the digitization of KFTC Magazine.