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If you have decided to publish an online magazine here are some pointers that will guide in you.
Options
Find a publisher that fits your needs. Scour the internet and research before you settle. Much as Scribd may dabble in magazine publishing too, theire main forte is educational materials such as books and reports.
The other free and by far the most popular publisher is issuu.com. Popular because it is free. They however keep the magazine in their own archives which means it can be lost and might affect you later with copyright issues. With free things of course comes the fact that as someone reads your mag issuu can advertise on some side-bar and generally the interface is on a minimum. Finally, issuu’s user experience is not as awesome as the paid-up ones.
Features
Make sure your mag looks awesome and can flip pages in the realest way possible. This is just a matter of aesthetics because the content really doesn’t change but then it means a big deal to the reader.
There are softwares which you buy once and from then onwards you can publish without worrying about monthly charges. You have the software on your machine once it is downloaded meaning you can use your mag offline in case of a presentation.
Features vary from the flipping to interactive images and even allowance for music. Someone can open the page on Mt. Longonot and immediately Enya plays, taking the reader back to Lord of the Rings.
Promotion
Just like most things online, you have to promote your magazine on social media and email once it has been published. Your chances of publishing in future, especially for money, is based on how many people have glanced at your magazine. They are called impressions. They are very important.
Finally, blogs and websites still get more traffic than magazines. However, this is a matter of time.