Online press vs classic publications

Claire Watt-Smith, the Founder and CEO of BoBelle London, attended the Sketchbook Magazine pop-up magazine shop last week in Carnaby Street. Suzie, aka Style Bubble, attended and there was lots of banter over which is better: online press or classic publications? So, which is better? Do you still read glossy magazines with a hot cup of tea or glass of wine curled up on the sofa? Or are you more of a read-me-now online type of gal? I think the truth is that both men and women peruse online portals, such as newspapers and perhaps blogs whilst 'surfing', but deep down we do still like traditional books and magazines too.


So which do you think you prefer or take note of? Well that is certainly very much a personal preference. Can you picture the country without magazines and books? Lying in bed with your i-pad rather than Red magazine or a good Penny Vincenzi novel? It certainly feels strange even contemplating it, but that doesn't mean it won't happen of course. Remember box-tv's? Cassettes? VCR's? Industrial-sized computers? Classic massive Volvos? They all are now either obsolete or getting there...so what about books and magazines? Is the Internet really the way forward forever? It has been said that magazines sway towards featuring those brands that take up advertising space, but what about online? Bloggers are making a fortune writing articles about brands, but are they too being swayed by freebies and such-like? Is there such a thing about honest publicity? Also, the issue here is perhaps the cost of the publication. How often do you recoil at the fact at having to pay for online content? This is extremely difficult for publication houses and a huge debate at the moment....


For BoBelle London we find that classic publication features in magazines and newspapers work better for us. This is not to say that online is not great, it is for browsing, but with over 80,000 new websites being launched on a daily basis, it is extremely hard getting one's brand out to the masses. Still, we think that word-of-mouth and taking part in events and shows helps massively, too. Let's face it, we are not all wanting to solely read online and not converse with friends and families. We like to share opinions and chat freely. Is writing online the same? We don't think so, what about you?

Reading online:



or reading by print: