Putting away the smile
Special Interest The internet magazine Smile is getting married and is now called Anthrazit.
Special Interest The internet magazine Smile is getting married and is now called Anthrazit. Dotcoms and print media have one thing in common: both have lost their smile in recent years. So it seems only logical that Smile magazine changed its name to Anthrazit in February. Does a dark, cold, metallic color suit an Internet magazine better today? Matthias Zehnder does not accept such gloomy associations. "Anthracite is the most energetic type of coal," interprets the publisher and editor-in-chief. And Anthrazit is moving into the future full of energy: the name change is not just a visual relaunch. Rather, the magazine is to merge with the online community of co-publisher Christian Schwengeler to create a cross-media product.
A lot of online service is important
Smile has also taken its new name from this community. It is not just a website, but offers its members a wide range of services, for example as a data archive, photo gallery, messaging system, etc. Anthrazit online is still in a pilot phase. Membership is free for the time being. Later, five francs per month will be charged. Anyone who recruits new members will be credited points on the platform. Zehnder does not want to estimate how many paying members it will have one day - the system is scalable to over one million users. Smile subscribers have been converted into Anthracite members (and vice versa).
For Matthias Zehnder, the cooperation with the online platform is a necessity. "A magazine without good services on the web is a missed opportunity," he says. Scientific studies have shown that services are the most important thing for web surfers. Simply filling print content online is useless.
The content of Smile/Anthrazit has changed little as a result of the relaunch. Zehnder is continuing on the course he set last fall following a management buyout: providing guidance in digital life. "We are the Betty Bossi of new technologies," jokes Zehnder. Anthracite readers should receive lots of valuable tips on how they can use these technologies to improve their performance - both professionally and privately. Zehnder sees this need not only among readers. The industry needs someone to show consumers the concrete benefits of new products. The mere presentation of technical aspects would no longer reach many buyers. This educational requirement is also reflected in the new name, because "Anthracite", says Matthias Zehnder, "is the blackboard of the Internet."
The internet magazine Smile is now called Anthrazit.
Stefano Monachesi
A lot of online service is important
Smile has also taken its new name from this community. It is not just a website, but offers its members a wide range of services, for example as a data archive, photo gallery, messaging system, etc. Anthrazit online is still in a pilot phase. Membership is free for the time being. Later, five francs per month will be charged. Anyone who recruits new members will be credited points on the platform. Zehnder does not want to estimate how many paying members it will have one day - the system is scalable to over one million users. Smile subscribers have been converted into Anthracite members (and vice versa).
For Matthias Zehnder, the cooperation with the online platform is a necessity. "A magazine without good services on the web is a missed opportunity," he says. Scientific studies have shown that services are the most important thing for web surfers. Simply filling print content online is useless.
The content of Smile/Anthrazit has changed little as a result of the relaunch. Zehnder is continuing on the course he set last fall following a management buyout: providing guidance in digital life. "We are the Betty Bossi of new technologies," jokes Zehnder. Anthracite readers should receive lots of valuable tips on how they can use these technologies to improve their performance - both professionally and privately. Zehnder sees this need not only among readers. The industry needs someone to show consumers the concrete benefits of new products. The mere presentation of technical aspects would no longer reach many buyers. This educational requirement is also reflected in the new name, because "Anthracite", says Matthias Zehnder, "is the blackboard of the Internet."
The internet magazine Smile is now called Anthrazit.
Stefano Monachesi
