That Fresh-Off-the-Press Smell
The final push for print went pretty much as expected, including many consecutive days of twelve- to sixteen-hour stints in the lab (Adam, the art director, had it worse with several full nights in the lab with a nap or two on the couch). And yesterday I held in my hands the payoff: a crisp clean copy of the Flux 2009 print issue, complete with the greatest smell in the world to anyone in print media. It was worth it.
After the print marathon, it took several days, at least, to convince everyone that we weren't done. Not only do we have more work to do, in producing the far larger and no less demanding Web site, but we are now traversing unfamiliar territory. When I say "we," I mean to refer to the publication and myself. The process that "we" are familiar with includes an intensely meticulous editing process involving several devoted editors and designers. Applying this process to the Web production has been a challenge in itself. It's required many adaptations and the willingness to learn as we go and redo work as necessary. With no one repeatedly telling us to dedicate the same time and attention to the Web site as we have for print; with the end of the term, and for many of us, graduation, gloriously in sight; and with the traditional and painful print endeavor behind us, it has required an extra effort to keep ourselves and the rest of the staff on task.
Working online, it's all the easier to press "publish," sparing another round of edits. We, a generation that's seen the Internet through its youth, are accustomed to the Web representing and featuring casually produced content. Yet there is nothing casual about Flux content. And as Flux evolves, strengthening and expanding its Web presence, the process for generating top-notch content will evolve as well. If we've succeeded in creating a renewable template for continuous updates and year-round publishing, then the process by which the content is produced will evolve in the same way: Flux staff can utilize the methods that work, maintain the same dedication to accuracy, and update the process as its medium changes.





Web publishing