Title:
The Development of an Online Success Story: A Case from the Magazine
Publishing Industry
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to provide a holistic exploration
of the motives and success factors of a magazine website. The discussion
is based on an explorative case study of a successful Finnish magazine website.
Our case illustrates that a magazine website supports all the three functions
(editorial, circulation and advertising) that are vital to a magazine’s success.
We propose that the magazine discussion forums (one type of virtual community)
benefited from the positive feedback that resulted in positive network effects,
and led to the adoption of the service. Moreover, community activities have
enhanced customer loyalty and added a more lifelike dimension to the magazine
concept. As such, the website now complements rather than substitutes the
print magazine.
Authors: Hanna-Kaisa Ellonen and
Olli Kuivalainen