I love February! Not only is it a special time for “love,” but we’re also one month closer to summer, my favourite time of year. All the rain and wind the past few months has seemed endless, and with the recent scare of the Tsunami in January, plus fighting my first flu in years, I feel like I have been in lockdown mode. In fact, I’ve caught up on a lot of work, including brainstorming more editorial and promotional ideas for this coming year.
Twenty-eight years ago when I first got into this business – with no real intention of becoming a publisher – I read somewhere that publishers could play at being God. Figuratively speaking, of course! I took that to mean that publishers had absolute control over editorial content (and heaven help anyone who disagreed). The promise of control might be why many people want to be publishers, but what newcomers to the industry don’t realize is that publishing is more complex than that. In the past 18 months readers have become more aware of the power and responsibility that publishers have. With “fake news” to blame for impacting democracy and free debate, it has never been more important that we consider the sources we rely on and the stories we share.
We are confident that Seaside Magazine is a “fake news” free zone though. For us, planning editorial content by understanding our readers has been crucial to our success. I don’t play God with that! The process of choosing seemingly unlikely people and topics to profile, and taking the risk that those articles will be well received, keeps us on our toes and having fun. It’s impossible to please everyone, but we’re always aiming for the right mix of content to keep the majority informed and entertained.
Health and wellness is a theme throughout this issue: writer Jo Barnes interviews five local residents of all ages, getting their real comments about the rewards of regular fitness. Editorial Director, Deborah Rogers, in her column “Deb’s Day Out,” lets Panorama show her some of their new fitness classes; sampling them all in one week! And writer Paula Kully speaks with Move Adaptive Fitness in Victoria, a company focused on empowering people with physical disabilities to achieve their potential.
Keep your eyes peeled in March, as we will celebrate our Seventh Annual Women To Watch contest and coming in the spring we will be debuting our inaugural Kids To Watch Contest too. Don’t forget to send us your feedback on this issue – we love to hear from you!
