Maura Magazine

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Another one of Ned's pyramid schemes.

I would never claim such credit.

Ah, it's a ponzi schme. I'm in.

Ready to buy all of the subscriptions.

how many long meetings did it take to come up with the name? hahahaha! its catchy though.

So excited.

http://mauramagazine.com/static/css/images/MauraSquare.png

^pertinent

<3

mods plz edit 'maurasquare.png' into thread op

preferably 3x across

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i remember seeing the 'maura magazine' mention on her site a few weeks ago and being like "this better not be a joke!" :)

Subscribed. Very curious to see this when it is launched.

whoa

Okay Whiney's post = A+

Haha it isn't A+ on Zing

before i scrolled down i half expected it to be the odb ascii

i joined. because ned demanded it.

Haha it isn't A+ on Zing

― GIMME SOME REGGAE (DJP), Wednesday, January 2, 2013 5:31 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark

haha yeah i was all o_o

i looked at maurasquare.png too long and i got semantic satiation

what does 'maura' really *mean* maaaaan?

i don't know what this is but i subscribed

http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/maura_johnstons_new_song.php

so I have to have an iOS device to read this? boooo.

She's looking forward to using Maura to branch out a bit

meta

I love one word magazine titles, like Sassy. Of course, let's forget about Talk or George...

Spin is a good one as well, obv.

looking forward to playing the maura fort in 2015

The text size and style on the web app is delightfully huge. I can even read it with my glasses off!

Sorry, iOS app, not web

what you mean the ios app that you can find at http://maura.com/app ???

(sorry everybody)

hooray!

can you get this if you don't have an iphone/ipad? i don't know how apple apps work...

nope

bummer

but like can i get it on my macbook?

:(

still nope

:(

yeah it's a bummer but I can understand it - much easier to paywall on a iOS device than on the web

I think people who have subscripts can still share articles though? or something, idk

can't believe i have to own one of the most common pieces of technology in media to read this thing that appeals primarily to people in the media

i'm stapling printouts at kinko's right now, send $3 to Maura Zine, PO Box #454

i'm burning it to DVD-Rs right now, will be mailing free copies to those who want one

so not owning a specific brand of smartphone is somehow "backwards" to you lot? smh

i've chosen not to go for an iphone for several reasons, primarily because i can't fucking stand touchscreens

can't believe i have to own one of the most common pieces of technology in media to read this thing that appeals primarily to people in the media

I'm just sad that I can't read it! Nobody is being incredulous itt as far as I can see, just disappointed.

i've chosen not to go for an iphone for several reasons, primarily because i can't fucking stand touchscreens

― lex pretend, Sunday, January 13, 2013

posts very much in character etc etc

Likewise, would purchase but don't have the correct device to read it on.

maybe an android version will come out soon ... hahahahahaha *falls over and dies*

droid

Get in!!!!

according to maura there's an android version in the works and very tentative possible plans for a print version. I do think its silly there's no web version with a standard paywall.

android is a bugger because of all the versions and screen variants and etc etc. probably quite simple for a print venture of this kind though.

the app itself is very simple—probably too much so. first thing I wanted to do was make the text smaller, but there's no setting anywhere. also I subscribed, but I can't get to issue 2, and there's a 'your subscription has expired' message in the corner. probably just teething problems, I dunno. haven't read anything yet, only just woke up, geez.

subscription appears to be okay now, but the 'expired' message is still there, and it's still nagging me to subscribe. hmm.

btw i wouldn't have known about this magazine without lex's pvmic. cheers lex.

I had to restore the app to get it to register my subscription and let me have the second issue.

same, but the 'expired' message is still there ON IPHONE and ipad. app works though (apart from the nag pop-up).

AA go to back issues then restore and that should be your problems

SOLVE your problems

sorry, we are still working through some bugs

and thanks to everyone who's already subscribed! an android version is far off if it ever comes, but there'll be supplemental content on the web site (and we'll eventually unlock some pieces there as well)

Just caught up on both issues. Loved Michele Catalano's piece in particular.

i am among the iphoneless, but i cheer maura on from under my rock. :-)

the reissue interview in issue 2 was really fascinating stuff.

thanks so much everybody <3

Haven't read the thread yet. Does this magazine feature a column with advice on Dating In These Mixed-Up Times Whilst Maintaining Yr Independence Of Thought?

Sorry

Ha ha.

Maybe you could ask luna to write it.

Anyway, looking forward to upgrading my phone so I can listen to this.

I can't tell if you're making fun of me or not.

No, I'm making fun of the same thing you are complaining about on the other thread. But couldn't figure out how to signal that, don't know if there is an emoticon.

No ipad or iphone here, but if this is ever distributed via print/pdf, I'll subscribe.

/laughingwithyounotatyou

#letmaurapaywall

No ipad or iphone here

whiney's gonna zing ya

thanks everyone <3 (and thanks teardrop! i am just feeling SEN-SI-TIV-I-TYYYY about dating stuff atm)

ha damn i was sitting here all day thinking i'd be able to get it onto my ipod but i can't :(

oh no what's the prob

tbh i have no idea what i'm talking about -- i don't have a tablet/smartphone but when i saw it was on the itunes store i was like "oh cool i guess i can put this on my ipod" and then when i got there and everything was iphone this and ipad that i was like "oh guess not"

iphone this ipad that where fugees at

anything that can go on the iphone should be able to go on an ipod touch?

i have an old school ipod though

man i was really disappointed i couldn't get this on my walkman

http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u112496/gordon-gekko-RS.jpg

my apologies for focusing on the negative aspects of the app, maura: i was in a belting hurry this morning (i've only just wrapped up seven hours straight in meetings) and didn't have a chance to provide better feedback.

- the app focuses heavily on the content rather than ~being clever~, so in that regard it's closer to marco arment's excellent 'the magazine' than 90% of the hyper-functional look-what-i-can-do dross available in the newsstand. i really like that you just go straight to articles, with no other crap all over the screen.

- i initially had a bit of trouble finding my way to the list of issues on the ipad. tapping the bar on the left is dead easy once i discovered what it's there for, but until then i was sort of jabbing all about the screen hoping something would happen.

- the font size is slightly too big for me, but i'm on a full-size ipad, and i imagine most ipad mini users would be right at home with the size that you chose. that's apple's fault imo.

in all honesty i think it's bloody fantastic. congratulations for getting so much right on day one.

re the subscription thing (thanks for the tip): restoring my subscription is how i activated the subscription that i had paid for, but for a while afterwards i still got (a) the 'your subscription has expired' message and (b) the 'would you like to subscribe?' pop-up. to clear that pop-up i needed to tap 'read free issue'. it seems to have fixed itself now, but it took a while for that to happen.

i develop software for educators, so non-tech ux is a big focus for me atm, hence this brain dump. hopefully some of it is helpful to you. right now i'm just looking forward to sitting down with the magazine and doing some actual reading.

'Potentially Damaging Content' according to Work's net nanny software.

this is better than "the magazine" because despite being a great app "the magazine" is not a great "magazine" imho

Autumn, thank you for the detailed feedback! I'll send it along.

haha, I should have punctuated properly for a change.

s1ocki otm. arment's format and ui are great, but too often the content is somewhere between boring and sterile. i didn't renew my subscription despite the price. so far i've only read a couple of maura magazine pieces, but already there's more invested emotion and depth than anything arment commissioned imo (although to be fair the audiences are fairly different).

i let mine renew a bunch of times out of laziness, but then i got around to actually reading the pieces, and they really are just a bunch of blog entries. the writing and editing are pretty mediocre. (this is "the magazine" i'm talking about here, just to be clear). looking forward to reading more of maura's. i mean, of maura.

kind of off-topic but in case ya'll didn't see it

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2013/01/the_intercept_by_law_order_creator_dick_wolf_reviewed.html

s1ocki: I'd not thought about it that way but you're dead right. arment plans to increase the quality and depth of what he publishes, so we're probably being unfair to him in month two, but I still think his model is stronger than his content. the first maura magazine is far more enjoyable to read, and (as you indicated) doesn't read like a series of blog entries.

(I should point out that my focus is on the *editorial* difference—michele catalano has contributed to both, for example)

ehh, if he's charging, and has about five issues out already, i'm not inclined to give him that much more benefit of the doubt, which is why i cancelled.

in case you like unwound the new issue has an oral history of the band

maura, a significant problem with your magazine is that I have no time to read it. please fix asap

<3

i guess i work for the magazine and all but this week's issue is really fantastic imo

YES FINE KEEP TEASING US ANDROIDS

that unwound piece is so goddamn good

It's extremely good. One thing I love about the magazine in general is how perfect it is for me when it comes bus rides home from work in the afternoon.

I am not gonna buy an iPhone just to read this thing. Someone email me PDFs.

*throws tantrum*

*throws phone*

easy, Naomi

we're figuring out alternative distribution methods! believe me i and my writers/editors want as much of your money as possible

Hi Maura! I really like yr magazine a lot!!

The articles are the perfect size, the issues are easily digestible without feeling skimpy or too short, and reading them while I sip my morning tea has become a welcome addition to my morning routine.

was disappointed the article on "Ted" wasn't about TED, but instead novelty twitter accounts (and not good ones).

thank you so much for reading guys <3

It's great!

I apologize for the self-serving question but I figured people might want to know: can we pitch you with story ideas?

andy beta piece about dub and football is something else

maura magazine, alone among all magazine, takes no pitches. stories are assigned directly from the archangel Azazel who writes their synopses with fire on beaches along the red sea.

This is how it should be!

was disappointed the article on "Ted" wasn't about TED, but instead novelty twitter accounts (and not good ones).

― s.clover, Thursday, January 31, 2013 10:41 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

haha i had the exact opposite reaction

*adds 'post about page' to to-do list*

was disappointed the article on "Ted" wasn't about TED, but instead novelty twitter accounts (and not good ones).

― s.clover, Thursday, January 31, 2013 10:41 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

haha i had the exact opposite reaction

― max, Friday, February 1, 2013 6:10 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ditto

i'm gonna write something on spec goddammit

maura can i ilxmail you? i think i found a special bug

http://www.photogic.com/wp-content/uploads/nice-angry-insect.jpg

Worth mentioning this week's NPR Planet Money broadcast on the subscription model for blogs, which primarily featured Andrew Sullivan's new paywall, but had a substantial sidebar on Maura.

you can drop me a line at maura at maura dot com

i am already like a month behind : /

me too. i'd be more inclined to keep up with this if the issues were like 450 mb each, because i'd have to read them to make space on my ipad (e.g. fast company, which i am not renewing because the issues are like 450 mb each)

in fact, if you want reliable ipad readership your issues should all be 7 gb

I am going to send a pitch to maura at maura dot com

i hope it's a knuckleball

that your way of calling me a knucklehead pal

peut-être

We are having a party tomorrow if you want to come:

https://www.facebook.com/events/499804880056960/

working a show, but there in spirit

hope to see you in a few days!

Here is a snazzy web form for submissions, should you feel so inclined:

https://mauramagazine.submittable.com/submit

Nonfiction only please!!

:-D

by popular demand: the web version

http://mauramagazine.com/

I wouldn't say it's a blogsite exactly, it's Maura Magazine.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/10/4506824/maura-johnston-on-why-she-opened-her-ipad-only-magazine-to-the-web

hey I have a comment/suggestion -- I notice the article links on the main page only have the often enigmatic story titles, with no subheader or anything to tell you what the story is about. That might make some people less likely to read the articles (unless your hope is to *intrigue* people into clicking without knowing what they're getting into). I would be more likely to read stuff on the site with a better idea of what the articles are about before clicking.

thanks! there are subheads on the issue pages:
http://www.mauramagazine.com/issue/51d1713bc873d91318a36926/spangle

ah cool, so it wasn't a style choice then, in which case I think it would help to have them on the main page too if that can be made to work

Maura, it seems like people who aren't in the US/Can/Aus can't subscribe yet, is this right?

You should be able to!

tugboat yards' payment system only recognises three countries ;_;

God, the comments on that Verge article. People are the worst.

Don't read comments

Does anyone else besides me see ILX as one big comment thread sometimes

just the threads you're on

i saw that coming.

that's what she said

i am going to look into this!

also, lol @ tech guys who think 'maura magazine' is less of an 'egotistical' name than 'THE MAGAZINE.' i'm so sad i don't have a software developer cult of personality u_u

(jk i'm not)

(sad i mean)

lol @ men forever though, i mean what

u made stewie vomit

So, from that interview above, it seems that there is going to be a print version available? Still no ipad/iphone so excited if that's the case.

I like the name

Yes, eventually! Also you can read mauramagazine.com on any browser

congrats on yr magazine maura

congrats on yr maura magazine

congrats on your mauragzine

congrats on your maurgaritas

I can add countries to the checkout. Can you let me know where you're coming from?

uk!

no man, like where are you <i>coming</i> from, you dig?

lol

awesome news btw maura, congrats

(just saw via ned on fb)

thank you :) :) :)

Just subscribed. Enjoyed ghost rider's insider insights into the 'Mats and learned a new word from some dude.

haha wait which word

hyperacusis

as copy editor i totally missed that word, and i'm glad it's real

When I highlighted the word the dictionary in the app did not recognize it

I'm SAD it's real (obv. I get your point, but). It's why Jason DiEmilio of the Azusa Plane killed himself.

as copy editor i totally missed that word, and i'm glad it's real

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, September 3, 2013 9:19 PM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lmao <3

some chino xl dude

yo ship I rly liked yr article!! the whole "imagine if you had to spend the rest of yr life w/ ppl you hung out w/ for a while in your 20s bit and everyone gave you shit about it" was kind of a whoa moment

yeah that was good

btw how do i remove old issues from my ipad?

Speaking of which, iPhone app is constantly trying to log into iTunes. Which is presumably how I bought issue 36 already.

Yeah, that thing Stevie just quoted from some dude was great.

Maura: What Happened?

Is this like bi-monthly now?

new issue coming out today; maura had a bit of a hiccup with her whole move to boston

we're back <3

Hey Maura are there hidden settings for yr app anywhere? Bcz it's deleting all the issues I download when I close the app (so I have to redownload it every time I want to read it) and I have like 1+ GB free on my iPhone so I don't think it's doing it automatically

I don't think so, but I'll send this along to the tech team! Thanks.

could you email supp✧✧✧@2✧.i✧? thanks!

support at 29 dot io

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hic-dnps6MU

hey is this still happening bcz I keep getting billed for it but not receiving any new issues and if it's not I wanna stop the autobilling

^^^

same

there is a new issue coming in the next 24 hours, and the editor's note will explain what's going on in the future.
sorry about the myriad delays, all of which are my fault. i appreciate you sticking by me.
x

whatever more like maura SCAM-azine

:,(

more like MAURA YOUR MONEY IN MY POCKET SUCKERS

don't you have an EMP presentation about Chris Ott to write?

LEAVE MAURA ALONE

first Mt. Gox, then this. have i nowhere safe to invest, i ask, nowhere?

the "satire" itt is so much worse than the posts honestly asking what's up

honestly i'm #teammaura and i don't really care what happens to my $$ for the mag and i figure she'll do us right one way or another.

and i suspect that's _everyone_ in this thread. but its much less fun to just say that.

is there satire itt?

I mean I of course am totally #teammaura as well and wanna support it but I also just wanna know what's going on when there's like a month and a half of silence for what was previously a weekly thing

?

She's on twitter

And...

http://www.mauramagazine.com/issue/5318c8efc873d91fb3ee9306/reset

there have been 39 issues? that's pretty good

woohoo

thanks everyone—this was actually ready friday but we had some backend tweaking to do.

thank you for being so patient and supportive.

salute

:)

special shout out to brad nelson for being the rock of this whole operation

good job maura

The editor's note really resonated with me, Maura. Thanks.

awesome! glad to see it back. thanks for all your hard work!

This is great!

that's a really moving, well-written statement beneath the "reset" title on the webpage that ned linked.

I really dig the graphic for the cover. Glad yr back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDGsh-Hrxho

hey everyone has been so supportive and nice. i am really bad about talking about my actual feelings in public so this means a lot. thank you <3

Some news!

Proud to announce that Brad Nelson will be stepping in as the Managing Editor of Maura Magazine, and we will be publishing 1-2 issues per month over the next year, beginning with our long-gestating George Michael issue, which should drop in the next few days. We WILL be producing additional content to make up for all the non-content we produced last year. If you have any story ideas you'd like to contribute to the magazine, feel free to pitch Brad : brad. david. nelson @ gmail. com

I know a lot of people have (reasonably) let their subscriptions lapse so if you're interested in joining us for the next year + beyond here is the usual place to subscribe/renew: http://www.mauramagazine.com

Cool

congrats

I read that at first as "long-gyrating George Michael issue"

well i guess that would be nice

it is also long-gyrating

Brad only accepts pitches via gyrations.

Hips don't lie

(y)

http://blaria.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/412x228_george-michael-sexy-dancing2.gif

New issue, youse:

http://www.mauramagazine.com/issue/537cf406c873d91fb3ee934e/hard_day

Ooh ok I've resubscribed

back in the high life again

i'm very proud of this issue but i regret that no one wrote about his cover of "i can't make you love me"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg2wk-Gyvr8

Fantastic issue! Great writing throughout, and the fanfic was priceless.

thank you!

Has there been a new issue since the George Michael one? Due to my switching credit cards and forgetting to update it on iTunes, my subscription may have gone a bit wonky (I have since updated my info and tried to refresh for updates...)

A GM supplemental issue came out Friday and there's another one on the docket this week.

is it still gyrating?

I need to send you guys some pitches, are there any more theme issues coming up or is it freeform

taking pitches for a "what a fool believes" theme issue, not sure when I'll schedule that as I've only received one pitch so far

Is that a loose theme or literally an entire issue about the song? Because that is like my favoritest song ever.

literally an entire issue about the song ideally. feel like it's rich enough

do you have a feature about the clones that hit the chart 1979-81?

Steal Away?

i will absolutely pitch you about "what a fool believes."

that's one of them!

New issue, "Convalesce" -- I am slightly biased in that it contains my debut piece for the magazine.

http://mauramagazine.com/issue/54e7b8e7c873d9651bfbffe6/convalesce

Sometimes bias is okay. This is my debut, too.

so psyched to have you guys in the issue

thanks man

An article about Lilys - Eccsame the Photon Band! That's one of my favorite records ever.

I kinda want Maura to see this:
https://vimeo.com/133428328

I forgot to post the latest issue, in which I have an essay:

http://mauramagazine.com/issue/55919bdaada6e2242cb6eb74/foolish

ooh yes Gizmodgery

The Party!

would be curious to hear a maura's thoughts on this as i associate you with next-gen writing/publishing some kinda way
http://www.theawl.com/2015/09/dox-dox-dox-ii-the-doxxing

Mary H.K. Choi has a suggestion: “Nobody become a writer unless your side hustle is finance or your parents are rich.”

the other day i saw a bumper sticker that said "SURFING SUCKS, DON'T TRY IT"

^ this has become more or less the standard info regarding "i want to be a writer" that I've heard from more or less every writer i know and yet they're all still writers, go figure

― Meta Forksclove-Liebeskind (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, September 9, 2015 1:56 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

well think about it, what ulterior motive might they have

they have a side hustle in finance?

tbh, i assume the reason most contemporary freelance pop culture writers write is because they enjoy having the finished product to look at / enjoy getting paid to be clever / enjoy the writing process to some degree / enjoy having their say
those have been major motivators for me when i dabble but i can't imagine writing for a living; freelancing is hard enough piecing together a budget when you have multi-month contracts

i respect the fuck outta anybody who does it; you're all astronauts to me

lol i definitely balance my freelance writing with a day job and suspect i'd die if i ever went completely freelance

I live by Wallace Stevens' stray remark about why he likes jobs: "After all, I like Rhine wine, blue grapes, good cheese, endive and lots of books as well as supreme fiction."

lol i definitely balance my freelance writing with a day job and suspect i'd die if i ever went completely freelance

I've done it for a few months at a stretch. Back in 2008-2009 I did it for almost two years, but that was back when I was able to collect unemployment for 96 weeks. That helped a lot. These days, forget it. I have a full time job that has nothing to do with either music or journalism, and I write about whatever I feel like, whenever the mood strikes (which it mostly doesn't).

i really hate pitching stuff. which is why i don't pitch stuff. and why i don't write more. i pretty much only write if someone asks me to. and that doesn't happen very often. but 85% of the good stuff i've ever done has come about because someone asked me to do it. so, it works for me. i'm like the slow food movement of rock crit.

i almost never pitch either, it feels awful

I do pitch but it does feel awful every time

i freelanced A LOT when i had a 9-5 which feels pretty crazy in retrospect, but i also didn't have a kid then. now, i have a non-9-5 job that ends up leaving me with lots of little pockets of free time to get writing done, but i also have kids, so i'm kind of handicapped a +1 and a -1 that even out. but now i kind of only write what i want -- the ideas i'm too excited to not see through, or the assignments that pay too well to turn down -- and i'm happy w/ that. bouncing between writing and a different kind of work makes me enjoy both more, i think if i only wrote i would enjoy it less.

Social media presence has def helped the reception of my pitches, but it's thanks to a full time job that I can do this shit. I will never underestimate having the sort of job with uninterrupted computer time for a couple hours a day.

related: http://priceonomics.com/the-priceonomics-freelance-writing-program-s1000

sorry to clog the maura thread up with "the difficulties and wonders and challenges of being a freelance writer in the aughties"; is there a better thread?
should i maybe make one?

do freelancers all have day jobs to provide their income?

side note: why is that site called "priceonomics"? That just seems like a weirdly redundant coinage, it's like saying "Relitheology"

thx for that curmudgeon, reposting.

Air Supply? Really? Haha :)

?

new issue in a week if everything comes together. thanks anyone who has held onto their subscriptions (they're going down in price bc of the intense delays i experienced all last year (and this year so far lol) in getting issues out)

Sorry for cryptic post. Maura was just on the CBC 20 mins ago discussing that particular Antipodean atrocity.

ah lol