According to Dictionary.com an e-zine is “a magazine or newsletter published in electronic form, especially on a website.” Also, according to Wikipedia it states that “Magazines typically have editors oe editorial boards who review submission and perform quality control function to ensure that all material meets the expectations of the publishers (those investing time or money in its production) and the readership.” So one way to distinguish an ezine from a newsletter is to check out its approach to the editorial control of the publication.
Magazines that are published on a website are considered to be webzines. However, for this topic of Ezines and Newsletters we will look at some of the subtleties that make ezines different than newsletters. However, many consider ezines and newsletters to be the same, but there are some differences.
When I think about ezines I think magazines, of sorts. Electronic magazines cater to audiences interested in entertainment topics while Newsletters, on the other hand cater more to an audience on the subjects of business and other issues. Ezines are more available for public viewing where as newsletters are more for groups and members of a specific industry or organization.
Ezines are considered to have character traits that are defined by the length and number of its articles. They are considered to be longer than that of newsletters and thought to also contain more articles. Just as you would receive magazines in the mail, think about all the content they contain. Magazines often advertise, promote and market to the general public.
Through out the years of change on the internet, the word ezine and newsletter has become interchangeable. Now a days people create newsletters for the same basic reasons that an ezine would be created. The tactics are the same.
However, in my opinion an ezine has more to do with advertising, promoting and marketing than a newsletter should. If you want to do marketing and advertising electronically, then I would consider your newsletter to be an ezine. The stories featured in an ezine are usually entertaining and you get to read the full story. Therefore, as mentioned above, the stories included in an ezine are longer than the articles in a newsletter.
When you subscribe to and receive an ezine you can expect to spend some time reading the contents of the publication. You will browse through the advertisements, consider the promotions and realize the marketing of products in general.
Another thing about an ezine is that it lends it self well for photographs of products or even services. If you have a lot of photos to be included in your publication then considering it an ezine is the best way to go. Ezines are usually balanced between content and photos where as newsletters are basically more about content and driving traffic to a website. It is not a necessity for a newsletter to include photos or even advertising, promotion and marketing.
Now, when it comes down to where we are today in the electronic age, there is little difference between an ezine and newsletter. The newsletter industry has bridged over to include characteristic of ezines and even vice versa. Ezines are also adopting some of the newsletter characteristics as well.
Remember ezines are more for entertaining, marketing, promoting, and advertising, whereas a newsletter is for reporting news of a company or organization.
Just as some people see the glass half full and others half empty; so it is with ezines and newsletters. Some people do treat ezines differently than newsletters and yet there are those who consider them to be the same.
References
Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 23 Jul. 2011.
Wikipedia, The free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezine
