Before everyone had their own blog, Twitter account and Flickr page, the way to express yourself was with your own zine (short for magazine and usually produced via a copy machine at Kinkos). Though it’s much cheaper these days to get your point of view across electronically, that doesn’t mean zines no longer have a role to play. If you are a zine writer, editor, or even an enamored reader, We Make Zines is the social network for you.
Lest you think zines have gone the way of the 8-track, check out the forums of We Make Zines. The more than 500 members of the network are discussing the zines they make themselves, retired zines they’d like to see make a comeback and the best books on zines. The forums are limited only to specifically talking about zines. The zine culture was — and still is — heavily connected with music, so there are mixtape (er, CD?) exchanges to get involved with as well.
It isn’t an either/or. You can publish both online and in print, and the vibrancy of the We Make Zines network (and its associated blog posts) is a testament to the ability of zine authors to thrive in both mediums. If you make zines, or want to start, then take a break from the photo copier, and join We Make Zines!
About the Author:
Laura Oppenheimer – who has written 386 posts on Ning's Official Blog on Social Networking Sites.
