But First, a Little History When it comes to new approaches to publishing, I’ve had more great conversations with talented web folks than I can count. When talk turns to the topic of newspapers and magazines, I find a little context can be invaluable for those unfamiliar with life inside periodicals. So I wrote a little piece for A List Apart to help with just that. It’s a brief survey of the history involved, focusing on what the web did (and did not) change for those companies.

Right now publishing is filled with untapped potential—especially for those of us arriving at it from non-traditional backgrounds. I want to see more of us getting involved. To do that, we need to familiarize ourselves with the turf.

If you happen to be swinging through the Midwest this October, grab a ticket for re:build 2012. I’ll be speaking more about this topic there, along with a bunch of super-talented presenters covering a whole host of fun stuff.