Magazine and Web site – Association

When EEI first engaged with the Society for Technical Communication (STC) the goal was clear – to move to a digital-only offering with a print-on-demand component for both the technical journal (Technical Communication) and the association magazine (Intercom). A decline in membership and stagnant advertising revenues were contributing factors in the decision, as well as the responsibility of the association to offer members greater value through an HTML-based, online publication format.

EEI began the process by redesigning both Intercom and Technical Communication to bring the publications up-to-date with a more current style and better impact.

Both publications are now featured on micro sites, powered by WordPress, that EEI designed and developed. EEI manages the publication workflow and all Web development and maintenance. The sites are packed with features, including a powerful search function, an advertising module, auto-archiving, and more. The enhanced functionality has encourged direct one-on-one interaction with members and has increased revenue generating opporunitites that were not possible in a static print environment.

The sites required custom integration with the IMIS association management system for user privileges.  To have full access to articles and archives, users must be logged in with a username and password. This model is also valuable for search engine optimization.

Technical Notes: Both sites were built in WordPress with a MySQL database and made to correctly display in IE7-8, Safari, FireFox 3-4 and Chrome on PC and Mac. EEI also assists in maintaining the current Web site.