MI Pro

I have to confess, when it was first suggested to me that the magazine develops a website, I was a little sceptical. My thinking went along the lines of ‘this is an old fashioned, analog magazine and I don’t want to dilute the brand.’

How wrong I was. Far from detracting from the printed word, the website made MI Pro all the more immediate, giving the magazine a clear lead on all the things happening in the trade in the intervening weeks between publishing dates. Far from diluting the brand, it made it stronger – to the point where, dare I say it, we lead the MI world on news. This in turn makes anticipation of the ‘hard copy’ all the more intense.

April 2008, then, saw the next step in MI Pro’s online evolution. The immediacy is added to through a mobile site, so those out and about and away from their computers can also keep up to date with what is going on through their handsets.

The website itself is now far more involved and detailed. Aside from the news section – which will see even more activity in the future – there is now a product section, which will, day by day over the next year or so become an unparalleled archive for the products launched. Once the site is running to speed, there will also be opportunities for suppliers to announce their endorsers, too, and all sorts of content that would otherwise struggle to get into the magazine.

On top of all of this, those registered with the site have the opportunity to add their comments. Obviously, a degree of decorum is called for here, but with restraint, there is no reason why the site should not become a hub to discuss ideas and opinions.

I am very excited by these developments and I know my team is – and from the fact that a lot of this has come from queries and requests regarding the functioning of the site, I am certain a lot of people in the business will be excited, too.

So, get along to mi-pro.co.uk and start rummaging – and if there is something you think is missing from the content, let me know.