As digital media becomes more prevalent and accessible, many print publications are looking to expand their readership and popularity by adding online content to their pre-existing material. The publishers of newspapers, magazines, and books are all trying to find ways to keep up with digital media while maintaining their roots as print publications.

Many monthly magazines have added an online component to their publications. As readers spend less and less time with actual copies of magazines, editors have started adding more content to the magazines’ corresponding websites. In addition to putting some of their published articles on their sites, these magazines also have online-only features like experts’ blogs, tips, and more.

Self, a monthly women’s magazine owned by Conde Nast, has a series of blogs that can be accessed through their website, Self.com. Readers can browse the musings of Editor-in-Chief Lucy Danziger, see how a registered dietician eats on the Eat Like Me blog, or grab fitness tips on the fitness blog. Additionally, Self offers the 2009 Self Challenge on their website, a way for readers to shape up and eat better. This challenge can only be accessed through self.com and encourages readers to sign up and look around the site. By signing up, readers are also able to access community forums, rate articles, and create their own blogs.

Self promotes reading the magazine in conjunction with using the website, thus building up a strong digital following. Many other magazines, from Glamour to Men’s Health, are using similar strategies to extend their success to digital media.

With the recent popularity of Twitter, some publications are “tweeting” to garner an online following. Marie Claire, a Hearst publication, has been posting on Twitter since January to help readers keep tabs on what is going on at the magazine. The publication’s use of Twitter has also allowed for a dialogue between editors and readers—the editors respond to questions asked on Twitter, and Marie Claire also accepts pitches through Twitter. By using this feature, Marie Claire has made itself more accessible to a wide range of people using new forms of media, and has made the internet an integral component of its magazine.

Newspapers are also adding online features. At Washingtonpost.com, readers can register for free to view the current issue of The Washington Post as well as previously published articles. Additionally, readers can sign up for mobile alerts and RSS feeds to stay on top of the news.

While reading an actual newspaper is still the traditional way to get the news, using a website allows The Washington Post the chance to give people articles and ads geared toward their specific demographic. This personalized version of the news makes it easier for people to find out what is going on in their area. The website also provides a simple way to find archived articles without having to dig through piles of newsprint.

With a corresponding website, newspapers can update the news frequently, give the public access to information immediately, and continue to deliver the newspaper every morning, supporting the tradition of reading the morning paper with a cup of coffee. Newspapers are finding the balance between print and digital by catering to old-fashioned readers and media-savvy individuals at the same time.

eBook readers such as Amazon’s Kindle also add a dimension to the digital transition. The Kindle, a device roughly the size of a paperback book, not only allows readers to download books to read on its screen, but it also offers the ability to subscribe to newspapers and magazines, so your morning newspaper can be waiting for you when you wake up every morning. With features like receiving blog updates straight to your device and getting magazine subscriptions delivered as soon as they are published instead of waiting for them to appear on newsstands, the Kindle is quickly gaining popularity. Although some die-hard readers complain about losing the feeling of reading a physical newspaper with coffee in the morning, many people are enjoying the features that Kindle has to offer.

In the reviews on Amazon, one customer says, “This thing has changed my life. I went from avid reader to voracious…Yes, I still read ‘normal’ books, magazines, and newspapers—the Kindle is another option that has expanded my reading world.” Readers like Kindle are not replacing physical magazines and newspapers, but instead are helping them make the transition to a more digital world.

Print media has been around for years. As far back as the invention of the printing press in 1450 AD, printed words have been a central part of human life. Print media is still feeling out its position in the digital world. Many publications are experimenting with ways to incorporate digital aspects into their current endeavors without losing readership, and so far, audiences are jumping on board. If things continue this way, the transition from print to digital media does not have to mean the end of the written word, just its transformation.