Editor’s note: This is the first story in a series.

The advent of computer communications have thrust many traditional forms of communication into a new state of being. One such form is the magazine, which has found a home on the computer network called the World Wide Web.

Charles Platkin is the publisher of an online magazine named The Biz, an example of this new publishing style. The Biz caters to a wide audience, focusing on the entertainment industry. “We want to be a one-stop site on the Web: a gateway to the entertainment world online,” Platkin said. “We’re a comprehensive source of industry news, information and resources.”

The Biz was originally slated as a print magazine, Platkin said, but its publishers soon decided against that. “Many Web publications are hampered by the magazine metaphor,” he said. “The Web opens up so many new possibilities that you really shouldn’t let your thinking be confined to restrictions of traditional print publishing.”

Another magazine that has taken the jump into the WWW is a Des Moines-based magazine. Brew and its online counterpart, The Real Beer Page, offer an overview of micro-breweries in the Midwest and across the country.

“It’s a travel magazine,” publisher Don Walsmith said. “Here in the Midwest we’re not that informed with what is happening on either coast. Part of our mission is to educate and bring people into a new and better flavor.”

According to Walsmith, Brew was intended only as a print magazine, but thanks to a “bold and adventuresome” spirit, ended up premiering as a WWW magazine as well. Both Brew and The Real Beer Page have been in publication since February.

“It’s an exploding industry,” Walsmith said. When the opportunity to gain exposure through the WWW arose, it was too good to refuse. Walsmith attributed increased sales of Brew to successful exposure on the WWW. Brew now has a circulation of approximately 20,000.

Platkin agreed that the World Wide Web is a magazine’s godsend. “Originally we planned The Biz as a traditional print publication, but we soon realized that it didn’t make sense,” Platkin said.

“For reasons of environment, cost and practicality, we realized that the Internet was a publisher’s dream come true.”

Walsmith emphasized that Brew doesn’t hesitate to place their full articles and other features on The Real Beer Page. Many other on-line magazines simply have graphics and subscription information, Walsmith said.

Publishers can offer readers real video, animation and sound clips at the click of a button, something a traditional print magazine cannot do. “We’re a combination of Variety, Premiere, Rolling Stone, Billboard and CNN, but with an interactive element,” Platkin said.

The Biz is currently negotiating with Reuters news service to feature a live news feed 24 hours a day, Platkin said. “We want to create an environment that goes beyond straight interviews, incorporating film clips, audio samples, photographs … and links to other relevant sites,” Platkin said.

Some examples of well-known print magazines that have made the move into computers are Sports Illustrated, Playboy and People Weekly.

Yahoo, a WWW index, lists more than 40 different magazine categories ranging from music, to genealogy, to aviation. Some of these magazines have hardcopy counterparts, others are available on CD-ROM, while some are purely an electronic publication.

The Real Beer Page and The Biz are available at http://realbeer.com and http://www.bizmag.com, respectively. The Yahoo index is at http://www.yahoo.com.