I’ve worked in print for close to twenty years now. Back in the early 90s, I started a magazine that I printed on my very expensive laser printer. Later, I edited magazines that you could walk into a bookstore and buy that were printed full color by real honest-to-god printing presses. I’ve co-authored books.

I’ve had my hands dirty with ink. They’ve been cut by the pulp of dead trees.

So why am I kind of happy that print is dying?

Because I still publish, that’s why.

I’ve been thinking about print since Seth Godin wrote an article called When Newspapers Are Gone, What Will You Miss?. Bottom line is - not much, really.

So, that got me thinking. Then about an hour ago, I posted an article on The Huffington Post called The Amazing Effects Of Benjamin Button, talking about the visual effects in the Brad Pitt / David Fincher film. I’ve written lots of articles about visual effects in the past but this time I got to do something I’d never been able to do when I was editing magazines about computer graphics.

I stuck some video right smack dab in the middle of the article.

You see, I went down to visual effects house Digital Domain last week and shot an interview with Button’s character supervisor - a very nice, smart guy named Steve Preeg. I edited it, added titles and a clip Paramount sent me and created a 2 minute film that explains certain things much better than just a written article could.

Them I integrated it into the article. You read a bit, then watch the YouTube video I embedded, then read some more. I also included links to a more techincal piece another website had done about the film and even to a video of a performence by Penn and Teller that I just mentioned in passing.

Try doing THAT with a magazine.

Also this week, I started a new publishing venture; a weekly newsletter about media creation in New Mexico. I’m moving to New Mexico in a few weeks and with my publishing background thought it would be a good way to jump into the media community with both feet. (This was also based on a Seth Godin post that floated around my head for days. So, seriously…READ SETH GODIN.)

This new publication cost me nothing to start and will cost me nothing to sustain except my time. The publishing is free. I’ll write it, free. I’ll send it via email, also free since it piggybacks unto my other email lists. I put a notice on Craigslist and emailed a couple of friends in New Mexico to start the subscription ball rolling. Twenty people signed up on the first day. (You can sign up for it here.)

Digital media lets me do more, communicate my ideas better and can cost zero dollars. And there’s no paper cuts.

Do you publish? Whatever your business - shouldn’t you start?