Signs of the Times, an outreach magazine produced by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, is now available in cyberspace.
Signs of the Times, an outreach magazine produced by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, is now available in cyberspace.
“It took us 118 years to get to this point, with our quality magazine rolling off the press every month,” says Signs senior assistant editor Lee Dunstan. “Now we’re moving into the next phase of Signs ministry. With partial thanks to Tim Berners-Lee [creator of the Internet, as we know it today], we are now able to connect with an even wider audience.”
According to Signs online editor Scott Wegener, the site, in its debut, offers a number of features in addition to what is already available in the printed magazine. “Not only can you take a quick browse through the current magazine’s leading stories and special offers, but you can also peek at what is coming up in future issues,” he says.
An “about us” page presents information on the team behind the magazine and some of the history of its development. An online subscription facility allows Internet users to order a new subscription, renew their existing subscription and sponsor bulk orders. For those who want to give their feedback about the magazine, there’s an online survey, which will contribute to the planning of future issues.
“The Web site is going to help us strike while the Holy Spirit’s hot,” says Wegener. “It’s great to have an awesome army of Signs distributors out there already, distributing this evangelistic tool, and now the Web site is available as another link to Christ. A person can pick up the magazine anywhere in the world and, after reading it and [if they are] moved by the Holy Spirit, they have a place they can go to find out more about the good news instantly.”
Signs editor Nathan Brown envisages the Web site allowing more quality content to be made readily available, loosening some of the restrictions of the printed magazine. “A great feature of the Web version of the magazine is the ability to present additional or expanded material that the print version does not allow us to offer due to space limitations,” Brown says. “It also gives us the opportunity to share multimedia content.”
The site will have other features added in the near future. The major drawcard currently being developed is a magazine archive, which will allow site visitors to search through years of previous editions for articles on topics or people of interest.
The Web site also offers a sign-up for the Signs e-mail newsletter for those who want to keep up with Signs magazine news, events and special offers, both for the Web and printed versions.
“The Signs Web site is not ultimately meant to be a substitute to the printed version,” says Dunstan, “but more as a most valuable supplement that can be used for both research and outreach.”
Signs of the Times began in Melbourne, Australia, in 1885. The monthly features articles on healthy relationships, families, lifestyle choices and more. The just-launched Web site is www.signsofthetimes.org.au.
