From the Editor
With the development of technology in the last several years, print editions of newspapers, magazines, books, and other print media are going through a crisis. Nowadays, news and reports are mostly read online, but many still believe—and I am one of them—that the rustle of paper beneath your fingers as you read a newspaper will not die out. Printed newspapers and magazines are simply going through a transitional acclimatization to the current and future demands of readers and of the market.
SAN has also taken a big step in that direction! As of February 2018, SAN will have its own modern website: sanmagazine.ca! It will be available online to readers on computers, smartphones, tablets, iPods, and so on. Visitors to the website will have the chance to read select articles, as well as archived articles from 2015 and 2016 issues in digital format, while subscribers will have the opportunity to read both new and all previous articles in digital format.
SAN’s website will be limited only to our magazine. The bilingual site will contain a rich palette of content related to the Serbian community of Canada, and it will facilitate better awareness, information, and connection between Serbs in the diaspora, including so-called “old and new immigrants.” There will also be a calendar of events in the Serbian community, a page for our youth, a page about Serbia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia where Serbs live, and much more that you will discover for yourselves over time. The website will continue the mission of preserving Serbian identity, language, culture, and traditions in the diaspora.
Many concerned people have already asked me what will happen to the print edition of SAN. Does the birth of an online version of SAN mean the end of the print edition? The answer is no. We will continue to print SAN as we have until now, deeply convinced that the print edition must remain for readers and advertisers who prefer printed formats. The print edition of SAN will also remain as a testimony to a specific time in the Serbian community in Canada, and it will continue to be archived in the National Library of Serbia, as well as in Library and Archives Canada.
Since its establishment in November 2014, SAN has survived thanks to an incredibly dedicated team of enthusiasts and volunteers, as well as our many readers, advertisers, donors, and supporters. In order to continue existing, we need your help and support. Subscribe to our digital edition of SAN, and our current and future subscribers to the print edition will receive a discounted subscription to the digital edition. Announce your events in the Serbian community on our calendar of events. Advertise your business on SAN’s website, knowing that your business ad will be visible not only to our readers, but to anyone who visits our website—including Canadians who are not of Serbian origin.
I invite you to join us for a musical evening with Organic Balkanic Band on February 4th in Toronto, where we will celebrate three years of SAN and launch our new website alongside friends and entertainment (the poster for this event is in the magazine).