Summary: When it comes to communicating to a broad audience, the internet is a powerful platform. Thatrsquo;s why some publications are choosing to snub the printing press and put their content exclusively on the web. But online publications donrsquo;t only benefit from reaching more people ndash;- by using social media like blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, they also get to hear back from their readers. A Global Muslim Culture Elan Magazine calls itself the guide to global Muslim culture. Last year, Elan discontinued the print version of its publication in favor of strengthening their online community. Farrah Hamid and is the editorial director at Elan Magazine: The Guide to Global Muslim Culture. She explains how social media benefits Muslims around the world and how it makes Elan Magazine a truly global publication. An Open Dialogue The site itself is set up in a blog format. Hamid says while Elan's articles are more opinionated than they are "newsy", they try to maintain neutral tone. "It is a place where people can foster discussion. You can definitely express your opinion via comments, but we would never condemn anything," she says. But touching on issues that foster conversation comes with its critics. Touching On Taboos "We do cover some topics that are considered taboo like homosexuality and drinking," Hamid says, "but these are things that happen in Muslim cultures as well and we want to talk about it without getting preachy." Addressing these issues in an open forum allows Muslims ndash;- and even non-Muslims -ndash; to probe for more information. Many of the comments on Elanrsquo;s story pages reveal gratitude and encouragement for so-called ldquo;moderate, mainstream Muslimsrdquo; voices to be heard in the media. Tools Of The Trade Hamid says Elan often sees more engagement with their readers on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter than they do on their website. They have become valuable journalistic tools for the magazine. "Irsquo;m very active on Twitter," she says. "I think itrsquo;s a great way to not only engage with readers of Elan, but also to get story ideas and develop ideas we already have." Aside from helping editors to gather information on potential stories, social media provides Elanrsquo;s readers with perspectives from around the globe. "Itrsquo;s definitely easier for people of different regions to connect on Facebook and on Twitter," she says. "We have a blogger in Kuwait, we have a blogger on the West Coast." Giving A Voice Hamid says itrsquo;s this online form that makes a difference for people in parts of the world where communication and press are more heavily restricted. "In certain countries, itrsquo;s not very easy to speak in a public format on certain topics for what threats that might be out there. But being online, you can still be there and you can express yourself. She says Elan recently covered an online project out of Harvard and M.I.T that allows people in in Gaza to let their voices be heard. Celebrating Culture But what happens online doesnrsquo;t have to be an expression of politics or justice or a message of any kind. It can just be a nice place for Muslims to hang out. "We do see a lot of websites out there that are focused on dispelling this whole terrorism and the negative connotations that Islam and Muslims have had to experience in the media," Hamid says. "Those are great and those are very much needed, and we want to play a part in that as well. But our website is focused more on just celebrating our culture," she says, "because at the end of the day, Muslims all over the world in their various communities have cultural interests that have nothing to do with politics and may not have anything to do with religion either."
