V. Krishna Kumar, PhD
kkumar@wcupa.edu

The Fall/Winter 2008 issue of The Amplifier Newsletter was the first one I edited.  As was the practice then, it was printed and mailed to our members and posted as a PDF file on our APA website.  Due to rising mailing costs, a year later, we published our last printed version (Fall/Winter 2009) and went completely online with the Spring/Summer 2010 issue.  Four years later with the Fall/Winter 2013 issue, we used WordPress and gave the Newsletter a new name: The Amplifier Magazine.

The WordPress version provides a much better online presence with many new features befitting our mission as a Society for Media Psychology and Technology.  Using WordPress released us from the 20 double-spaced page limit required by the current APA website, which forced us to publish it as a PDF file.  The PDF version’s advantage is that it is printable as one issue if one so desires.  Although we cannot print a whole issue now, we can print individual articles.  It is now possible to comment on articles, carry-on a dialog, and provide links to other relevant articles, videos, and websites.  The contents are now searchable through search engines such as Google.  We can e-mail links of our articles to our friends and family members who may sometimes may wonder what is it we do.

Pauline Wallin enthusiastically conveyed what is new about the Fall/Winter 2013 issue in her Listserv posting (12/9/2013):

“It looks great. The articles can be read one at a time without downloading a PDF file.

AND there’s a search box – which will come in very handy as we add future issues of The Amplifier. No need to remember which issue contained the content you’re searching for. The search will return all pages with the keywords you entered.

Other enhancements include links to our Division 46 website, Facebook, membership info and other info.

This is very exciting!  To whom do we owe our thanks?”

I graciously acknowledge many people who have helped me with the editorial task and new ideas.  My special thanks to Keith Cooke who is extremely pleasant to work with and who created a good-looking online magazine which I am sure will continue to evolve over time.  My colleague and friend Jay Browne, retired professor at West Chester University and the former Chief Clinician in the psychiatric unit at Bryn Mawr Hospital, has been most generous with his time in carefully reviewing and editing the submitted manuscripts.  My former student, currently a doctoral student at the University of Indianapolis, Marc Cavella, helps me put together the initial version, reads everything, and helps with editing.  My associate editor Kathryn Stamoulis has always been most helpful with reviewing and editing.  Frank Farley serves in many capacities—he is the one I turn to, to discuss any issues that develop during the process.  He also helps with reviewing, editing, and soliciting articles.  Our presidents have also been helpful in soliciting articles.  Mary Gregerson has been helpful in soliciting articles and helping with the editorial process.  The magazine is only as good as its content, and I thank all who contributed thought-provoking articles for this evolving magazine.

I am pleased that the Fall/Winter issue was so well received by our members.  The comment by Bernie Luskin (12/10/2013, Listserv) captured my intent and optimism:  “The Amplifier represents a milestone and is central in moving us into 2014.”

I shared our Fall/Winter 2013 issue with two other divisions; one has decided to go with the new format; the other is considering it seriously.

Finally, I invite our members to contribute articles to The Amplifier Magazine—this is your Magazine.  As Randy Kulman (12/10/2013) said on our Listserv:  “I look forward to it becoming a hub for sharing new ideas about media and technology.”