Homelife magazine goes digital

The first ever digital version of Homelife magazine was emailed to residents this week and is proving a big hit.

L&Q is trying to save money and paper by emailing more of our publications to residents instead of printing and posting them. We currently have more than 10,100 email addresses on file, including 7,500 general needs residents, and we are keen to get even more people signed up to electronic communications.

Rather than just emailing people a static PDF document, we are using the latest Flash technology to create a fully interactive, digital version of the magazine. This means that when you open the link the magazine comes to life and you can leave feedback at the click of a button, sign up instantly for resident involvement opportunities, click straight through to external websites, enter competitions online and much more. For future issues, the technology will also allow us to showcase some of the video content we have been producing by embedding video files directly into the magazine.

Another real bonus is that every hit the magazine receives is recorded. We can see exactly how many people read the magazine, what articles they are reading, how long they are reading it for and what external links they are clicking through to. This will allow us to better understand what information our residents are interested in so we can tailor our communications to meet their needs.

The first issue was emailed out to 7,500 general needs residents and in just the first few hours 645 people read the magazine and 30 entered the online competition.

Resident Patricia Knox emailed to say: "This is my first view of the magazine online and I'm really impressed! Easy to view and read. Love the way the pages turn. Clear, sharp and, as always, informative."

Resident Lee Butler said: "Digital issues are definitely the way forward. It's greener, more economical and just makes sense. Brilliant job!"

Homelife editor James Howell, who is overseeing the digital project, said: "With more and more residents getting online it makes financial and environmental sense to communicate with them by email whenever possible.

"The technology that is used to produce digital magazines is still fairly new so there will probably be one or two things we need to tweak and fine-tune for future issues, but the initial feedback has been extremely encouraging."

To view the new magazine click here.

If you would like to sign up to receive all future issues of Homelife, and your rent statements, by email please send your name, tenancy reference number and full postal address to statements@lqgroup.org.uk