"In the past, magazines' websites were their print versions' ugly stepsisters, awkward appendages whose purpose was little more than as a teaser. While many hard news outlets took to the web from the start and sped up the news cycle by posting stories online, glossies rarely provided online-only content or made very much of their web presence, preferring to focus on the traditional print version. No more. Today, publishers recognize the necessity of the web and stake an online presence right away, often even months before launching in print," writes David S. Hirschman. Read on here.