The Loop

The Loop Magazine Issue 7: Why I Buy Vinyl

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In this issue, Michael Dalrymple talks about why he collects vinyl albums instead of buying music from iTunes; Brenda Singer shows you the ways to ruin a perfectly good bottle of wine; Chris Domico’s kid came up with the perfect game idea; Bill Lonero counters arguments that music should be free; and as a developer, what Kevin Hoctor does means something, as it should for all of us.

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You can get a free preview of all the articles online and subscribe to the magazine for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. You also get a free seven-day trial when you download the app.

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The Loop Magazine Issue 6

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In this issue, Matt Gemmell looks at the gadgets we carry around and choosing the right one for you; Philip Michaels takes you through the drinkers code of conduct in a way that will make you laugh out loud; Patrick Rhone may be the only African-American in the room, but it doesn’t faze him anymore; Monique Dalrymple explains the reasons she fosters dogs; and Michael Mulvey considers Zelda when starting a new project.

You can preview the entire issue online or download the app for iPhone and iPad from the App Store and get a free 7-day trial.

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The Loop Magazine free article: Designing Apps for Everyone

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Charles Perry wrote an article for Issue 5 of The Loop Magazine about the importance of accessibility in apps. This is an important subject, so I wanted to make it free for everyone to read on the Web.

You can also preview the other articles on The Web site too. The entire issue can be downloaded for iPhone and iPad from the App Store with a free 7-day trial.

The Loop Magazine Issue 5

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In this issue, Bryan Irace looks at how iOS apps could share data in ways that would make the experience much better for users; Seamus Bellamy talks to real-life sideshow performers; Nathan Snelgrove imagines the possibilities beyond the touch interface; Charles Perry talks about the importance of accessibility in apps; and Dave Mark helps you get started in developing apps for iOS and Mac.

You can download The Loop Magazine from the App Store and start your free 7-day trial.

The Loop Magazine Issue 2 available

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The Loop Magazine Issue 2 is now available for download from Apple’s Newsstand. There’s a great line-up of writers in this issue including Joe King, the co-founder of Denver-based rock band The Fray, UI expert Matt Gemmell, iMore Editor-in-Chief Rene … Continued

The Loop Magazine updated and an apology

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When The Loop Magazine shipped last week, I had high hopes for delivering readers the best content available on Apple’s Newsstand. Unfortunately, the app shipped with a subscription bug that caused errors when trying to read the magazine on multiple devices.

In our efforts to fix the bug, we released an update over the weekend that actually made the situation worse.

Tonight, we released The Loop Magazine 1.0.2, which does fix the subscription bug once and for all. If you download the magazine on a second device, you just tap the “Restore” button and it will recognize your subscription and activate the magazine for that device.

In addition to the subscription bug, we also fixed App.net sharing, we added the ability to share selected text and fixed a crash on launch bug.

You deserved a better experience than what we delivered, and we expected more from ourselves. Please accept my apology and know that we are working hard on delivering a great app for you.

The Loop gets Decked

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I’m very happy to announce that as of March 1, 2012, The Loop has joined exclusive ad network, The Deck. You can see ads from The Deck on the right hand side of every page on the site.

Being part of The Deck allows me to keep The Loop focused on what’s important — the content. It also allows me to show relevant ads from top notch companies without impeding your reading experience.

Since The Loop went through its major redesign in September 2011, many of you wrote saying how much better the reading experience is. I truly appreciate that. Joining The Deck will preserve and strengthen that experience.

With the move to The Deck, I am joining some of the greatest sites on the Web including Daring Fireball, Marco Arment, Laughing Squid, Khoi Vinh and Jason Kottke, among many others.

The Deck, like The Loop, is about delivering a quality Web experience. I am committed to bringing that to you with my writing and the way I choose to present advertising on the site.

I hope you will take a minute and visit the advertisers when you see something that interests you.

Don’t forget, we also have $3 monthly memberships available for individuals (with a full text RSS feed) and exclusive weekly RSS sponsorships where companies and developers can reach The Loop’s readers.

Thank you for your continued support.

The Loop’s full text RSS feed and other sharing options

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When The Loop re-launched in September 2011, I took down 99 percent of the ads and made the site easier to read. It’s all about the content. As part of the change, I also added a membership option and full text RSS feed.

Many people have said they didn’t know about the full text RSS, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to mention it again.

A membership to The Loop is basically a way for readers to help support the site. It costs $3 per month and in return you get access to a full text feed. We also have a free truncated feed too, so there are options available.

Even though the free feed is truncated, we try to include the full text for the linked list posts. The goal is not to make it harder to read the site, but easier.

The money from members has gone to good use. We have used the money to upgrade the servers, bandwidth and CDNs we use, making the site much faster than what it’s been in the past.

There are other ways you can follow the site. We have a Facebook page that you can like, a Google+ page, and you can follow The Loop for site updates and my twitter feed for site updates and my personal thoughts.

You can also share the stories using the Twitter, Facebook and Google+ buttons on the bottom of each story.

Thanks everyone for your continued support of The Loop.

Sponsorship opportunities on The Loop

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We have a few sponsorship slots open for February and March. If you want to get your product in front of The Loop’s extremely good looking readers, drop me a line. Your sponsorship is exclusive for the week and will be sent out through the RSS and Twitter, as well as a link on the Web site. You can get more details on the Sponsorship page.

∞ BSA acquires Fusion Ads

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Chris and Michael, Fusion’s previous owners, have done a great job building and running the network. We’re honored to be the new owners, and plan to build upon the great work they have done. We will continue to run Fusion Ads as it’s own standalone network. The value we bring for Fusion publishers is our ability to run these types of networks efficiently, profitably, and with great care toward the community that they help support. The value we bring for advertisers is similar, but with the added benefit of our software running their campaigns that will have real-time insight into performance and hassle-free billing and creative management. We look forward to working hard to serve the Fusion Ads advertisers and publishers for years to come.

I was with Buy Sell Ads for two years before joining Fusion in September. Now I’m back, sort of. The BSA people were always good to me and the way ads are done on The Loop under Fusion will not change.

∞ Reply with tact

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Yesterday I pointed out a readers comment to me about how The Loop made him jump through hoops to read the content. I took offense to his comments and posted my thoughts. Today, Davy Buntinx posted his own article pointing … Continued

∞ Advertise with tact

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When The Loop relaunched on September 1, it was a completely different site that focused on the content, not advertising or pageviews. It was a major change for Peter and me to stray from the traditional advertising model, but with … Continued

∞ Welcome to The Loop 2.0

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The Loop turned two years old in June and this is by far the biggest change the site has seen since its launch. I wanted to take a couple of minutes to explain the changes and why they were made. … Continued

∞ Some advice for writers and reporters

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Visiting Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference was a great experience — I saw old friends and met some new ones. I also spent quite a bit of time answering questions from writers of many different publications.

∞ The Loop celebrates its second birthday

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On June 8, 2009 during the Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, I launched The Loop. I’m happy to say that two years later, we’re still going strong.

It’s been an incredible two years for Peter Cohen and I at The Loop. Traffic has grown by an incredible amount, regular readers comment on stories, tips from companies and readers alert us to upcoming news, and we’re having a lot of fun.

The Loop is what you could say is my third life in the Mac journalism world. Starting with the launch of MacCentral in 1994 and moving to Macworld in 1999 and then The Loop in 2009.

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