Follow-up: I always like to tie up dangling stories that appear here on the rexblog. Even when they involve really dumb people.

Another day, another Maxim knock-off: Ok. When I have the time, I’m going back and count up all the times in the past two years I’ve blogged stories about magazines that say they want to be a “Maxim for the (insert designated male audience here).” Yesterday, it was a “Maxim for the military.” Today, it is a “Maxim for African-Americans.” (If you must know, it’s Dieve, pronounced “Deev.”) I don’t really have time or desire to myself, but if you want to search the rexblog, you’ll find links to magazines that are Maxims for men in Indianapolis, Maxims for gamblers, Maxims for left-handed lobstermen. Please, people. Stop it! The world doesn’t need another Maxim. In fact, the world doesn’t need the one it has.

Magazine Promotion 101: Since I’m living in a dorm on a dream campus this week, I guess I’m thinking about the lessons in magazine publishing that can be found around us everyday, if we’re just willing to recognize them. For example, here is magazine publicity rule #1 (or better knowN as the Disney Rule): Celebrate any anniversary, even if you have to make one up. A great example of this rule is PGA Magazine’s celebration of their 1,000th month of publication. This is great, because it gives them the opportunity to celebrate their 1,000 issue later. To me, this is a hole-in-one for the magazine. Or, at least, an eagle.

Classic vapor: If you are new to the rexblog, you may not be familiar yet with the concept I call the vaporzine. Today, we get to see the launch of a vaporzine in real time. Here is how this one starts: Paul Colford reports that Sidney Blumenthal will be editor of a new liberal-focused U.S. newsweekly from the UK newspaper The Guardian. They are looking for a U.S. partner. Blumenthal, ex-Clinton aide and apologist, erstwhile New Yorker columnist and Drudge lawsuit plantiff, is quoted by Colford, “I’ve been talking about that (magazine idea) for 25 years with my friends.” As Mr. Vaporzine, I’m going to give this magazine concept (as a newsweekly) less than a 10% chance for getting more than a prototype issue off the press. If the concept morphs into something else, say a quarterly single-sponsored custom magazine for PETA members, I’ll re-calculate. Check back in with the rexblog as we follow the vapor trail on this one.