It should come as no surprise that when the World Wide Web created a new distribution medium for literary work, it also spawned new publishing opportunities for writers. And while the Web gave every writer the opportunity to self publish, most writers continued (and continue) to wish to place their work in a peer-reviewed context which could give it shape,meaning and historical perspective.
The earliest Web magazines used the net merely as an alternate distribution medium, allowing the juxtaposition of works and editorial choice to create context, rather than additional articles on theory and practice. However, as Web use evolved, online literary magazines began to introduce contextual material: theory articles, interviews and round table discussions. And, as technological advances in HTML language, bandwidth and plug-in software continued to broaden opportunities not just for distribution, but for the form creative literary expression could take in a digital environment, online magazines began to embrace what has come to be known as Web-specific digital literature.
In the late 90’s, many editors and writers who had been creating online publications for the past three to five years realized that the Web had created a literary phenomenon unique to itself, and that it was developing its own culture. This led to the creation of online magazines like Riding the Meridian, BeeHive and Cauldron & Net (among others) to showcase the work of an ever-expanding group of new media writers and to provide vehicles for commentary and critique. It was at this time that the hypertext community of authors, which had enjoyed prior stand-alone CD-ROM publication mainly through the efforts of Eastgate Communications, started to code work using Web browser language instead of CD-ROM platform specific coding programs like StorySpace, creating a baud-swell of unique new media creative output.
This paper will document the evolution of Web literary magazines from the mid-90’s to the present and will comment on the role recommended links and search engines have played in building a networked digital literary community.