It’s been about 18 months since we stopped publishing Southern Idaho Living. It was difficult being torn away from a project that I had put my heart and soul into for several years. Unfortunately, due to numerous factors, we decided to pull the plug in 2009.

It was an emotional decision that I’ve thought about often. Since the shut down, I’ve been amazed by the number of readers who express how much they miss the magazine – “I miss the insightful stories and great photography,” they would say.

As time went by without producing the magazine, I went back to my regular routine as a stock photographer. Often I found myself noticing people, places and events that I thought would make great stories. However, starting up the big “Print” magazine beast was really not an option. The stress of that cost and production was just too much. So how could I find a way to do what I love – shoot photography and tell stories of Southern Idaho – and keep it fun with minimal stress? I had to find a way.

Being an iPhone user and recently experiencing the new iPad really re-ignited the spark for me. I began to wonder, “Perhaps Southern Idaho Living could work in an online environment.” As a graphic and web designer for the past 15 years, I have always thought of taking it online. And now, with the huge popularity of social websites like Facebook and Twiter, along with the advancements in open source blogging and mobile technology, it feels like the right time to bring it all back to life!

So allow me to welcome you to the first
“ONLINE” edition of Southern Idaho Living!

Instead of flipping through the pages, you now click through them. It’s different than what you might be used to, but it’s easy and we think you’ll love it. Every article we have published or will publish is always a click away. The ability to share content with your social networks is seamless. You can e-mail an article to anyone in the world or have conversations with others about any story using the comments sections. In addition, you’ll get more photos via galleries on all stories. We’ve created a cool “non-offensive” way to display advertisers. Go ahead, give one a click and see!

The home page will always display the “Current Issue” listing all the stories of the current month.  You’ll find all the departments that you loved in the print editions: Features, In Business, Our People, Getting Out, Food, Crafts, and Gardening. The Moments department has been converted to a Photo Blog and then there’s my Publisher’s Blog, where I will welcome every issue as well as add an occasional iPhone broadcast of my photo shoot adventures as we explore everything that is Southern Idaho.

Now that I’ve shown you around… what are you waiting for? Start clickin’! Feel free to leave comments on stories and share all the stories you want on your favorite social networks. If you can’t find something just so a keyword search (top right corner of page).