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Social media has undoubtedly brought the world closer together. You probably take it for granted how easy it is to send holiday photos and mundane messages across the world to your long-lost Auntie in Albuquerque…

Indeed, websites like Facebook and Twitter have reshaped the way we find and absorb information and news, with most of us now logging-on to find out what is actually going on in the world, not just in our friendship groups.

*Looking for this year's unmissable Digital Publishing Events? Check out Digital Publishing Events this Autumn 2015!

Amazon has taken its next big step in dominating the e-book market with its release of 'Kindle Unlimited', which allows subscribers unlimited access to e-books, for $9.99 a month.

Although currently limited to the US, Amazon's new service has the potential to dramatically alter the way books are consumed. The subscription model itself is not a new one; companies like Spotify are well-known for changing the way we listen to and purchase music. More recently, ventures like Readly, a subscription-based magazine service,  have taken steps to translate this into the Digital Publishing world.

If you Google "digital publishing" right now, you will undoubtedly find hundreds, if not thousands of blogs detailing how print is dead, and how digital publishing has been the main catalyst of its downfall. Sometimes it’s best to take a step back and look at things from a different perspective.

Before every Tom Dick and Harry had tablets and smartphones, books, newspapers, magazines and journals were printed because that was the only option available. Not that anyone minded or even noticed; publishing has always been tied to paper in that way. Now with the digital publishing world in a state of constant flux, publishers have a choice between digital or print. This means that whenever a hard copy book is made, it is now done with a greater consideration of the end product - someone has had a choice, not just defaulted to print.

Each year Memcom hosts a conference that welcomes around 200 delegates from membership organisations across the UK. This is then followed by a sit down lunch and awards ceremony.

Despite Page Lizard not being a membership organisation ourselves, we still like to lend a helping claw to those who need it. Our aim at Memcom 2014 was to reach out to membership organisations who are delving into their bright digital publishing future head first but aren't actually sure how to engage, grow and retain their audiences.