Collective (BBC)


Collective was an "interactive culture magazine" hosted by the BBC's website bbc.co.uk and run using the "DNA" software developed for h2g2. It was launched in May 2002 and became interactive four months later. Among its editors were Rowan Kerek, Jonathan Carter, Alastair Lee, James Cowdery and Matt Walton, the magazine's originator. The bulk of its content consisted of weekly reviews and discussion of new music, films, video games and/or books.
Contributors to Collective included artist Billy Childish, Rhianna Pratchett and various freelance journalists such as film reviewer Leigh Singer and film and games journalist Daniel Etherington. Submissions could be made regardless of professional status by anyone who had registered as a member of the magazine.
The magazine was felt to have a strong sense of community and its discussions extended to current affairs and weblogs. Its video-game coverage was considered to be more inclusive in its tone than much of the coverage produced by, for example, specialist media. As at h2g2, each member was given a userpage where their contributions and interactions were listed.
Collective webpages were made dormant in early 2008.