''SoGlos'' is an
online magazine for
Gloucestershire covering
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
, the
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale.
The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...
, the
Forest of Dean,
Gloucester,
Stroud
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021.
Below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the Five ...
and
Tewkesbury – with an editorial remit focused on arts, entertainment and leisure.
Overview and ownership
The online magazine is divided into dedicated sections including Gloucestershire food, Gloucestershire theatre, Gloucestershire comedy, Gloucestershire culture, Gloucestershire music and Gloucestershire hotels, for examples – each including editorial event previews, reviews and news, hot lists, plus a directory of Gloucestershire venues.
''SoGlos'' is owned and run by independent Cheltenham-based publishing company So Publishing Ltd. While free for users to access, the online magazine generates revenue through the sale of
display advertising and native advertising.
Background and development
''SoGlos'' was officially launched in July 2007, as reported by publications and websites including ''
The Guardian'', ''
Press Gazette'', and ''
Webuser
''Web User'', branded as ''WebUser'', was a fortnightly magazine published in the United Kingdom from 2001 until 2020. It covered topics relating to computing. Its sister magazine was ComputerActive.
Overview
''Web User'' was founded by IPC Med ...
'' as one of the UK's first regional online magazines written by professional journalists.
In 2008 ''SoGlos'' launched a
Google Maps-powered Gloucestershire Interactive Map – a
mash-up using the map provider's
API and ''SoGloss own directory of venue listings to plot restaurants, attractions, hotels across the county. This was reported by publications and websites including ''The Guardian'' and Google Maps Mania.
In 2009 ''SoGlos'' launched a series of
Web widgets allowing webmasters to embed a calendar of Gloucestershire events, directly fed from the online magazine's listings, onto their own website. This was reported by publications and websites including
journalism.co.uk
Journalism.co.uk is a website with news and advertorial content for journalists based in Brighton, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1999 by John Thompson with the aim of covering the online publishing industry and how the Internet is fundamen ...
,
Press Gazette and HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk.
Readership and awards
''SoGlos'' is reported to have a monthly reach of 90,000+ individual readers, in addition to sending a weekly email newsletter to 28,000 subscribers.
In both 2010 and 2014, ''SoGlos'' won the title of 'Website of the Year' in the
EDF Energy South West Media Awards. In 2010, ''SoGlos'' also won the title of 'Best eBusiness' in the Cheltenham Borough Council-run Business Excellence Awards.
''SoGloss
YouTube channel
is one of the most popular in
South West England, with total upload views exceeding 10 million – thanks in part to the popularity of videos of Gloucestershire's annual
cheese rolling
The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill, near Gloucester in England. Participants race down the long hill after a round of Double Gloucester cheese is sent rolling down it. ...
tradition.
References
{{Reflist
External links
SoGlos.comSoGlos Gloucestershire Interactive Map
Online magazines published in the United Kingdom
Local interest magazines published in the United Kingdom
Mass media in Gloucestershire
Magazines established in 2007