In 2006, Ben Goldhirsh, the son of the founder of Inc. magazine, founded a new publication called GOOD. Written for “people who give a damn,” the magazine covers social issues, politics (from a non-partisan perspective) and sustainable living. What’s most fascinating about this nascent medium is its business model. All subscription fees are donated to charity. According to Wikipedia, the publication has donated more than $800,000 to charity since its inception.
I decided to subscribe to GOOD a couple of months ago. In addition to exploring a host of intriguing subjects, the publication offers a wealth of information in a very accessible manner. For example, a full-page graphic depiction outlines which states have banned smoking in the workplace vs. restaurants vs. bars. It also shows which states have the highest percentage of smokers. I noticed while in Starbucks last week that they’ve published a series of GOOD sheets for the coffee-drinking crowd. Each sheet tackles a different issue. The one I picked up explained how our economy works — from the NASDAQ and NYSE to GDP and the National Deficit — and the various dimensions of the current financial crisis. GOOD recently changed its url to drop the word magazine. This better reflects all they do: events, a blog, videos, etc. Critics have questioned the sustainability of this new title and characterized it as the expensive hobby of the son of a mogul. All I know is this current issue seems to have more advertisers than many publications I read. And we keep hearing how people are more inclined to give a damn these days. Time will tell, but this could be the start of something good.