Could be. Again we have no data. It is also very hard to know whether people read all of these magazines and rec what they like, or whether they only read a fraction and rec stories from them that people like Ellen might not consider award-worthy.
However, you have reminded me of another award-related issue. Most of these online fiction magazines are eligible for the Best Semiprozine category in the Hugos. Sure they are unlikely to beat Locus, but Interzone has won, Lady Churchill got a nomination last year, and Electric Velocipede was in the runners up. From discussions with the SMOF community it seems likely that a motion to abolish the Semiprozine category will be put to WSFS this year, and judging by the reaction we got when we discussed the issue on SF Awards Watch, such a motion is very likely to be passed. But that decision is going to be taken by people who, for the most part, don't read the online fiction magazines, and in many cases don't even know that they exist. The category could be a lot more interesting if the online (and smaller offline) fiction magazines and their contributors and readers took more interest in it, but you probably only have two years in which to rescue it (changes to the Hugo rules have to be voted through at two successive Worldcons).
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Date: 2007-12-30 02:41 am (UTC)However, you have reminded me of another award-related issue. Most of these online fiction magazines are eligible for the Best Semiprozine category in the Hugos. Sure they are unlikely to beat Locus, but Interzone has won, Lady Churchill got a nomination last year, and Electric Velocipede was in the runners up. From discussions with the SMOF community it seems likely that a motion to abolish the Semiprozine category will be put to WSFS this year, and judging by the reaction we got when we discussed the issue on SF Awards Watch, such a motion is very likely to be passed. But that decision is going to be taken by people who, for the most part, don't read the online fiction magazines, and in many cases don't even know that they exist. The category could be a lot more interesting if the online (and smaller offline) fiction magazines and their contributors and readers took more interest in it, but you probably only have two years in which to rescue it (changes to the Hugo rules have to be voted through at two successive Worldcons).