WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Shortlist

Five years ago, if you'd stood in front of your bank manager and said "I'm going to start a magazine. Can you lend me some money please?" they would have asked some fairly searching questions before they agreed.

In 2007, print circulations were dropping like Premiership footballers, as the internet became the dominant force for delivering news and features to many people.

But, the people behind shortlist.com did exactly that. They launched a high-quality, feature-rich publication for men that took one look at the traditional men's magazines and said, "we're not doing it like that".

Instead of plastering every page with half naked starlets and wannabe WAGs, they focused on what men really want to read about: films, fashion, music, literature and technology. They gave real men what they actually wanted.

They then gave it away free.

Can you imagine the banker's reaction to that bit? Giving it away free?

But, against the traditional odds, it worked. Now every week. Thousands of copies of the magazine are handed out at train stations and city centres and it's become a must-read for many.

The companion website is where you need to come if you can't wait a week, and we reckon it's ace.

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