Even as the number of electronic journals continues to grow, the Journal of Humanitarian Assistance remains an unusual venture and the experience of its editors is instructive for those wishing to combine academic, practitioner and electronic publishing resources for purposes which extend beyond the traditional reach of any on their own. The Journal of Humanitarian Assistance was created from an awareness that although a good deal of work of every sort is produced on the subject, little of it travels beyond national, organisational and professional boundaries. Work that is truly international and multi-disciplinary is hampered, and important lessons not conveyed because there is no single source - timely, and open to the full range of subjects and issues - for the many disparate actors. The journal is an entirely free, open-access resource that contains an academic journal, but which also carries a range of materials which, by dint of timeliness or length would not be suitable for the print medium.This paper describes the inception and growth of the journal and discusses the range of issues encountered; continuous versus periodic publishing; copyright issues; ensuring coherence and timeliness without any full-time staff and no budget; retaining format flexibility and attracting a readership and contributors. The technical issues faced by the authors will also be discussed; seeking out professional expertise; HTML formatting; adapting document size to suit the downloading capacities of readers; and making the transition from an adapted to a dedicated server. The authors will argue that far from being a niche enterprise, electronic publishing which brings together policy makers, analysts, activists, academics and others holds much promise as a model for combining strengths, broadening communities and communicating more quickly and effectively across common divides.