Opinions on magazines

Oh yeah a third thing came to mind.. Now our online mag is also a victim of it,
but BAD WRITING... I am way more of a visual person, but i like to read most of the magazines I get and sometimes I just cant get through an article because of the writing (and I'm not just talking about grammatical errors)

-Juan

 

#1

While the online stuff is good (sometimes excellent) I have found that (as mentioned previously) the ability of anyone to post whatever somewhat dilutes what's on the net as a whole.

As for the laptop in the john, I have tried that. I'll stick with printed mags there especially, thanks.

 

We was just talking about this today when P.K. asked me what new car magazines was at the newsagent and I replied that I haven't been for a week or two,everything I want to find out I get off Jalopy Journal.It covers anything thats happening across the planet concerning hot rods,drags,customs,you name it there ain't much you can't find out on this part of the world wide web plus all the tech and useless trivia.Even the latest news is talked about on this site because so much of it concerns rodders.But I still wait for TRJ to arrive and I guess it's time to go and see if HRM and Vintage Motorsport are out again.I got magazines back to the early 60's and every copy of American Rodder before it was bought by Buckeroo so I still like the printed versions(you can keep them for a long time)but if you the action as it happens then it's hard to beat the electronic medium.Keep on roddin'

 

# 1 for sure.The only thing with magazines is the ******** politics between them on the content and what goes where and who gets there first when it comes to features.I got caught up in that web with my roadster. I thought it was all about the cars??RC ditched my photo shoot because Rodders Digest got there first and put it on their cover 4 months after RC did the shoot.
At least on the web you can get info right away, without delay and a pile corporate excuses, and policies.Everybody wants to be #1..how about the readers first...Time-Bomb John
www.timebombs.ca

 

#1
now i get my news first on the hamb.
but i still spend $35 to $50 a month on paper.
I mostly just get them for the pics, and it is nice to have them for reference.

 

#1. I love the anticipation of waiting for a magazine that I've subscribed too. It's a different kind of escape for me than the internet could ever be. It's just different.
Online magazines do have their place in the future though.

I'm guilty of flipping through a magazine at the local book store and NOT purchasing. However, I ALWAYS buy the magazines that I really enjoy reading though if for no other reason than to financially support the things I want to see more of. I also tend to do business with companies that advertise in the magazines that I really like....as long as they offer a quality product.
The experience of a magazine could never be duplicated on a computer screen.

Stoner, obviously you're asking for a reason. I would continue to subscribe/read Garage if it were online just like I do now and still love it. Quality is quality. I would be kinda bummed out though....it just wouldn't be the same.

 

Yup--you're right, John!

I guess this is a perfect example of what I'm trying to get to the bottom of: a magazine is using the immediacy and instant reaction of the web to make itself stronger--maybe that's the perfect blend of mediums?

Not that anyone needs this post to realize it, but it sounds like there's a common disdain for poor editorial; grammar, research, knowledge, style, etc. Am I getting that right?

 

#1

I must confess: I´ve used to be a magazine addict, really, and it wasnt even fun anylonger. When I spent around $375 a month on magazines I had to hit the brakes... (magazines are expensive here). But I´ve limited my magazine purchase from 30 magazines each month to just a few. Now its only TRJ, Vintage Motorsport, Kustoms Illustrated and Hop Up (Gasoline Magazine too of course, but that one I get for free...).
Due to the Internet, my demands on a magazine are much higher now than 10-15 years ago. Both the the choice of cars, the news value, the writing, the photo quality and the layout is important. And that is only a few of the important things when it comes to magazines.
I will continue to buy the magazines I mentioned. But for some of the others I dont care anylonger since they present "yesterdays news", things I've already read on the Internet.

/Per Webb

 

For me is the format and layout. Rolls and Pleats does a good. no, GREAT job with great pics and accurate info regarding the car (and its world wirde; you see awesome cars from Sweden, Germany, the US, and etc.). Magneto was awesome too! Hop Up is turning into fluff for me. Rodders Journal is everything I want in a mag (kinda like Architectural digest), detail pics and info, plus history. It's also nice to now about the person behind the car.

Ken

 

I think you've got that right, I have a really hard time reading something that hasn't been proofread and gone through with little more than spell check on the computer.

I appreciate the conversational style Garage uses and have no problem reading any magazine using that as a way to communicate the whole message. But a little more editing by the editor on some of these mags would be great.

I'm definitely one who reads about something and then goes online to find out extra info. If magazines could do a little more "Behind the scenes" or "More on this car/topic", that would be great.

 

1. All you need is sunlight to read by. The MAN has not found a way to charge a fee for that yet.

 

I think so. If I want to hear butchered language I could turn on MTV or listen to some afleet getting interviewed on espn.If I want it butchered in print there's always OSR. One of the reasons some writers are so popular has to do with their command of the English language.

 

Yes, I like the "conversational style" too...I like how you put that.
It helps me understand the article so much better, and holds my interest to the subject too. I am really interested in helping out with some aspects of our car, and so even though technical is great to have from a magazine, it should also be a style that grabs hold of
you and makes you "totally interested" Got to be able to digest it to be able to hold onto it.

 

You're ***uming the "print" guys have anything to do with ***ociated Web sites across the board. While many publications service/maintain their own online en***ies, others have nothing to do with their related sites, and instead of having a dedicated, knowledgable staff, there's maybe one person overseeing a number of Web sites with little to sometimes no interaction with the print staff. In essence, what you're saying is true, but in reality, it's not so much not having the know-how, it's not having the manpower to accomplish it successfully. Also, think about the print guys who aren't interested in seeing their Web sites grow, as that would and does obviously affect print sales. This is pretty much why I'd imagine Stoner doesn't put any more effort than absolutely necessary with the Garage site.

 

I'm going to side with number 1

I'm also one of those "selective" magazine buyers who scans the content before reaching for my wallet. They all have gems and duds in the archive. There isn't one magazine out there guilty of perfection. I have some of them all, enjoyed them all for one reason or another, so I'm not going to flame one particular magazine. They've all tickled my fancy at some point in time and I've left them on the shelf too, witholding my economic vote.

That being said, there is no subs***ute for print. The tactile interface of owning something that has meaning to you, is irreplacable and not repeatable in digital form. I do not trust the software gurus to maintain the technology used to view digital media long term. A printed magazine only requires the technology of an elementary education to read and will be readable as long as it exists.

I do agree that an online presence is a benefit to the reader of a magazine for some expanded coverage. I value very much the community that can be found and how interaction with other readers has given me ideas and advice. Its also a very beneficial element to the magazine to spot potential pieces for the magazine or a builder on the rise.

I truly believe that the printed magazine will always be the legitimizing medium, and the online experiance will be the "grist" for the mill to both readers and editors.

Lets' not complain too much about the ads. That's what makes the world turn for the publisher. I find myself looking over 50 year old magazine ads for what existed, prices, and the overwhelming nostalgia they represent. After all, the adverti*****ts are what bring the big collector money once clipped from various magazines - moreso than the articles themselves. I also buy the magazine to cruise the ads for what I may be needing at the time. I'm guilty of flipping directly to the back pages and scanning the ads to see if I can find some 1/8th page ad that may have that one piece I need to make a project work. The ads have been my window to possibility as much as the articles.

Hud

 

Too many of the tech stories today are how to bolt on the advertisers latest gizzmo.

 

#1 while i'm doing #2.
btw, my mags smell like ****.....

and i like CATALOGS in print, too.especially if i can order online...

 

one

 

Number 1.

Sometimes I will look through a magazine & see something I wouldn't have gone looking for, but if I was online I would not have bothered to look at it. SFVISBF in Trad R & K is a perfect example. Lots of cool stuff around, I just wouldn't search it out online.

 

I also like the mags., I don't have to wait for the pictures to load !

 

Dan,
I was thinking about this more today.......
The only magazines that I subscribe to that I think offer some sort of online version or extension are Entrepreneur and Business 2.0. I get emails from them reminding me about things I can do online, but I never have. I have always just read the magazine in print. I probably could have gotten to the content faster online......but I never have even bothered to try.

Just for kicks I searched for Business 2.0 and they have the whole F'n magazine online.....popped up for free! I don't really get it, maybe they do so much in advertising dollars that they don't need subscribers money....
It made me question whether or not I would continue to subscribe or not if I could get it for free. After thinking about it, I don't know that I'd get around to doing it online.....maybe.

This obviously isn't apples to apples. I read Business 2.0 mostly because there are certain areas of my business life that could benefit, it's not all for pleasure. When I read Garage......it is a time where I get to escape from anything like that.....even computers.

Are there any examples of online magazines that you feel are really well done? If so, I'll take a look and let you know what I think. Maybe I'm turned off by the online magazine thing because I haven't been properly experienced? Maybe online magazines are the way of the future and will be great, I just don't think they can be presented just like a magazine, but on a computer screen....they're gonna have to be better than that.

 

#1 for me also. My collection goes all the way back to the early fifties.

I have been very disappointed with the magazines who have online websites. For example I went to the Car Craft site looking for an article on pocket porting Chevy Vortec heads that appeared about 3 years ago. The ***le was still there with a brief overview but the main article was no longer there.

While it takes effort to track down what you are looking for at least you have the hard copy that doesn't get deleted.

As magazines change their marketing focus I weed out the ones that no longer provide articles on the interests I have.

 

Here's another angle on the original question: In our modern information age, where have print magazines failed you?[/quote]

They haven't failed me at all, except for the price of paper and postage. I can't imagine getting up in the morning, and having to turn on the computer to read the news. I need my newspaper, just like I neeed my hot rod magazines.

When my computer and cell phone get as reliable as my newspaper carrier and my land line, I may consider favoring "modern" technology. Until then, the internet will continue to be a supplement to print media for me.

 

ill likes'em whens i learn to read.

 

Print magazines have always failed in the challenge of what to do online. The outfit that pulls it off right will set the stage for the industry, because i dont believe it's one or the other.

I think the key step needed, that we havent seen yet, for the combination is working each strenth right so they flow as one. "One" doesnt mean trying to mimick whats on print online-- that is the most common mistake folks make. "One" means respecting the magazine for what it is-- a real physical, static thing you can hold and play with-- one thing, at one place, during one time.

Merging this with a successful online presence involves dynamic content, making the reader virtually part of the magazine and the rest of the community that reads it. Respect the internet for what it is-- a virtual ****o and a means of reaching many people quickly without having to wait for the opportunity to have them in front of you. This means allowing folks a means to contribute to the magazine. Provide feedback and discuss articles and pictures with the mag itself and community of readership. Allow folks to submit and share content... make the magazine bigger than it could possibly be in a physical sense. etc...

The combination of successful print 101 and web 101 = P+w 202... twice as valuable as either in itself. Im a firm believer in this. Unlike many others, i dont think the internet will or should kill print. The two will provide a better experience combined, for those willing to pay.

Like i know what the **** im talking about anyway...

-scott noteboom

 

DAMN! Now I'm not gonna be able to get that outta my mind when I'm at the flea market, looking thru all those great "little" custom mags!

 

How ironic is this: yesterday I posted that I don't currently subscribe to any magazines. Last night my latest copy of Kustoms Illustrated arrived. God, I love that magazine!! And what I love best is to hold it in my hands. It's something that just can never be replaced by online content.
You know, electric guitars made acoustic guitars "obsolete" more than 50 years ago. Any idea how many acoustic guitars are sold every year? That's how I envision magazines and online content; I can't imagine magazines going away because they just have "something" that the internet doesn't have.

 

#2.

And what's this talk about 'credibility' that somehow applies to something, just because it showed up in a California Magazine?

I remember being shown how to lengthen wheelwells during the early Pro Street era. It included a patch held in by pop rivets covered by bondo in the middle of a quarterpanel, right over the wheel opening. When I saw that, they lost a lot of cred with me.

Anyone remember HRM's 'Project Cheap Thrills' with the tailshaft housing held to the crossmember with hose clamps?

****! If I tried posting a tech article featuring those items here, there'd be plenty of people setting the record straight.

I think that's credibility.

BTW, I had jillions of magazines when I was younger; so it's not like I never liked 'em.

-bill

 

Anyone remember HRM's 'Project Cheap Thrills' with the tailshaft housing held to the crossmember with hose clamps?

What was wrong with that?

DF