CONNECTED MAGAZINE - COLOUR v SIZE

[Prothed]

Well, it sounds like all the Daves are agreed - have a maximum quality digital version and a low-cost printed one...

[Matt74]

I'd like to keep the mag as it is and pay more to cover the cost.
The membership fee is cheap enough anyway for the benefits you get in return.

[morgan]

I'd like to keep the mag as it is and pay more to cover the cost.
The membership fee is cheap enough anyway for the benefits you get in return.

Yup. I mean what are we talking about here ? £5 ? From a membership of people that have 20ft toys in their garages which do about 10MPG average ? Its not really bank busting is it ?
Anyone who lets this slide for the want of £5 (or whatever) needs a new hobby. It aint an expensive club.

[Dave-R]

The Corvette club I am in (mainly for insurance reasons) has a higher membership fee and a full colour glossy club mag.

I put it in the bin after a quick glance.
There is nothing in it of interest to me. But it looks good.

Their forum is next to usless. They mainly rely on the US forums for their technical information.

Yeah this club is actually very good on the whole. Not always, but mostly.

[Dart Vader]

I'd like to keep the mag as it is and pay more to cover the cost.
The membership fee is cheap enough anyway for the benefits you get in return.

Yup. I mean what are we talking about here ? £5 ? From a membership of people that have 20ft toys in their garages which do about 10MPG average ? Its not really bank busting is it ?
Anyone who lets this slide for the want of £5 (or whatever) needs a new hobby. It aint an expensive club.

Thats what I reckon as well, it is a cheap club, what you put in you get out

Example

Get a new gadget - Are you unsure why its playing up - CALL OUR EXPENSIVE OVERSEAS HELPDESK ON 0898 - RIP OFF - 10 minutes at £0.50 a minute = £5 - do that 6 times a year and its £30

Got a problem with your Mopar - Stick a question on here - get a shed loads of advice, interact with your fellow Moparians, get photo's, a part or even an afternoon of help from a fellow club member - What would that cost in real terms !!!!

Like I said at the start of the thread, I'd be happy to pay a fiver more a year, we get so much out of the club. Those that dont want to pay more then I understand that times are tight etc and I sympathise. Maybe you can do this :-

Have a seperate subscription to the magazine, those that dont want it then reduce the subs to them by that element

Those that do pay an extra £10 a year or whatever the figure is

I know that print run number affect the cost but just throwing an idea out there

Right, me and Chewy are off to find some dirty space Ho's to hang out with

[MattH]

This digital versus paper issue is a hard one, and it's great to see such good constructive views.

Printing is expensive, and costs about the same each run whether we have 300 or 400 members, as the printer has to run a minimum to make it viable.

I also used to love the old photocopy paper and staple fanzine, but these days that would just look cheap and possibly tarnish the club image.

The bulk of membership costs covers the magazine production and postage.
The reason this question has arisen was the sharp increase in postage prices and the slight drop in membership over the last 2 years.

I do like Dave's idea about online storage as an archive. Holly did start this but it did not continue. Notice on the website that you can download a copy of Connected but it is quite an old one now?

We (I speak as part of the committee now ) welcome ideas, as the club is as good as its members, and we want to do things right, rather than be regarded as stuck in ivory towers doing what we think without listening to the important people, YOU.

Keep the feedback coming.

)

[TYREMAN]

I'd like to keep the mag as it is and pay more to cover the cost.
The membership fee is cheap enough anyway for the benefits you get in return.

Yup. I mean what are we talking about here ? £5 ? From a membership of people that have 20ft toys in their garages which do about 10MPG average ? Its not really bank busting is it ?
Anyone who lets this slide for the want of £5 (or whatever) needs a new hobby. It aint an expensive club.

Very good point i have always been suprised how tight most yank owners are over little tings.The sad fact is a lot of people in the hobby are enthusiasts and have little money one reason many cars are in a poor condition and those jobs never get done.

Giving it more thought it would not bother me if it went up £5 it would be a pitty for people who have gone to a lot of effort to restore a car or import one not to see it in colour.

One of the highlights of finishing you project must be to see in in glourious colour in connected.

Can we have the info about how much more you would want per member please? and what is the current membership number?


Royal Mail have shot themselves in the foot! not just us but other peole are spending less on postage.That means RM are not making any extra money,and everyone suffers!
Whats next printers going under? because people do not want to send printed material because of the postage costs? or cutting back on colour to make up the postage diffrence?


When i used to work for Royal Mail,they used to tell us in future it will be digital email instead of letters and they will not survive.Well they are doing a fine job of making it a self fulfilled Prophecy.

I still blame the Petrol Prices over everything,RM have a huge amount spent on Fuel so like most Companys each rise has a big impact on profits and losses and what to charge the customer.

[V8 Sam]

i deliver a lot of printing equipment in the lorry, to a large amount of print firms.

im talking massive mass producing stuff, not personal printing equipment.

if you like i can ask about and maybe get it done cheaper?

[Dave81]

The sad fact is a lot of people in the hobby are enthusiasts and have little money one reason many cars are in a poor condition and those jobs never get done.

.....Who me.......How very dare you! Its meant to look like that!

Great summary Tony. Think quite a few people are in this position!

[Rebel]

Given the concerns about price increase's and server space, why not offer the ability to have it emailed to members in colour. That way, we use our own server space to store it and we can print it if we want to or need to. Those of us without access to their own puter / printer can use a public library or their mates. Those who choose to have it posted only, get it with less colour?

[Jem]

The most cost effective way of producing it with colour economically thrown in gets my vote.