See underlined and italicized (by me) sections below.
I think this is a problem, and I've heard it said at Noggins that emails to Miscellany seem sometimes to be ignored. No doubt it's very busy at Miscellany, but I think people who take the trouble to get in touch deserve the courtesy of a reply, DISI, TC David. _____ From: e-mail colin.jones5857 [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 10 May 2012 14:55 To: mogtalk2 Subject: Re: [mogtalk2] Miscellany Hi Brian Many thanks for that, what you type makes perfect sense and explains a lot. I don't think anyone is really having a dig at the content but more the lack communication and guidance about what it is you want submitted. I have seen several requests for technical articles over the years so have sent and encouraged others to send them in. Few if any ever see the light of day. If that's an editorial decision then totally fine with that, that's the editor/editorial team choice. What is harder to understand is that when nothing appears, and further emails are sent asking how the article could be reworked etc. nothing comes back. This is not just something I have experienced, indeed I have had a few articles published some years ago, but the experiences of many it seems. Is it something that I (we) could request of you Brian, could you please take on board to raise this matter and ask for clarification and guidance on what exactly you on the editorial team would like to see, what depth of technical input (I could write reams on changing wheels but it would be useless V. an article on adaptive electronic ignition systems which would bore the pants off most!). Maybe we can start afresh, drop this subject and the members can give the editorial team the copy they want for the benefit of all, after all that's why we are moaning, if we did not care it would just be binned and most of us save them. ;-) BR Colin On 10 May 2012 12:35, Brian <[email protected]> wrote: Hi Chas I trust you are well. You do predate me by several years as I joined in 1968 and have enjoyed all my years with a great bunch of folk! Like Chas I also edited Miscellany around 99,2000 when Cliff Baker retired and just before Charles Neal. I do have every copy since it became a regular monthly magazine in 1976. It has changed considerably over the years, firstly the small A5 magazines although convenient in size were getting to fat! You try keeping them open at a page and copying in a challenge. The change to a new format came about under the last year of Chris Rowe and Cliff Baker's take over and the idea of moving to colour would need a change of printer. The then printers were primarily a business card type of outfit. We first moved to part colour which made layout extremely difficult and frustrating as we wanted to maximise the use of colour with photos. With modern technology full colour printing became affordable and we now produce a magazine I am proud to be a part of. I will not deal with the editorial side as this is mainly Charles Neal's province. The common complaint is too much advertising. We it is around a third (20 pages) of commercial advertising. All "Club" adverts for events, badges etc are not included in this figure and I see as an important part of the magazine, it is a "Club" information tool. The commercial advertising pays a good percentage of the cost of production. The main headache is the ever increasing postage costs! As to the content of advertising this is of course up to the advertisers some use professional designers some do it themselves sending in pdf files of the finished copy and some send an email with text and photos and let me sort out. I quite enjoy that part. The change in "type" of member has changed considerably and we often comment in HopMog that we are becoming a dining club. But I am afraid that is the way life is, although having worked on my Morgans in the past it is not something I enjoyed and in later years more than happy to leave to professionals and a total lack of either garage or off road areas made this essential. I know by reading these emails that a lot of you still do enjoy working on your Morgans but becoming fewer in number and with all the new electronics on the engines it is becoming impossible to work on without a great deal of up to date equipment and knowledge. And of course Miscellany reflects these changes so more emphasis on trips abroad and dinners and less on the mechanics. C'est La Vie I am afraid. Must get on with the June magazine now. Brian Pixham Moderator and Deputy Miscellany editor ------------------------------------------- View posts on The Mail Archive http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ [http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/] Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=22459785&id_secret=22459785-4a39ddf8 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
