Another point not mentioned during the current round of magazine discussion is that Model RR Hobbyist caters to all scales but does a much better job of explaining any given article compared to paper magazines because there is a seemingly unlimited amount of pages to work with. The last time I looked at MRH, it's online membership was over 30,000 and the content was still excellent. There seems to be at least 1 article in each monthly issue that caters to technique, not being scale-specific. Scenery tips is an obvious multi-scale topic but structures, wiring and weathering also apply.
I agree with Ed L.'s assessment by hobby dealers re: who their customers are, etc. This is even more true today. I know who my customers are, too. Yes, an occasional newbie contacts me, usually via email because he just joined a Yahoo list and saw a posting. I don't need a magazine to reach the VAST majority of my customers, including potential ones who may wander over from other scales. I don't use Twitter, Facebook or blogs but I still advertise via the Yahoo lists, my own email groups and search engines that find my web site. None of this is free but the cost-per-contact is FAR cheaper than any paper product. I am not a supporter of traditional paper ads; the few times I advertised never amounted to any trackable sales. Conversely, I would not object to paying for an advertisement in an online mag like MRH simply based on their readership and format. I agree that being comfortable with accessing online information (mags, pix, etc.) is a "generational thing". The younger a person is, the more gizmos and gadgets he or she will have and the more those "tools" are used. I still use a "dumb phone" (flip-top) and have no interest in a fancy one because I am perfectly comfortable NOT knowing everything about everyone all the time. There is a danger to being consumed by always needing to be current on everything. Look at teenagers . they would have a complete melt down if their iPhone's battery died. For those of you Trekkies out there (yes, I'm one of them), do you remember 1 of the movies where McCoy gave Kirk a book for his birthday present because anything in printed format was so rare and highly treasured? I think it was Moby Dick by Melville. We are fast approaching that same environment .. and we're still 100 years away from Kirk's generation. Jim King President, Smoky Mountain Model Works, Inc. Ph. (828) 777-5619 www.smokymountainmodelworks.com Trainmaster, Craggy Mountain Line RR www.craggymountainline.com
