GrahamM
Managing Editor
- Joined
- Feb 23, 1999
- Messages
- 9,773
- Reaction score
- 1
Kevin makes some good points and much of his speculative vision for the future of FM and other current angling websites, and the route that angling print media may take, could be close to the truth. Angling Times have already tried the online route but the plug was pulled and jobs were lost. But that was some time ago and next time they could get it right.
You have to remember that digital publishing involves considerable investment. FM?s parent company, Magicalia, is the biggest digital publisher in the UK and although FM is the biggest and most popular fishing website in the UK we?re still learning. Digital publishing is a different game altogether than print publishing and success in one doesn?t necessarily guarantee success in the other. Which is probably why one of the UK?s biggest newspaper and magazine publishers has just failed in a bid to buy Magicalia?.
Kevin writes, ?Whilst the current situation is that internet sites and the angling press are possibly complementary and offer different things to different people, what happens if they are suddenly all competing for the same audience?
What happens is that you, the site visitor, has to pay. The print media are not going to let you visit their site to read the ?big names? for nothing, and certainly not when they?re still printing the same stuff and charging a cover price. If we then found that they were taking our visitors then we too would have to shell out for ?big names? and charge you for reading them.
One way or the other, once the time arrives when websites have to pay for contributions those costs are going to have to be passed on. Of course, that doesn?t mean that there has to be a fee to read all the site; it could be that there is a charge for accessing encrypted areas of the site where you need a separate user name and password.
If the angling print media decide to go the online route then don?t believe that they would have all their own way. Magicalia have been digital publishers for about 8 years, which is a long time in this game, and we?ve learnt a hell of a lot.
One thing that money can?t buy is community spirit, and I believe that is FM?s greatest strength. Regular contributors like Kevin, Mark Wintle, Jeff Woodhouse, Mark Hodson, Barrie Rickards, and all you occasional contributors too numerous to mention (including forum contributors) are what makes FM what it is. We?re totally interactive and we listen to what you have to say, no matter if it?s about content or when we change the look of the site. We?ve always aimed for you to feel that the site belongs to you as much as it does to us. All the ?big names? in the world are not going to make that happen; in fact, it?s the views of everyday anglers that obviously mean a lot more to you than those of a famous but faceless contributor who you can?t get to communicate with on the forum.
What we try to be as much as anything is ?open?, hence you reading Kevin?s article and this reply, which I don?t think you would see anything similar anywhere else. And please reply to the points raised in Kevin?s article and this reply. What would you like to see more of on FM? What would you like to see less of? Would you like an area of the site to be encrypted and accessible for a fee, but gives you special offers and other content?
Tell us how you see things and what you would like to see. We?re listening as usual.
<hr>
What a pity Kevin says this is going to be his last comment piece when he can raise interesting and very debateable issues like this. Can someone twist his arm?
You have to remember that digital publishing involves considerable investment. FM?s parent company, Magicalia, is the biggest digital publisher in the UK and although FM is the biggest and most popular fishing website in the UK we?re still learning. Digital publishing is a different game altogether than print publishing and success in one doesn?t necessarily guarantee success in the other. Which is probably why one of the UK?s biggest newspaper and magazine publishers has just failed in a bid to buy Magicalia?.
Kevin writes, ?Whilst the current situation is that internet sites and the angling press are possibly complementary and offer different things to different people, what happens if they are suddenly all competing for the same audience?
What happens is that you, the site visitor, has to pay. The print media are not going to let you visit their site to read the ?big names? for nothing, and certainly not when they?re still printing the same stuff and charging a cover price. If we then found that they were taking our visitors then we too would have to shell out for ?big names? and charge you for reading them.
One way or the other, once the time arrives when websites have to pay for contributions those costs are going to have to be passed on. Of course, that doesn?t mean that there has to be a fee to read all the site; it could be that there is a charge for accessing encrypted areas of the site where you need a separate user name and password.
If the angling print media decide to go the online route then don?t believe that they would have all their own way. Magicalia have been digital publishers for about 8 years, which is a long time in this game, and we?ve learnt a hell of a lot.
One thing that money can?t buy is community spirit, and I believe that is FM?s greatest strength. Regular contributors like Kevin, Mark Wintle, Jeff Woodhouse, Mark Hodson, Barrie Rickards, and all you occasional contributors too numerous to mention (including forum contributors) are what makes FM what it is. We?re totally interactive and we listen to what you have to say, no matter if it?s about content or when we change the look of the site. We?ve always aimed for you to feel that the site belongs to you as much as it does to us. All the ?big names? in the world are not going to make that happen; in fact, it?s the views of everyday anglers that obviously mean a lot more to you than those of a famous but faceless contributor who you can?t get to communicate with on the forum.
What we try to be as much as anything is ?open?, hence you reading Kevin?s article and this reply, which I don?t think you would see anything similar anywhere else. And please reply to the points raised in Kevin?s article and this reply. What would you like to see more of on FM? What would you like to see less of? Would you like an area of the site to be encrypted and accessible for a fee, but gives you special offers and other content?
Tell us how you see things and what you would like to see. We?re listening as usual.
<hr>
What a pity Kevin says this is going to be his last comment piece when he can raise interesting and very debateable issues like this. Can someone twist his arm?