"E-zines" Topic

Writing in our forum – TMP link – Ottoathome says:

E-zines are "no zines." No one reads them.

Do you agree?

I don't read them but I am just one iconoclastic Grognard so what do I know?

The only one I read is "Warning Order," by the Wasatch Front Historical Gaming Society. On the whole I very much miss "The Courier" and "MWAN." For me, nothing will replace those grand labors of love.

I read them.

I spend too much time on the computer all day anyway. I prefer to read hard copies and not online. I am not a big fan of ezines.

I read a few of them.

The problem I've seen with them (especially the fan based ones) is a lack of content in a timely manner. I even wrote a few (very) short stories for one. But the first two issues were released within a month of each other (ie. on time), the next took 6 weeks, the next took longer…you get the picture.

Far as I can tell nobody reads zines anymore either, by that standard ezines are zines…

I read them. So now I'm no one?

yup, along with the nobody that still reads newspapers. Same idea.

Stephen Huckaby does a very nice e-zine- ACW Gamer.
I find it to be a valued successor to the Zouave and Scott Mingus' "Charge". After 11 issues, I'm still excited with a new issue and read it thoroughly.

I don't. I prefer a hard copy, although I will read the occasional article online.

The question itself does not even make sense. It is archaic at best and missing THE ENTIRE POINT of the technology and what its capabilities are. Stop thinking in 1974 terms. I spend hours at a time ,multiple times a week reading "hobby content" online. I have more than 30 websites/blogs that I rotate through on a regular basis. That is what people do today. They have curated/assembled their OWN "zines"( we call them bookmarks). The reason mine is better than any "ezine" out there is because it is custom edited for ME and focuses on MY interests. I do not have to flip past the pages of an article about the "Chaco Canyon Lindendorrf Campaign" that I am not interested in at all. The really cool thing is that these pages are linked to other pages that I also find interesting. The joy of discovery is almost endless. Please….just please….when you ask such questions pause for a moment and think.

On the other hand, proper magazines are edited and spellchecked and filter out the dross to save you endless hours of trawling.

People are still buying magazines in large numbers, whether on paper or in e-formats. I wish I had a quid for every time I've seen a prediction of their demise. Yes, it's tough, but so is any highly competitive business, and I for one have a Mac stuffed with files I've completely forgotten about, whereas the collation and curation of magazines is still something I appreciate and I'm proud to do for a living.

I think the problem with some e-zines is that they have been thrown together by enthusiasts with no business plan, and the freebies are usually the first to fall by the wayside when people realise that it's actually really hard work – not something I would recommend anyone tries for free.

Henry
MWBG

I wish to second Ragbone's recommendation of "Warning Order." The group has some favorite rule sets but the scenarios and reviews are extremely well done.

I read several.

Lots of online comics if that counts.

Quoting Otto is like quoting a hand grenade. 80% of what he says is just catharsis. I think in that thread he also claimed that online academic journals were not peer-reviewed and don't count as legitimate credentials, which is absurd. They've been peer-reviewed for fifteen years and definitely count as credentials.

Anyway, count me as another reader of "Warning Order" for the past decade.

I read em. I have a few that I keep.
I wish I could convert my hard copies into digital copies. Would make my White Dwarf mag collection so much easier to handle.

Grimm

Another fan of Warning Order. Do wargame mags in Pdf format count? I subscribe to a few that way. The paper copies are too expensive and I toss them in a box afterwards anyway.

Thanks,

John

I read (and write for) both the ACW Gamer and the Early American Wars E-zines done by Steve Huckaby.

I find them worthwhile.

@nevinsrip Indeed, the ACW Gamer is a corker, very nicely done indeed.

Henry

Mine was downloaded over 250 times, so someone had to of read it at some point.

E-Zines, paper magazines, blogs, videos, podcasts, etc -- you're talking about the transfer of information (news, expertise, entertainment) and that's always affected by technology and each type is affected by taste.

As the technology becomes easier to use and deploy, the possibilities for creative expression become greater (for better or worse). When Desktop Publishing first became commonplace in 1980s, office memos suddenly looked like ransom notes because everyone used all sorts of fonts. As videos became common, most looked like amateur hour at the Bijou. Nothing wrong with self-produced content, but it makes you appreciate polished writing and editing.

As Henry noted, it's hard work (the proverbial 10,000 hours?) to raise something from amateur to semi-pro to professional level.

In my mind's eye, this applies to all formats of information. The e-zines, or podcasts, or videos, or paper 'zines that put the effort into polishing up their work will get a broad audience.