There are some thoughts along that line. However, it would be a considerable clerical effort to match up posters with subscribers. For example, who is Weissguy and where is he from?
Very valid point, but couldn't this be solved by simply assigning a unique subscriber number to each person on the mailing list and simply have them email this number to you to verify their status on the forums? Remember, my ultimate reason for this is to encourage further subscriptions. By acknowledging those current subs that are participants in the forum you further demonstrate that we are proud to be not only a participant in the community but SUPPORT it's existence. Without a subscriber base there would be no advertisers, and without the advertisers there would be no mag, and without the mag there would be no forum. The mag is what makes this forum possible, and I for one believe that's worth recognizing.
A little known fact is that a lot of mag subscribers never post or even log on here. Another factoid is that, while the number and or % is unknown, not a lot of forum members subscribe to the mag and support the forum.
I can completely understand this. However, there is next to ZERO mention of this incredible resource that PB provides in the mag. That's a shame in my opinion. The two should be considered complementary, not completely seperate entities. If it wasn't for the forum, I would never have known PB mag existed. I found this site and ultimately became a sub because I did a google search related to pond stocking and ended up on a related thread right here on this very forum. The forum made me a sub.
Something to think about also. If I were to take a guess, I would say most subs are in the 40-55 age group. This age group relies on the Internet far less when doing research and such. Myself, I am 30. When I have a question, the first thing I do is grab my laptop and look it up. If PB mag wants a higher distribution, they need to focus more marketing efforts on the Internet.
Lusk and Otto bear the cost without a return. That's a shame because the Mag has a lot of information that most people never even think to ask and the info is not here.
I would disagree that there is no return. Again, I sub'd because I found this FORUM. I would argue that there are indeed others out there just like me. Without the forum, I would have had no idea there was such a great mag. This sort of approach to the forum and to the website in general may actually be holding back the success of the magazine. Again, they need to be considered one in the same to a certain degree.
The website should NEVER be a losing proposition when a business itself is that of a MEDIA focus. It should be profitable and self-sustaining, and the mag should emphasize it as a great resource as well. The more popular the website is, and the more participants you have in the forums, the more people come to know you actually HAVE a mag. The best place to encourage more activity on the site is within the mag itself. Get your subs to visit and participate, and the two promote each other.
Like you, I think something needs to be done along these lines. I'm not into something for nothing.
Agreed completely.
BTW, I'm one of the original Forum junkies, a couple of generations back, and one of the first Mods. Like you, I pay for a Mag subscription. Just wrote a check for 2 more years. Mods neither get or expect a free ride.
I only wish I would have found this place, and the magazine earlier. Quite honestly, that's something that we all hear on this forum almost daily by new members. My point is that without a healthy revenue stream (subscription dues and then advertisers that choose to spend their money BASED on distribution numbers), the magazine (and the business itself) isn't reaching it's full potential. Subscription to the magazine should be a primary focus on the forums. Participation in the forums should be a primary focus in the mag.
