Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Who wants an electronic version of the PB Magazine

I was thinking after our get together this month about a digital/electronic version of the PondBoss magazine.

Here's a question for a completely unscientific poll:


Who would be interested in an electronic version of the PondBoss Magazine and what would you pay??


Guesses and observations welcome!!

If there is enough interest, maybe we could convince Bob and Mike to look into its production.

As the world moves to a digital presence, there should be some inertia to produce an electronic version sooner than later.


For my vote, I'm in, and I subscribe to the paper version. For a digital only version I'm thinking $19.95 or $14.95 through any of the normal digital outlets.

Zep=Old Fashioned
Maybe Offer Both

Another idea...offer discounts on multiple gift subscriptions.

My first question would be why does anyone need it?
One of the magazines I publish has a circulation about ten times that of Pond Boss. It also has a lot of classified ads of collectible items. We've heard whining from people for years about the time difference it takes for people in various parts of the country to get their issue, so by the time they get it all the good stuff from the ads is sold.
We spent close to two years finding a place that could handle what we want to do. Security was a big part of this. You don't want to just send people an electronic issue that they can just keep forwarding to others who aren't paying for a subscription.
Anyway, we started offering a digital edition in October, and to say the response has been underwhelming would be an understatement.
So, what I'm trying to say is, if people won't pay a couple of bucks a month to buy a digital copy when getting to the ads first is a big advantage, why would they spend it for Pond Boss.
Also, you can't use a digital edition to swat flies, use as a coaster or cut up to make a ransom note.

I think it's a great idea. It's a great way to get new subscribers

I remember that thread. Several months before I ended my retirement test.

I don't use Google Chrome anymore

I want for iPad!

Josh, I remember that thread, I am trying to take the pulse again to see if there is any increase interest. Like it or not, the world is going digital, and I am curious to see where the family stands on this issue. Everywhere you look, other magazines are going online only. Who knows, there may just be an app for PondBoss!!

I think there would be a chance for Bob and Mike to expand their business model on Al Gore's interwebs.

I for one like to read in my home office,and I am sad to say it isn't a digital friendly place

I think if they want to really test the waters making back issues available online would be a great way to start while making a buck.I think quite a few of us new guys would jump on that,you could then bundle a e version of the mag to that and see where it goes.Test market it like so for a year and see if you loose any print subscriptions to the online mag.

Although I doubt too many will drop the print for the online only mag there would be some revenue generated and solid proof none the less

I get quite a few technical publications. Some are print, but most are digital versions. Format is important to me. Some of these are such a PITA that I don't even bother with them. Send me the print version!!!

With the way things are going, a digital PB may not be bad at all. So many people are "bonded", shall we say, to their digital devices, that reading something on paper may be foreign territory.

Offer both! If the digital version could draw in some cash, could be another venue of revenue.

I subscribed to NEC Code Online for a chunk of change. Sure, I could read it, but could not print a page for reference. That sucked! I can just bring the print version with me everyplace. Even copy a page or two if need be.

I probably would not subscribe to a digital version of PB Mag.

Still have not subscribed to the print version either. When I move next spring, I may do that.

Another thing I am doing is saving loose pocket change in coffee cans for a donation to PB for the forums. I know I gave my Mom a few can's of penny's, and she got a new washer and dryer out out of the deal.

Pennies for Pond Boss Forum. I like that!

You would be surprised how much loose change adds up over time.

How many pennies from us would it take to provide the moderators with a modest stipend? Maybe even a nice dinner!

Speaking as someone who doesn't even use a cellphone, I would only hope that the print edition continues for a few more years. I like books....plain and simple. Up until this point, I have remained steadfast in my desire not to allow myself to become shackled to a portable electronic device of some sort...including Ipads, E-readers, and cellphones. I just don't have the need to access the rest of the world on a continual basis, and I absolutely don't want the entire world accessing ME. My very un-smart cellphone stays in the shop truck, and is never removed. I doubt I've used it three times this year.

Unfortunately, despite my obstinance, the world continues to move forward, dragging me along with it. I now find the need has arisen here in the shop, to be able to accept payment for services rendered on a mobile basis.

God-forbid, I now have to shop for smartphones and data plans. I don't even know where to begin....

So, help me keep my blood pressure under control. I would like to be able to turn the pages, (by hand!) of the latest issue of PB... I like that funky ink and paper smell....walking down to the mailbox is good for me....and, if an EMP or huge solar flare disrupts electronic communications on Dec. 21st, I'll still be reading by candlelight, or kerosene lamp....

I'll bet those Ipads and E-readers would make pretty passable drink coasters, though....

Nice work Omaha !!! I like it when other people search with success !!! Search results are a freebie that the readers get.

Highflyer I would pay an extra amount to have access to a non-copy digital site with the mag.

My preference would be a hard copy with a searchable database of all previous issues. The hard copy wouldn't be avaible in digital form until (90 days or ?) after the hard copy edition was published.

I am with Dwight.

That searchable database would need to a have a fee associated with it, or only available to paying subscribers.

My vote would be for both. I would be willing to pay more for a searchable database.

This is pretty close to what I had suggested.For me personally I can't justify spending the money on back issues.Though I would be very happy to access them for a fee.

Never mind.

I'm with Bing.

I know the electronic age is coming, but with all the different media, and how it changes yearly, who's to say that an electronic version will be readable 5 years down the road?

I view the mag as a data base/encyclopedia, and refer back to it.

I have books that are over 100 years old. (well, at least one and other are approaching that age) and they are still interesting to read.

Will the electronic data be available even 20 years down the road?

My sister works for a company, and they have everything stored electronically. They switched systems 2 years ago, and it wasn't until a year after they switched that they realized that they couldn't access data that was generated before the switch.... It cost them some $$ to access the data.

I read several magazines and newspapers in a e-format. IHMO there advantages and disadvantages to both. Most publications that I subscribe to offer your choice of e-format or print format for the same price, some offer access to both formats for approximately 150% of the standard subscription price.

The world is a changing place my friend. E-commerce and e-publications are here to stay and will continue to grow in the market place. Tech-savvy businesses are going to grow at a faster pace (at least in an urban environment and rural environments with good internet access). All one needs to do is look at the spending patterns of consumers. Notice the rate at which on line sales have risen in the past few years? For better or worse e-commerce and social media outlets are how the younger generation shop and network.


I'm not in the habit of defending Bob or Pond Boss (Bob can do a much better job of it that I) but I don't believe that this is a fair criticism. First LMB are prevalent almost everywhere in the US except in perhaps cold northern climates. Second PB magazine has had a feature "On Northern Pond" for several issues (I don't know for how long) that is aimed specifically at northern pond issues. This past issue had an article on Musky, I've never seen or smelled a Musky (which I'm assuming smell like Musk).

JKB, I think you might be missing the point about PondBoss. For me it is all about the water. What you do with the water depends on you.

I think a differentiation must be made between data (that can be both software specific and or machine platform specific) and PDF files which are not as sensitive to either software or operating system platforms. Dwight (or any other of our more tech-savvy members) could probably address this much better than I.

PDF's will not go away, Flash will hopefully soon though. Like some other Adobe software, it will just be updated for security issues every month. It's so regular in fact, that I change my A/C filter every time an Adobe Flash/Acrobat security release is pushed.

Actually, I would think only database stuff would be in danger. JHAP, I would bet a dollar that's what it was. We ran into the same issues, and it was a bear. The disadvantage to PDF's is size, but with storage prices as cheap as they are, it shouldn't be an issue any more.

I played golf one day with a programmer that ran an entire factory off a floppy disk back in the day. Every bit and bite mattered then. Now, bandwidth usage matters most.

I have no doubt that e-publications will soon be the new norm. And while the logical part of my brain may understand the reasoning behind such a maneuver, I highly doubt that the emotional part will enjoy the same fulfillment from a backlit screen, than it does now from a weathered, crisp page....

Certainly there are times when I need an answer, and I need it quickly. But for enjoyable reading, the kind where you kick back in the recliner with a cold beverage and simply lose yourself for a couple of hours, nothing beats ink in my opinion. Especially, where an old, used book is concerned. I have many such books in my collection, and each one tells another story, BESIDES the one printed between the covers....handwritten notes in the margins, a folded corner of a page, the owners name on the inside cover, the delicate, yellowed pages....all speak of events, people, and years gone by.

When a pixel can deliver on that level, then I will consider it. Until then, it's just me and that simple paper bookmark made by one of my kids when they were in first grade. It simply feels right.

Could not agree more, sp. Very well said...