<VV> Communique (this is Re to several posts)

[aeroned at aol.com]

Tim,

Printing and postage is a very large part of the Communique costs. The problem is that not every CORSA member is on-line (I know, I can't believe it myself!). Those members that aren't on-line are the "old guard" of the club (my guess and my term). I sure wouldn't want to cast them asside. Making the e-Communique as an alternative to the paper version is something that I think should be done and maybe at a reduced dues rate.

Ned

PS I promice to be nice to Ryan at this weekend's Tuna. We'll?be helping?him to build a nice motor.







-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Verthein <minoxphotographer at yahoo.com>
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Sent: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 3:39 pm
Subject: <VV> Communique (this is Re to several posts)




For cripes sake, don't make the print SMALLER!  Jeeze.  I bet the largest 
percentage of hardcore Communique fans are the "older" readers, who appreciate 
any larger print.  I have NEVER thought the print was overly large or wasting 
space.  I'm 50.  I had lense replacement surgery in BOTh eyes last year because 
of severe nearsightedness and cataracts. i USED to have to take OFF my glasses 
to read it, now i have to put ON reading glasses to see it.  Some magazines I 
get have such small print that I need a magnifying glass to read them as it is!

Reprint the tech articles? isn't that baiscally what the Tech Guide is? An 
assemblage of tech articles from over the years?  If a new book is in the works, 
what would be the point?

To be honest, and really I can't believe I'm saying this -- the Communique 
should be completely, 100% done as an online publication.  This eliminates I'll 
bet over 90% of the cost.  It should be posted to the CORSA site monthly, as a 
PDF download.  EVERYONE can read a PDF, the reader if you need it is FREE, you 
can print it if you want, and you can adjust the size to whatever you want.  
This coming from a STRONG supporter and fan pf printed magazines.  But it would 
save THOUSANDS YEARLY.  The information would reach everyone quick, the ads 
would be more timely, publication length would be basically unlimited, etc.  
Fancy on line reading programs and all that (like the last ones posted) and all 
pretty and cute, but won't work with EVERY computer.  Even a HUGE PDF can be 
downloaded by someone on dialup, even if it takes a while. It's time to bite the 
bullet and realize that the WORLD is taking care of timely things with the 
internet and saving on cost
 while providing unlmited content. The youth of America, who we are trying to 
bring on board don't want to pay for a cub members hip to get a magazine. They 
live on their computers.  I know there are many who will HATE this, and probably 
cancel their membership instantly, but if you lose a few years worth of dues it 
will be m
ore than made up by the savings in production and distribution.  
Fretting about bandwidth?  if that's an issue, CORSA needs to find a decent deal 
on server space. my web site, and that of my employer is hosted by a company 
that gives UNLIMMITED server space, and HUGE amounts of transfer for $90 a YEAR.  
At work we upload easily half a gig a day, and sometimes up to 20 gigs a day are 
downloaded, and we don't even make a BLIP on the bandwidth limit meter.  People 
used to say "I don't want to darn telephone.  People 'll quit visitin' ifn they 
can jes call up the neighbors and kin"  And we moved on, and we all have a 
phone.  the computer
 is that way now. It's time to stop fighting the trend and spending thousands to 
cater to the few. 

Back issues can be scanned to pdf as images, not OCR, it's fast and a common way 
to do it.  I've copies many a vintage tech manual, etc for some piece of 
equipment for someone, saved the scans in pdf format, and e-mailed 'em off in 
minimum amounts of time. Trouble is, everyone wants to start getting all fancy 
with your databases, and searches, and excel crap, and blah blah.  A good ol' 
PDF works everywhere, and will probably work for the next hundred years.  The 
other formats are often computer dependent and get updated about every 3 years 
and don't always stay backwards compatible (especially if M$ is involved).

Put the Communique on the site in a members only area, and make it simple. let 
people generate their own user name and password, etc. Coupe times a year make 
it available for free to anyone who visits the site and leave it available that 
way, so visitors can download a somewhat recent issue (last 6 months) and see 
what's up. 

I love the magazine. I look forward to getting it.  but even I will admit it's 
passe' for a group that's trying to be current, topical, thrifty, and appeal to 
today's modern world. 

tim in Bovey

Leaving the soapbox now.


      
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