New magazine? Formed by Harris / Bovington / Meaden
Discussion
briSk said:
^but they aren't free are they?
like one of the other poster's says - it still seems odd to be paying for something on the internet... i guess once those electric paper things become cheap it'll be when these things kicjk off. i am still not sure about eye strain though...
I thought DR was going to be free? If not, they are going to face a massive uphill struggle...like one of the other poster's says - it still seems odd to be paying for something on the internet... i guess once those electric paper things become cheap it'll be when these things kicjk off. i am still not sure about eye strain though...
Godzilla said:
briSk said:
^but they aren't free are they?
like one of the other poster's says - it still seems odd to be paying for something on the internet... i guess once those electric paper things become cheap it'll be when these things kicjk off. i am still not sure about eye strain though...
I thought DR was going to be free? If not, they are going to face a massive uphill struggle...like one of the other poster's says - it still seems odd to be paying for something on the internet... i guess once those electric paper things become cheap it'll be when these things kicjk off. i am still not sure about eye strain though...
Godzilla said:
I thought DR was going to be free? If not, they are going to face a massive uphill struggle...
Likewise if it is free one would assume they would struggle to remain entirely unbiased when their main advertising revenue is coming from the very manufacturers they're reviewing.I have to say I've not found H/B/M to be in any way biased in the past and they pretty much say whatever they want but that's when they were employees (or contributing writers) for established magazines with revenue from physical magazine sales.
Now it's far more the case of potentialy biting the hand that feeds them which must play on the mind somewhat. "Hmmmm this X6 is bobbins but we're negotiating that ad deal next week and my mortgage isn't getting any smaller".
Difficult situation.
Anyone have figures for the earnings by someone like Evo wrt cover price revenue vs advertising revenue?
Do the printing and distribution costs of each mag sold outweigh the cover price or is there profit in there?
Dear god...
In my wildest dreams I didn't think that could possibly be anywhere near that dull...
In my wildest dreams I didn't think that could possibly be anywhere near that dull...
j123 said:
Mr. drivers republic,
Please o please do not do as autocar do, the hottest comparison
twin test of the year....and the result...
http://www.autocar.co.uk/VideosWallpapers/Videos.a...
While "sutters" is quite the driver he simply cannot convey
what cars do on the road. I suppose some drivers are so good
they need not worry how a car handles- so long as its decent,
as they can coax it round anyway. Maybe why race-car drivers
don't make such good scribblers.
ps viv is a super class bloke, the most kind journo i ever met,
(& obviously thats been quite number) even if I don't like evo anymore.
Please o please do not do as autocar do, the hottest comparison
twin test of the year....and the result...
http://www.autocar.co.uk/VideosWallpapers/Videos.a...
While "sutters" is quite the driver he simply cannot convey
what cars do on the road. I suppose some drivers are so good
they need not worry how a car handles- so long as its decent,
as they can coax it round anyway. Maybe why race-car drivers
don't make such good scribblers.
ps viv is a super class bloke, the most kind journo i ever met,
(& obviously thats been quite number) even if I don't like evo anymore.
Edited by j123 on Tuesday 29th April 05:52
Edited by j123 on Tuesday 29th April 06:00
Edited by j123 on Tuesday 29th April 06:25
nervous said:
EdJ said:
I'm sure I will just carry on reading Evo, Car and Autocar like I have been doing for god knows how long, and the addition of DR to the mix can only be a good thing.
I tried emailing the address at the top right of the page but got an undeliverable message. What am I doing wrong?
youve accidently clicked the 'open-mind' feature. apparently the default setting on here wont allow you to like both types of magazine.I tried emailing the address at the top right of the page but got an undeliverable message. What am I doing wrong?
de-select one of your magazines, or click 'get-really-worked-up-about-tailgating-or-something' and PH will lower your threat-assessment score.
Any clues about why I'm getting mail undelivered when I email the citizen@drivers-republic.com ? Seems a bit odd that there is no pro-forma for putting in your various details.
The barest of bottom lines is the road test. Drive the cars and tell how they compare on challenging roads. And be specific, comparing one car to another; tell us how each handles/feels into and out of specific corners. Surprisingly this isn't done too often by anyone. Writers these days usually do a brief summary of certain often very general memories of the whole drive. No more, break it down to the pieces, do the hard work. And please don't stuff 15 cars into one test. Where's the rush, two or three at at time, then some suspense please. Next issue/zine compare the past winner to the next few.
If DR can make a more detailed, more visceral, more alive test of any group of cars; and over more exciting roads with a heightened sense of what each car is really like over time... (Not one time.) then people will crave the read.
IF DR cannot they will possibly be like winding road in the US. A cloud of cars endlessly racing down runways to no where.
People don't care where they get there fix!! Sorry viv, the internet wins now- maybe for House and Garden a mag is nice, but for moving images its time is no less than today. And to think of all those conservatives who said the computer and then the internet would have no effect on the world; the one we would all fall off when we sailed too far.
If DR can make a more detailed, more visceral, more alive test of any group of cars; and over more exciting roads with a heightened sense of what each car is really like over time... (Not one time.) then people will crave the read.
IF DR cannot they will possibly be like winding road in the US. A cloud of cars endlessly racing down runways to no where.
People don't care where they get there fix!! Sorry viv, the internet wins now- maybe for House and Garden a mag is nice, but for moving images its time is no less than today. And to think of all those conservatives who said the computer and then the internet would have no effect on the world; the one we would all fall off when we sailed too far.
Edited by j123 on Wednesday 30th April 00:20
Edited by j123 on Wednesday 30th April 01:11
TO be clear:
"IF DR cannot they will possibly be like winding road in the US. A cloud of cars endlessly racing down runways to no where."
Winding road.com claims over a million "readers", or is that "viewers". Most people I know think it sucks, but apparently there's a million other dudes who don't mind clicking around it. Indeed today the internet creates new forms of revenue, e.g. a million eye balls = a lot of ad revenue. So it is with Winding Road.
As such, DR need not be anything too special to make $$. A UK version of winding road- or slightly better, is entirely believable. Advertisers today simply salivate for somewhat attentive 22-40 year old employed lads. So what I meant by stating, "cars endlessly racing down runways...", is, you'll still make your money but hey why not take some pride in your work and make it great. After all, do modern companies really need to make passionately great products and services to make money, or do they simply need to be first, or biggest or cheapest, to make all that $$- or is that all the above.
I note that evo made it cause it really was better. At that time it really needed to be better. But that was a decade ago. Times change, now evo's a lot like CAR AND CAR is lot like evo. Greatness comes and goes, and these days we really don't need greatness.
Edited by j123 on Wednesday 30th April 02:26
EdJ said:
Any clues about why I'm getting mail undelivered when I email the citizen@drivers-republic.com ? Seems a bit odd that there is no pro-forma for putting in your various details.
It worked for me yesterday, sent them a mail simply saying please add me to your mailing list and got in reply:Thank you for registering your interest. Your name has been added to our list, ready for the launch of our microsite on 8th May.
Cheers,
Steve
Steve Davies
Managing Director
The distinction I was trying (and obviously failed) to make in the column was between a well designed website and a webzine - ie a digital format trying to look like an old fashioned magazine, right down to the turning pages. I deliberately didn't mention any names - though you'd never guess - but, yes, the horribly self-regarding Winding Road was in my thoughts. Top Gear is about to launch a mega-site that, if the guys are telling the truth, will make everything thus far look like a child's flickbook. So, yes, exciting times for the Internet. The more I hear about DR the less it sounds like WR. It will need to be. And, as several posters have mentioned, it's what comes after the smoky sideways action that will count.
Mr Viv - I wholeheatedly agree with you about the "online webzine" turning pages thing...WHY! - It's a website, make it look like one 
I'm very interested in the DR scenario (I'm a very longtime EVO subcriber - I have all the issues) but do wonder what the best way to read a website would be when I'm out and about - I don't really want to get my laptop out to "read a magazine", as such I feel there's a market for (as has been mentoned earlier) an AvantGo / PDA solution that updates the content to a PDA for offline reading.
As an aside, when was the last time the EVO Mobile site was updated - it looks "a bit neglected" to me!
I feel that there will always be a place for "print" - but the quality may need to ramp up to differentiate the product in the market place. I'm not going to rehash comments about EVO "dumbing down" - but looking back over earlier issues the perceived quality of paper / print / photography seems to have redused over time. (I'm still blown away with the photos from "the Hunter & the hunted" Honda S2000 group test which was years ago...)
I suppose to "sum up" it's a bit "wait & see" with regard to Drivers Republic with the line up they have it "should" work - I'd like to know if EVO going to beef up it's web site to compete - I feel that it's a bit "low rent" compared to other car mag sites (such as Autocar or PH) - I know that it probably there to drive us to buy the mag, but I'd love to see a subcriber area that gives some more "depth" to the articles, and maybe more photos - sort of a supplement to the mag that goes into details, etc.
Cheers for reading these ramblings & keep up the excellent work.
Chris
I'm very interested in the DR scenario (I'm a very longtime EVO subcriber - I have all the issues) but do wonder what the best way to read a website would be when I'm out and about - I don't really want to get my laptop out to "read a magazine", as such I feel there's a market for (as has been mentoned earlier) an AvantGo / PDA solution that updates the content to a PDA for offline reading.
As an aside, when was the last time the EVO Mobile site was updated
- it looks "a bit neglected" to me!I feel that there will always be a place for "print" - but the quality may need to ramp up to differentiate the product in the market place. I'm not going to rehash comments about EVO "dumbing down" - but looking back over earlier issues the perceived quality of paper / print / photography seems to have redused over time. (I'm still blown away with the photos from "the Hunter & the hunted" Honda S2000 group test which was years ago...)
I suppose to "sum up" it's a bit "wait & see" with regard to Drivers Republic with the line up they have it "should" work
- I'd like to know if EVO going to beef up it's web site to compete - I feel that it's a bit "low rent" compared to other car mag sites (such as Autocar or PH) - I know that it probably there to drive us to buy the mag, but I'd love to see a subcriber area that gives some more "depth" to the articles, and maybe more photos - sort of a supplement to the mag that goes into details, etc.Cheers for reading these ramblings & keep up the excellent work.
Chris
It sounds excellent and I'll probably subscribe. I'm also a bit of a closet DoctorD fan, so I'm expecting great things.
Re. print vs electronic, I've been reading an online broadsheet newspaper for a few years now, and when I actually get hold of a print copy, I find that I now prefer the online version - possibly just a case of getting used to the new format.
As others have said, the print medium is hobbled in comparision to online, which has pretty much endless possibilities in terms of moving image, reader participation through forums, extra written content, high qual photos etc.
Sounds pretty exciting to me.
Re. print vs electronic, I've been reading an online broadsheet newspaper for a few years now, and when I actually get hold of a print copy, I find that I now prefer the online version - possibly just a case of getting used to the new format.
As others have said, the print medium is hobbled in comparision to online, which has pretty much endless possibilities in terms of moving image, reader participation through forums, extra written content, high qual photos etc.
Sounds pretty exciting to me.
hehehe.
On a quiet Friday we used to occasionally dig out some Great Driving Faces from the EMAP archive.
John Simister and Jesse Crosse could usually be found performing some gnarly poses.
On a side note, has it been reported here that Oli Marriage from Auto Express is becoming Richard Meaden at evo? If not, it has now.
On a quiet Friday we used to occasionally dig out some Great Driving Faces from the EMAP archive.
John Simister and Jesse Crosse could usually be found performing some gnarly poses.
On a side note, has it been reported here that Oli Marriage from Auto Express is becoming Richard Meaden at evo? If not, it has now.
Edited by bad_roo on Wednesday 30th April 14:29
Viv wrote:
"The more I hear about DR the less it sounds like WR. It will need to be. And, as several posters have mentioned, it's what comes after the smoky sideways action that will count."
As were my comments on this, I'd say DR could very well be pretty much just like Winding Road plus with a bit of verbal commentary, and do fine; it all depends if the audience will be as accepting as the American WR readership is. Has the UK audience fallen to that level? Maybe so. Again the Internet sites (presumably like WD and DR)requiring no fee, simply need lads eyeballs and the resultant cascade of ad dollars that brings. My point was if someone wanted to go right up to evo's court and do as they do or better with all the extras that the internet has inherent, that would be something, but something that is not required to make that $$.
"The more I hear about DR the less it sounds like WR. It will need to be. And, as several posters have mentioned, it's what comes after the smoky sideways action that will count."
As were my comments on this, I'd say DR could very well be pretty much just like Winding Road plus with a bit of verbal commentary, and do fine; it all depends if the audience will be as accepting as the American WR readership is. Has the UK audience fallen to that level? Maybe so. Again the Internet sites (presumably like WD and DR)requiring no fee, simply need lads eyeballs and the resultant cascade of ad dollars that brings. My point was if someone wanted to go right up to evo's court and do as they do or better with all the extras that the internet has inherent, that would be something, but something that is not required to make that $$.
As someone who writes for a website with massive traffic (we're consistently in the top 10 blogs as per Alexa and other trackers, over 22 million unique page hits a month) I cannot fathom why anyone thinks replicating a magazine with turning pages is a good or acceptable idea in 2008. Format the content to the delivery method FFS. I don't want to mouse-drag a corner of a page to get to a new article, and I don't want to have to scroll up and down to read one article spread over two column.
Yep, an on-line mag. sucks - would have been far better to re-launch Fast Lane - it was a really cool mag. for its first couple of years with excellent articles, layout and photography.
Nice to offer a CD-rom to subscribers with back issues archived so you can store them easily though....
Nice to offer a CD-rom to subscribers with back issues archived so you can store them easily though....
Edited by dom180 on Thursday 1st May 13:14
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