Bob VA3QV has been questioning how printed matter can keep up with the Internet or if it is approaching the end of its usefulness. Bob points out that the latest issue of The Canadian Amateur Magazine was out of date way before it dropped on the doormat. The TCA shows two Directors (Ontario South and Quebec) being acclaimed to their next terms when in effect they resigned their positions at the end of October in support of the President who also resigned. He goes on to say "No ones fault, just an example of how the print media can no longer keep up." Bob received his copy on the 12th November and says what was written there was the talk of the amateur community two months ago and he has just three days to send his comments in to make the next issue. Therefore what is discussed is likely to be up to six months too late.In the UK at least RadCom drops through the door every month, but I find the same problem, that most news is old news, which in a lot of cases has been done to death way before we see it in print. I do not really care for my national societies magazine prefering the style of other amateur radio magazines but as a former printer I have a soft spot for printed matter and would hate to see it disapear. What does the future hold, will we be reading our radio publications on a mobile phone or Kindle or will blogs like CQHQ toll the death nell?
Printed mags should focus less on news items and more on technical and analysis subjects.
ReplyDeleteI much prefer printed magazines and hate products where the manual is supplied as a PDF file. The internet is great for research and for news but I think many people who use the net a lot tend to scan pages rather than read carefully which is why many replies to forum posts often don't appear to have read them. It's a pleasure to switch off the computers and sit in an armchair to read RadCom, QST, CQ, Sprat or the QRP Quarterly when they come through my letterbox.
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