RE: News400 RPG Source newsletter

Tim:

>
> And, no, $89 per year isn't going to break me.  But I get tired of getting
> hammered with the "only pennies a day" crap.  (If I took advantage of all
> the
> "only pennies a day" ads I see and hear, I'd be broke in a day!)  If the
> huge
> majority of the News400 audience works with RPG, then why have a separate
> newsletter?
>
>
*** Was this supposed to be another cash cow for Duke Publications?  ***

>>  --->  I believe you already answered your own question.

Boy, and if _I_ didn't, the magazine sure did!  I got a call shortly after my
post from Randy Goldner, Director of Marketing/Circulation.  We had a polite,
10-minute conversation.  I would like to clarify a few points.  First of all, I
believe in free enterprise, so, yes, Duke Pubs has every right to make as much
money as they are ethically and legally allowed to.  Supply and demand will be
the determining factors as to whether they do or not.  Apparently, the demand is
there, and Duke is supplying it.

>>But in all honesty, if you feel the Info is work $89 bucks a year
>>and you don't mind paying that amount.  I guess there is nothing to
>>complain about.  But I saw a subscription last year at someone's desk.
>>And I thought the info was pretty good.  I just couldn't justify it,
>>if they pulled in a few advertisers and could bring the price tag down
>>a bit, then I might give it a shot...

Randy reminded me of a very important point...  For that $89 bucks a year, will
you find that _one_ tip that will pay for that subscription, perhaps many times
over?  I identify with that, but because I would not directly benefit from it
and because the subscription cost would come out of my own pocket, I am not so
inclined to spend my money, especially with my budget.  All I can do is show my
boss how the company could benefit, and let them come up with the cash.  There
are a lot of intangibles, of course, professional development, being the one
person in the group who can say, "we _can_ do that", etc.  OTOH, there are a lot
of other resources out there.  Perhaps the $89 would be better spent on Bob
Cozzi's book.  Or something else.

>>But in this day of interactive newsgroups, our questions can be
>>answered so quickly, that I just hate having to wait a month to see
>>part II of an article...Especially if it's the part with the code..

Agreed.  It's just that newsgroups are not (IMHO) best suited for the in-depth
articles you find in the mags.  News400's User Index article in the September
issue is a good example.  You could never expect to see that level of detail in
a newsgroup.

- Dan Bale





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