Re: Thinner!

Gary,

Since I don't know all the details of Penton's financial situation I can't comment on the raw numbers, but I can comment on what I've observed as a consumer of their products.

1) When the price stays the same or goes up, but there's less of the product, the consumer feels like the value is decreasing.

2) Putting stuff on the web site is not a substitute for the printed version. It's great to augment the print (and there are a few things are better delivered electronically), but not at the expense of that very same magazine it's trying to boost!

3) The "free" newsletters are not done out of the goodness of Penton's heart - it's there to deliver revenue. There are ads that pay for it. The same goes for the web site articles.

As an aside, I would like to see all the past code available to the public, or at the very least to past subscribers. Since much of the code has been relegated to web site only, if you are not a *current* member you do not have access to code that you have paid for.


-mark

At 2/12/03 09:06 PM, you wrote:

And, let's also not forget that in addition to the printed magazine,
there is much on the iSeriesNetwork Website that augments the printed
version. Then, of course, there's those free Club Tech newsletters that
the magazine puts together...

Gary Guthrie


Chuck Lundgren wrote:
>
> At 2/4/2003 09:58 PM -0500, you wrote:
> >Ted,
> >
> >At 2/4/03 07:53 PM, you wrote:
> >>Has anyone noticed that this month's iSeries News magazine has gotten
> >>thinner?  Is this cause for concern?  I just resubscribed about a month
> >>ago.  Hope everything is ok in their
> >>organization.
> >
> >  I have noticed a marked drop in the quantity of articles over the past
> > couple of years.  IIRC, after MC stopped publishing it got worse.  To add
> > insult to injury, the price keeps going up!
> >
> >  I've been considering not renewing.  This is after being a loyal
> > subscriber for about 13  years.
> >
> >  -mark
>
> Just a note, then I'll gladly drop this thread: iSeries NEWS has had
> several issues as "thin" as this month's issue, and the price has NOT gone
> up in the past couple years.
>
>   ... Chuck