>>>>>BladeForums.Com On-Line Magazine!<<<<<

Mike!
One question that I have that I don't remember being asked, is you said "X" amount per month figures out at "X" amount for a year. My question being if I subscribe for a year at a time, will there be a cost saving reduction of subscription by paying for a year instead of paying monthly?
Another words like the mags do so you save money, rather than the monthly newstand price.
If not I understand, but thought I would throw this in, as I'm sure it will come up.
Also, glad you are going to include a section for AUTOS, as I'm sure as you notice, there are many posts on the Automatic Knife Forum, which tells you there are many of us "auto knife knuts" out here.
Thanks.

Larry
 
Ya I think $29.95 a year would be good.

Plus people who subscribe would get speical offers through the email list I generate.

Maybe a FREE T-Shirt for a Prepaid Subscription.

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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com

 
Mike!
Thanks for the reply. I think what you offer for people who subscribe to a full year is outstanding. Very good way to get more people to sign up for longer time frame, and get you more capital up front to make this a go.
I've already put my "yes" vote in.
Thanks.
Larry
 
I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude on this one. Aside from some of the concerns raised by other posters, I would be curious to know if I can take advantage of the pic, sounds and video-heavy online magazine as I have a very sloooowwww PC and internet access (33.6Kbps running on Pentium 100mhz).

Thanks, Mike, for offering the first month free.
 
I don't know; an online pay-for-access magazine seems pretty problematic to me. For starters, $3 per month is too much for a lot of people. I probably wouldn't subscribe myself, and I suspect most bladeforums members would also think twice about it. I enjoy reading the knife articles here, and I have no problem buying stuff from the bladeforums store to help support the cause (I bought a CF Ladybug and a Native already), but the dynamic of magazine subscriptions is different. I would only feel it was a good deal if I was convinced I'd read it enough to get my money's worth, which basically means committing my future time rather than buying a goodie (knife) because the profits go to a good cause.

Furthermore, I don't see how the magazine can run without taking some information that would have otherwise been posted on the forum for free and making it for paid subscribers only. Clearly Mike has to give magazine subscribers something they can't get for free. If the forums start being filled with teasers for articles only available in the magazine, their worth will decrease a lot.

Fundamentally, the forums are good because there are so many people contributing, and many people make such good contributions. If the number of subscribers decreases, or if the quality of forum postings decreases, that would be a very bad thing.

A forum for longer, more graphics-intensive articles by invited authors certainly has promise. But it will take a very careful balance to prevent it from hurting the free forums. I'd like to suggest reduced subscription fees ($1/month?), some advertiser support (maybe limit advertisers to 1 or 2 fixed-price ads per issue to reduce their influence), and maybe a few other perks to encourage subscriptions or raise money.

-Brett


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brett@rahul.net
www.rahul.net/brett
 
I would enjoy the extra reading, but since reasding these last posts, I became apprhensive. Blade really sucks and I think there is enough inital knifemaking talk and advisement: how about advanced issues like knife design, lay-man's version of metallurgy and as much advice about folder constuction as we've gotten about fixed blades. How do the different auto-openers work and function? If you could depart radically from the other magazines, wow what you could accomplish! Please think twice about treading on Tactical Knives toes and taking all the copying suggestions that have been posted. Take your original vision and let it stand or fall on it's own merits instead of constantly "repairing" the design to keep the mag alive. Blade does that.
 
I have to admit I'm having fun here at the forum. I've followed rec.knives almost since it began, though my only claim to any expertise where knives are concerned has to do with knife throwing and throwing knives.

On the surface of it, I don't get it. I'll raise an objection I haven't seen yet (I've read most, but not all the posts though I have to admit). I like to curl up in my reading chair with a REAL magazine, on paper and peruse it casually flipping from page to page and article to article as it suits my fancy. Its also easier to read real print on real paper, no matter how good display systems are getting. $3.00 per month is about on par with subscription prices for real magazines, so what is the advantage to the on line version? I can't take it with me on the bus or plane while I'm traveling, can't pick it up when ever I feel like it unless I'm sitting at my computer and connected to the net, etc. Lastly, I'll have to agree with some of the other objections as well, the forums themselves are just as valuable, free, and more real-time.

Be that as it may, the medium CAN potentially add value, but I haven't heard you talk about it yet. For example, you aren't limited to merely writing about how to make a knife (for example) including still pictures, but you could, theoretically, actually *show* the process via a video feed! Now that is something a print publication CAN NOT do, and that is the sort of added value an on-line zine might have that would be worth a subscription price...

 
Like I have said all along..

The on-line magazine will offer features that you could never get in a rag mag.

Video testing and possible LIVE video test with no "bleeps". That would come in later issues as the software is expensive.

Non Biased testing and reporting. Whether you guys beleive it or not I will report on knives that fail tests as well as though that pass.

Monthly features like those I mentioned above.

Want to curl up in a chair or take us with you? Download a copy and print it out or buy a lap top
smile.gif


We can go back and forth on the obvious differences between the rag mags and online magazines but I think I have seen enough and feel the magazine will be viable.

Look for it hopefully by August or September.

------------------
Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com

 
Mike: Couldn't help but notice that you said it would cost 2K a month. That seems like alot to me. Wouldn't it be cheaper if the magizine articles were writen by members?



I'm sure with 2000+ of us there will be enough articles to go around. Or is that just bandwidththat cost $2000 a month?



Sincerely,

Adam

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Self improvement is a hobby of mine :).

 
The cost is an estimate based on time, paying for reviews or trading a knife for a review, testing (buying material to cut up), Bandwidth, Spark's salery, software and a Snazzi card and various other related costs. I would rather allow the magazine to not have advertising but it looks like that will be necessary.

However the advertisers will be mostly dealers so they will not care about a bad review as much as a manufacturer. Also it will be clearly stated to the manuafacturers that it is possible to see a bad review.

Heck to be honest I am going to review my own line of Dragon Forge knives. And I will even post a mixed review on my very own Ko-Hai. After carrying one for 3 months I love it but the damn thing opens in my pocket to much.

Now how is that for being unbiased?

------------------
Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com

 
Please have some information listed on knives as weapons. I almost never see articles on the knife as a back up weapon. I'd love to see some straight forward information. I've come to this web site because I can't stand most of the knife rags.
Thanks and I look forward to it.
 
TTTT,

Sure send us a sample of what you can right. Just email it to me. Like a review of a knife you own. If I like the review you can do some writing for us and get a free subscription.

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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com

 
PS,

Just get a spell checker with grammer features. I know I need it.

Wright? Right? Write?

------------------
Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com

 
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