(11-29-2014, 03:53 AM)Rick McDowell Wrote: Mainly, just happy Charles and company seem to be back, re-engaged. I repeat my recommendation for a more humane schedule like bi-monthly and 50 pages instead of monthly at 100.
This was an old message from Rick, one dated several years ago, but as good of a point to engage in dialogue, as any.
A monthly rate of publication, in and of itself, largely misses what makes publishing a PBM magazine problematic, at times. Additionally, an issue with more pages is not, in and of itself, "harder" to publish, compared to one with less pages. Neither of those things are primary factors in rendering publication problematic.
Real world issues (such as a computer dying), and time-consumption issues (such as trying to raise awareness by going forum to forum to forum, or trying to persuade a PBM company or game moderator to take a more active interest in ancillary issues, such as creating ads and submitting them or taking a new approach to the way that they offer their games), take a much bigger toll on the publisher - at least, that's been my experience with Suspense & Decision magazine. Real life has a way of throwing endless distractions - one right after another ad infinitum - at you. More people seem inclined to read a PBM magazine than to actually submit material to it. That said, a PBM magazine can get published with a relatively small amount of material.
By and large, publishing a PBM magazine is an exercise in trying to herd cats. Invariably, one ends up wondering whether there's any real point in it all. People who focus upon frequency of publication and number of pages do not see the forest (of real reasons) for a couple of trees - not on this particular issue, anyway.
Ultimately, no future issues of Suspense & Decision magazine are ever guaranteed. Publishing it emanates from my hobby interest in the PBM gaming hobby. So, as with players who fall away from particular PBM games, I sometimes "fall away" from publishing this PBM magazine. Others are always welcome to continue publishing it, in my absence.
This time around, I am going to try to implement a variety of process differences. Utilizing MailChimp this time around, to grow a PBM mailing list, is one of these changes being implemented by myself - to try and yield better results, while simultaneously making things easier and less time-consuming for myself.
One thing that some do not seem to realize that publishing a PBM magazine also has a certain recuperative quality to it. Portions of the overall task are actually quite relaxing for me. I miss it, when I don't do it. Reallocating HOW I spend the time that I spend associated with this overall project means that I will, this time around, spend far less time trying to persuade those who do not want to be persuaded, regardless of the particulars being bandied about. I will reduce my overall "footprint," and instead focus more attention upon those areas where I seem to be making some real inroads - at least, insofar as I perceive inroads being made.
Various process differences will manifest themselves in due time. I will be doing some experiments in a number of different ways and areas. In some instances, wholesale changes will be made, where and when I deem necessary, and as frequently as seems necessary.
Some changes will be data-related, very glamorous stuff. Others will be of a more "tangible" nature. Some will play a behind-the-scenes role, whereas others will make for nice little surprises for affected individuals.
My time, for today, has expired. On to other things, now.
