Proposed New Magazine

[willk]

Originally Posted by John Kennett

Calling them RHIBs isn't the answer though - it's an ugly word only used by Americans who don't know any better.

Holy God, you're even grumpier than me!

Anyway, HERE, a well respected/read online fishy boating mag. Has a hardcopy following too.

...and I MEAN grumpier than me, which is a worry

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by chewy

The best thing would be to have a SIB section in the RIB mag.

It's ironic that RIB International started out as "RIB and Small Boat" isn't it!

[SPR]

"RIBs, SIBs and other Inflatable Toys"

How's that for name, bet it will get good google rank too...

regards

S.

[chewy]

Originally Posted by SPR

"RIBs, SIBs and other Inflatable Toys"

How's that for name, bet it will get good google rank too...

regards

S.

We could have a ropes and rubber section too....

[John Kennett]

OK, before we end up in the bilges, here are a few thoughts from my perspective.

There has been talk of starting another RIB magazine for years. Several people have looked into it, but so far no one has decided that it would actually be a good idea. There does seem to be a general feeling that a different magazine could be good to have though.

Traditionally, magazines exist for one reason, and one reason only: to sell advertising and make money. In a small niche with an existing dominant player, starting a new magazine is unlikely to be something that anyone would want to pitch on Dragons' Den! There may be other ways of doing things though, depending on what people want to do any why - not just the publisher, but the contributors and readers too.

Some options:

Go head to head with RIB International
It might be possible to produce a magazine that is so much better than RIB International that it makes it redundant and wipes it out. If you want a profitable, proper glossy magazine, that's what you would need to do. I can't see any way that there would be sufficient advertising to support two competing magazines in this market. It would need someone really committed to go down this route.

Produce an on-line "glossy" magazine
This would avoid the printing costs of a conventional magazine, but still have similar overheads for content and layout. My experience of companies in this industry is that they are pretty conservative, and unlikely to jump at the chance to advertise in an on-line magazine. I also think it's unlikely that many people would actually pay up for a subscription in the long term.

Publish a RIB fanzine
Not bother too much with top quality production, and not really try to make a profit. Look to get enough income to cover costs but rely on volunteers. Might be an interesting read, but unlikely to gather much momentum unless it turns out to be something really special. This appears to be what Glenn is proposing, and he's obviously given it some though. My fear though is that it is likely to fade away after a few issues as the same small group of people get fed up with working their butts off for nothing. It's sort of a bit like the way things worked before the internet.

Write on-line articles
If the main reason for wanting to produce this new magazine is to share your knowledge and experience, rather than to make money, then there's already a place here - the Features section. There's not much in it at the moment, and no one has shown any interest in submitting anything for over a year. Maybe people have missed it? Maybe I need to get out there and ask people to write things? Maybe people just don't get round to it when push comes to shove - which wouldn't bode well for the long term viability of a fanzine style mag.

What will people really buy? What will people really contribute to?

[chewy]

I think it would be possible to go head to head with RIB International as most people here don't seem happy with it.

[martini]

Originally Posted by chewy

most people here don't seem happy with it.

Yet most people here still go out and buy it!

And if there was another mag going up against RI we'd probably buy both

[Downhilldai]

Originally Posted by John Kennett

Maybe I need to get out there and ask people to write things?

Doing so may help to get some stories off the ground

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by martini

Yet most people here still go out and buy it!

And if there was another mag going up against RI we'd probably buy both

A quick tale of 3 UK bike mags.

10-12 years ago there used to be 3 custom bike mags running against each other. The parallel is pretty close to what's being talked about here.

Number one was a glossy,selling spangly sparkly things to people with more money than sense. 80% of it was Harley Fergusons with plastic Pamela Anderson clones perched on them.Small boys used it as a substitute for the underwear section of the Littlewoods catalogue. Hence, the dreamers bought it in droves.

Number two did a lot of home built stuff, some excellent, but HDs and spangly bikes were a rarity.Good engineering was king. They did a load of 'how to' articles, some restorations of classics and bikes built on a shoestring etc.

Number 3 did pretty much what number 2 did, but the syntax was appalling and most of the authors couldn't spell. They used a spellchecker a lot and tried to cut down on proofreading costs.When spellcheckers changed entire words,quite a few articles went to press making absolutely no sense.

Number one bought out number two on it's 2nd time into bankruptcy after 4 years and closed it down. They learned that it's a good idea not to alienate your average person working from their own backyard quite as much as they did so occasionally write something interesting now.

Number 3 lasted about 18 months and disappeared.

[Max...]

Going by Glenn's prospective cover and as a newbie to RIB's it is totally spot on and the prospective content is exactly what I would love to be able to read. I hope you can pull it off.

There is an issue maybe with the title though - not exactly sexy or dynamic and sounds a bit like 'Wood Turning Monthly' or 'Railway Bridge Enthusiast' etc.

...with apologies to wood turners and bridge lovers who may be on this forum...

[Shaz]

The 'Inflatable Toys' title is better, or something similarly dubious, may even be able to get it banned some places to generate free publicity !

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Shaz

The 'Inflatable Toys' title is better, or something similarly dubious, may even be able to get it banned some places to generate free publicity !

Enter smutwoman!

[Shaz]

Well, of course I wouldn't be seen with it if it was called something like that !

[Poly]

Originally Posted by chewy

I think it would be possible to go head to head with RIB International as most people here don't seem happy with it.

to do that you are going to need deep pockets, be part of a major magazine publishing house like IPC or have a team of great magazine people and excellent advertising sales people with contacts across the rib industry. Or in fact all of the above.

Whilst there are a vocal minority criticising it, and there are a steady trickle of people each year saying they won't renew their subscription etc - over 10,000 copies still get sold every 2 months. I'm not suggesting RI have a faultless product - but its a brave person who tries to knock the establshed "no 1" off their perch, from a standing start, simply on the basis that their version of the same thing is "better". To do that with a part time amatuer team, no experience of magazine production, and no real reputation within the rib industry would be outstanding.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by John Kennett

Nope. A SIB is an inflatable which may have a floppy floor, a rollaway floor, an air deck, or removable floorboards. It may have a solid floor, but doesn't have a solid hull.

JK am I wrong in thinking that SIB is actually a term coined by RIBnet? I have in the back of my mind this it was Keith (where has he gone anyway) Hart who popularised the phrase? Although I have seen it used in the "real" world too...

[chewy]

Originally Posted by Polwart

to do that you are going to need deep pockets, be part of a major magazine publishing house like IPC or have a team of great magazine people and excellent advertising sales people with contacts across the rib industry. Or in fact all of the above.

Whilst there are a vocal minority criticising it, and there are a steady trickle of people each year saying they won't renew their subscription etc - over 10,000 copies still get sold every 2 months. I'm not suggesting RI have a faultless product - but its a brave person who tries to knock the establshed "no 1" off their perch, from a standing start, simply on the basis that their version of the same thing is "better". To do that with a part time amatuer team, no experience of magazine production, and no real reputation within the rib industry would be outstanding.

Nothing ventured and all that.
I'm sure if you got a few lads in the RIB industry to do articles in return for free advertising space in a few copies it would be a bit of a sweetener?

Originally Posted by martini

Yet most people here still go out and buy it!

And if there was another mag going up against RI we'd probably buy both

I stopped buying it as the last decent issue I read had a cabin RIB in that Rick Tomlinson was using, that was a few years back now.

[biffer]

the only names i have thought of this morning is, pump action and blow jobs, but then i've only had 3 cuppa's so far, after another gulp i though,
i can't believe it's better than rib international

[BLACKSTORM]

RIB International has changed its name to rib magazine maybe trying to come back to planet earth i would say go for it i would buy a rib mag that delt with day to day stuff tell me where to send my subs

cheers steve

[Doug Stormforce]

This is not a sustainable business idea but quite an amusing thread

[Shaz]

Blow Up Toys (International)?