ok kids, i've decided to take the plunge.

I'm gunna create a vw mag... but here's what i need from you first off...

Do you want it in softcopy (i.e. on the net on a webpage) for no cost whatsoever....

OR

do you want a hardcopy mag to be sent out... obviously not gunna be free... EDIT::: just to make it clear, the mag won't be the print quality of other mags, may not even be colour until i can organise something - a deal and subscriptions etc... so keep that in mind when voting.. thanks

IT"S EITHER ONE OR THE OTHER, I"M NOT DOING BOTH TO CATER FOR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.... not yet anyways

MORE POLLS AND QUESTIONS TO COME.... please don't reply, just vote... if you have something you want to ad, email me.

Thanks a bunch.
i will let the poll go for a week or so, so get your votes in and be heard! tell everyone! :kiss

:bounce:bounce:bounce "I'M EXCITED!!!" :bounce:bounce:bounce

P.S: Could someone lock this thread up the top of the general forum just for a while.. would really appreciate it.. i need as much feedback as possible. Thanks.

[Edited on 22-1-2003 by vdub2c]

[Edited on 22-1-2003 by vdub2c]

I think a net zine is not a bad idea, as this will also broaden your audience. Doesn't have to be free, just reasonably priced. If you want to see a net zine done well check out http://www.autospeed.com 

I would be happy to do photography for you....

I can photoshop the image to suit print, even dodgy b&w or super cheap p/copy or for the web.

I reckon you build a website one and then approach sponsors when you have a proven product. They will happily pay for advertisements. Then it will fund itself. If you try and bank role a print version you will produce a shit quality product and it will make it hard to get circulation as well as sponsorship.
If you like we can setup magazine.aussieveedubbers.com as the site and you can go for broke.
That way it ain't costing a damn thing and people will see the VW community is behind it.

I don't care how you get it to me, just let me perv at some 1A rides!

You need a Dubbo based reporter - have camera, can travel.

I don't know what the other guys (Brad and Jim in particular) think but that sort of content would be great as a news / articles portal for this site, particularly if it was done for fun and essentially free.

Look at this site for what I consider to be a well run amateur/professional site:

http://www.autospeed.com/ 

They don't pay a lot and their "Staff" seem to be a few people who edit relatively high quality articles with a lot of community input.

Andrew

autospeed.com's not really an amatuer site, the editor julian was the first editor for zoom magazine and has been around in the business for a long time, but the site is fantastic and an obtainable goal i think. go for it vdub2c, i say run the website get a few sponsors and then maybe if viable have them pay for the print-run????

Great would be good to see some veedub stuff from Oz, As i said befor ei would be happy to help in anyway.

Rob.

i following suit and saying internet then a hard copy........... you could use aussieveedubbers to "report" for you like the bronze from around australia


matt

thanks for all the support. at the moment i'll just guage some responses from various questions and then go gung ho in making it happen, for now it will be quaterly - hopefully, or as new things ome in it will get posted... no comments on this yet though, i will put up a poll about it soon - one thing at a time

Brad - magazine.aussieveedubbers.com sounds great - will keep you posted.

as for the rest of you, why not take some shots of your car, team the shots up with a history of the beast, and a bit about it plus background and send it on through.

your car doesn't have to be A1 as they are all aussie rides... but clean it up the best you can, we wanna show the world that aussie vee dubbers are real contenders

i'll keep you all posted thanks for the input...

Yianni.

BTW: thanks for locking in the poll, much appreciated.

Clean up the Dog-O-War. I washed it the other afternoon and the wife said when I came in, "Don't forget you where gonna wash the Baja this arvo". The paints that old and the repairs that rough it's ratlook at its best!

I'd have to roll it in a mix of POR15 and fish oil if I had plans of giving it to my boys.

I reckon for your mag I'd just get some shot of ot sillouetted against the moon on top of a sand dune. Thats about the best shot I can think of for it.

im happy to report about shows with cars if thats kool!!!
cheers
rhys

If I can help, I'll try (I'm very trying :P)
Penguin

Well I can cover the Bundaberg area for you- I run a Photo Minilab so digital imaging is no problem for me:thumb

Before we get to carried away lets see some articles ???

I have offered before and will again, send to me I will post em on the web and the rest will be built around it. Since making this offer almost a year and hlaf ago I have received 1 yes one article.... mmmmm I know Steve aka Carvet got the same amount when he asked.
I reckon you wait and see if you get anything worth publishing. Say when I get 10 articles I will start. Until then all these people saying I will help and send stuff ain't worth much.
I go through the same heart ache with teh Manx Mania Downunder. The only way I get articles is to take my own pictures and write the articles myself.
I am not trying to be negative but lets see some of these guys put their articles where there text is and go from there.

I like the idea of a web version, but occasionally I like to be able to throw something in a bag and read it on the road etc.

Good on ya!

Steve

id be happy to give a helping hand in any way possible

Here is a draft Wes wrote about 12 mths ago now but it may give others n idea.

needs a bit of updating now huh

Maybe a follow up article in the same mag :puke

woo hoo,
finally some more aussie bugnography for me to read.
the old aussie mags that i have read 20-30 times are getting a little worn out
not sick of them yet tho
much better than OS stuff, cos i know the cars/mechanics/people/places sometimes, and it is promoting the aussie industry.

i reckon its an awesome idea. e-zine makes more sense to me at this stage, but once its up and running, the sky's the limit:party

I was on the road a bit yesterday and drove past a printers near the back of our home. I think a printed version would be good but not feasable. What I suggest is that you support a 12month e-zine updating it with a new edition every 2 months or 1 month time allowing. After a 9 month period start putting out expressions of interest for #1 which would be a printed version of the first 12 months of articles. This would develop a good reader base and maintain interest and motivation in the buyer to support the E-zine development. Secondly it would archive all the material collected over that year and allow the man on the toilet to re-read the years articles over the following year.

Problems - #1 you would have to make it order only and then add say 10 or 15% to keep as stock for backsales, stalls, show sales and E-zine promotions like competitions in the second year. #2 You would need to find a committed editor to put together 12 months of articles / photos (and mabey adds to keep the cost down) which would be an triumphant effort and nobody would achieve it for no pay. #3 and would of course a limited edition with a relatively small reader base (hopefully not) with poastage would make it not a cheap print so the articles and pics would have to be good because the cost could be higher than the usual . If you want people to support it the following year it will need to be a reasonable read. VW owner may not have a lot of things, but they do have a good memory for how much thing cost and was it worth it.

Well, there are 626 members of this forum. Say if ~75% of those are actually still participating and interested, and it is not just a 'phase'; that means there would around 450 people wo would actively read and support the internet version. Conservatively.

Then, say that 200-300 of us are real die-hard enthusiasts. Most probably, you could bet on 200 subscriptions for the magazine even if it was overpriced but still within reason. Who knows how many others would go for the hardcopy? But I think that that is the whole attraction of this forum because it is free. So it is hard to try and predict sales for the print version. But there would definately be more interest in the internet one. Therefore I agree it would be best to start with the e-zine and go from there.

That is probably about my 20 cents worth. For 5 cents more I will say this:
As far as the articles and write-ups go, I think that it will depend on the focus of the magazine itself. If it is quite technical, your average Jamox isn't really going to be able to contribute stuff like Brad, Wes, or the other gurus would be able to. If it is just asking for write-ups on our bugs, their stories, or something like that; I would also contribute when I get some bloody photos happening. I just think you need to specify the type of article and then it would be much easier to help by sending one in.:thumb (Also, that demonstration article by Wes isn't loading for me so I can't see what type of article you are after )

Sorry for such drawn-out drabble

I'm in the process of writing some articles for my web site....but I could "pad" them out for a web based zine...No problem....I use to work as a photographer years ago & I'm a graphic designer with over 15 years experience....So I could put something together.....Stories I'm working on are as follows.....
•Slammed Ivory/Matt Black 66 splitty Micro.
•Super Hot L Bug, EATON supercharge 2.1 wasserboxer, 4 wheel (WILWOOD) disc brakes
•EJ20T powered 69 Notch
•Low Rider/Low Budget 64 Bug
•SVXVanagon conversion
•Old School supercharged 1835 Drag Bug
•Oldest (1947 Standard) registered Bug in Oz
That work for you?

I would say about 20% actually regulary contribute - Have a look through the members list and check out the pages and pages of people who have signed up and haven't even posted once.

I know / knew of people back in Newcastle who just signed up in case a good buy ended up in Buy/Swap/Sell and the didn't want to miss out on first dibbs and still haven't posted. Most people choose to only read and thats fine. With a definate lack of VW mags on the market who could blame them. Not everybody is social and thats cool.

The good thing about an E-zine is yes it free and it can be what ever we (collectively) want it to be under the guidance of those who are doing all the work. Do more work = have more say in what goes in. It the same as saying "write nothing - then you'll get nothing published".

It wouldn't be hard to do the same as were doing with the Stickers and T-shirts and say "OK - Magprint is in two months, Who wants one? Send you subscription here. It will include the below mentioned articles and more." Too easy. Dosen't matter how many buy one - those that do will certianly recieve a very limited edition indeed of 20 or 2000.

Who cares, lets just get it happening or else it will fizzle and nothing will happen other than talk. I can contribute during school holidays and am willing do what I can here. Times my small committment by 20 odd member and we have a regular Mag - Leave it all up to one person and you will have a mag for a while until they can't do it any more. Not because their not dedicated. I'm sure Jim is as dedicated to the forum as ever but circumstance change and everything below those priorities must change with them. It a fact of life.

Support each other and it will happen and stay.

Here we go again, all the promises under the sun, when are you guys gunna start writting articles ????

mmmmm getting pretty quite in here.

I'll tell you what when I get 10 articles e-mailed to me I will build a website for them at magazine.aussieveedubbers.com and we can go from there.

I am willing to bet I will not be writting html any time soon.

I will even help out with articles :

1- Wes's V6 powered Baja Bug
2- Brad's 2020 Powered Meyers Manx
3- .........
4-.........

3- Bronzes - Take no prisioners even in reverse Dog-O-War 71Baja in Sh!t thin Orange!

Set me a deadline boss!

There you go... I would like pictures at say 640 x 480 and no more than 72DPI. We will need better ones if we decide to print.

I reckon 2 pages would be good.

If I have to do it so do you - 01 Feb 03.

:bounce Shame I can't get an AVD shirt in time for the shots! :bounce

Need to find a decent shot location now.

[Edited on 27-1-2003 by The_Bronze.]