New subscriptions, am I thick or what?

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

Just received my latest copy of MEW through the post. With it was a letter outlining the new subscription arrangements (at INCREASED COST OF COURSE). Unless I have misunderstood, the new arrangement delivers a new magazine to your home address before it is in the shops. You also get access to a digital version which you can download and print out if you so wish. QUESTION:-

WHY WOULD I WANT TO PRINT OUT A HARD COPY USING EXPENSIVE PRINTER INK, WHEN I HAVE JUST HAD ONE POSTED THROUGH MY LETTERBOX?

In view of the decreasing thickness of the magazine it is debatable if I will continue with my subscription anyway.

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

You have three options now

Digital only

Print only

Print + digital

So in your case just pay for Print as then you will not be paying for the digital which you obviously don't want.

 

J

Edited By JasonB on 01/08/2013 18:05:17

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

Posted by Anthony Knights on 01/08/2013 17:51:15:

In view of the decreasing thickness of the magazine …..

It's 68 pages. Has been for years. If it's getting thinner they must be using lightweight paper

[John CoatesParticipant @johncoates48577]

 

I think the page count issue is related to the number of them devoted to articles and to advertising

There can be 150 of 'em but if only 50% are devoted to articles it can feel a bit "thin". And then multi page series articles you aren't interested in just add to the "waste" count

It must be hard to please a demanding audience

John

Edited By John Coates on 01/08/2013 18:38:09

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

This is the result of people complaining that they couldn't print out bits of digital versions when they wanted a paper copy of a plan or article to read on the train or plane or use in the workshop. So don't say they don't listen.

Trouble is the accountants were also listening and having cunningly given free digital acces to encourage people to bin their hardcopy after initial reading they realised they had had such people over a barrel when it came to looking up old articles.

[RobboParticipant @robbo]

To return to Anthony's OP.

Subscribers to the hard copy of the magazine would want a digital subscription as well so that they can access ALL issues of MEW since No 1 (which didn't have a number!!).

Hard copy subscribers such as myself, who already have a hard copy of every issue don't need the digital, unless they want to download issues to read in the park without getting their paper copy dog-eared.

But more recent subscribers can be really irked when old codgers like me refer to "issue 57" when they have only subscribed since last year, so they may want the ability to read older issues digitally.

We currently have this facility FREE, but as stated in the letter that will change next year.

Phil

[SteambuffParticipant @steambuff]

Its a price increase if you still want what you have now !!!!! (Paper + Online Archive)

They have removed the "Online Archive" from the Paper subscription, (They are giveing you less for the same money), so if you want the Paper copy plus the online archive you have to pay more!!!

Dave

[John CoatesParticipant @johncoates48577]

Posted by Steambuff on 01/08/2013 19:16:06:

Its a price increase if you still want what you have now !!!!! (Paper + Online Archive)

What he said

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Could it be an all-round price increase because hard copy subs are being abandoned by the readership upon renewal when they can save money by going digi – only, read thro` all and only print off odd articles actually wanted to save for future project? The Sun newspaper say they have lost thousands of hard copy readers because all those "lost" are reading the digital version so they have put up a "paywall" to clobber the digi – only merchants. BTW, I dont buy `red-rag` newspapers. The foregoing is what I heard on TV news recently.

[SteambuffParticipant @steambuff]

Maybe… but there has been a massive increase in price for the Digital subscription (£29 to £48 for M E) ….. Yes I admit that you can download and read on your machine (unless you have Linux), but you can still only print 1 page at a time …. and not everyone is happy with the new digital option, I was happy with the online archive. (with or without print copies)

I think they will lose even more subscribers now.

Dave

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Sid Herbage on 01/08/2013 18:19:51:

Posted by Anthony Knights on 01/08/2013 17:51:15:

In view of the decreasing thickness of the magazine …..

It's 68 pages. Has been for years. If it's getting thinner they must be using lightweight paper

.

Sid,

Agreed, the "page count" is 68 … but that includes the front and back covers, and all the adverts & advertorials.

Back in the good old days, I'm sure Magazines used to number only their Editorial pages.

"Blessed are the Bean-Counters, for they shall inherit the Earth."

MichaelG.

[jason udallParticipant @jasonudall57142]

Call me a fool but I choose to interpret this as subs have gone up (like for like) ?11 per year…
Maybe archive has /will improve in facility. .maybe not
Point is do I want to pay aditional ?11 for the use of the digital archive ?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 01/08/2013 20:53:47:

… the "page count" is 68 … but that includes the front and back covers, and all the adverts & advertorials.

 

.

Just to rub it in … Quoting directly from David's Editorial in MEW 206:

"The office has requested a double page spread for the next few issues to promote subscriptions. The new subscription pages are in the centre of the magazine."

So that's 68-2 already

MichaelG.

 

Edit: Corrected typo.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 01/08/2013 21:34:02

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 01/08/2013 20:53:47:

Posted by Sid Herbage on 01/08/2013 18:19:51:

It's 68 pages. Has been for years. If it's getting thinner they must be using lightweight paper.

Agreed, the "page count" is 68 … but that includes the front and back covers, and all the adverts & advertorials.

Yes, 68 actual pages – they all contribute to the thickness – the same way as it's been for years whether they number all the pages or not.

I didn't get into the question of editorial vs advertising pages because the OP didn't (he simply referred to the thickness and seemed to mean it literally). On that score, I haven't actually counted but subjectively I didn't noticed any serious change in recent years. It's possible there are some month-to-month variations as they balance the available content for a particular month but I haven't seen a systematic change.

I think some of the price increases (particularly the increase for the digital edition of ME) are a cause for concern but I think this thickness aspect is a red herring personally.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Fair comment Sid … I'm not arguing.

MichaelG.

[_Paul_Participant @_paul_]

Keep milking the subscribers like this and numbers will reduce, though I have no doubt that the bean counters behind this have also accounted for that on their spreadsheets…

[michael coleParticipant @michaelcole91146]

I will not be renewing my subs, when it runs out,mostly due to the CNC and electirial stuff. I will just buy second hand copies.

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

To Jason B.

Subscription order form in current magazine (page 34) gives TWO OPTIONS

Print+Digital £12.75 every 3 months

Print Subscription £10.50 every 3 months

No sign of a digital only option which I would prefer at the right price.

Guess I'll have to trawl the back issues and print off anything I find of interest before I lose my access to the archive.

The current issue has 44 pages devoted to articals.

Edited By Anthony Knights on 02/08/2013 08:38:56

[TrickyParticipant @tricky]

Try clicking on the "Subscribe" tab on the green line at the top of the home page and it will give you information about all the options, including digital only

[keithmartParticipant @keithmart]

Hi

[quote]

You have three options now

Digital only

Print only

Print + digital

Where does it say you can have digital only, and how much will it be?

Regards

Keith

Leeds UK

[SteambuffParticipant @steambuff]

Click on the Green Subscribe Tab at the top of the Home Page … Then click on the MEW (or ME) subscribe now link … Your options are given there

For MEW Print + Digital £51, Print Only £42, Digital Only £35.50

For ME Print + Digital £67, Print Only £55, Digital Only £47.95

Dave

[JoParticipant @jo]

I think that is a no brainer. Pay £55 and get a copy that you can keep for the rest of your life, or pay nearly as much and have it taken away at the end of the year.

Most Me clubs keep copies of all the main model engineering magazines going back decades that you can borrow for free.

Jo

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Posted by Jo on 02/08/2013 10:20:52:

Most Me clubs keep copies of all the main model engineering magazines going back decades that you can borrow for free.

That's fine if your nearest club isn't 1000 km away! I've already thrown out most of my backnumbers to save space and now I'll no longer be able to access them on line unless I am prepared to increase my subscription considerably.

Perhaps some kind soul will put the backnumbers on one of the pirate websites and Mytimemedia will realise they are shooting themselves in the foot.

I wonder what they'll do next to piss off their customers.

Russell.

[SteambuffParticipant @steambuff]

Jo

With the new Digital, you download it to your PC/Device and can keep after your subs expire.

Dave

[Author]

Posts