The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group
Editorial
Ash Nallawalla
editor@melbpc.org.au

Whither PC Update?

Long-time readers may recall my face on these pages and it is back, I hope, temporarily. Carol Daniels has decided to step aside as Editor while the Committee makes a determination about the future direction of PC Update. I would like to thank Carol for her valuable contribution to the magazine for the past three years.

What change?

It appears to some of us in the Committee that PC Update is in need of a makeover. I am talking about not merely an aesthetic update, or some change in the workflow, but a complete reassessment of the "product".

User group magazines have declined in size and vibrancy in all parts of the world. While there is no conclusive evidence, I feel that the Internet is a major factor. Computer users no longer need to wait for a user group meeting or a magazine to get the answer to their problem - a Web search for a newsgroup posting usually provides the answer. Of course, having the skill to recognise the best answer is a different matter, but many users don't care.

Membership of this group declined slightly last year, but is creeping back towards 11,000. Stan Johnstone observed recently that over 60 percent of new members are also signing up for our Internet service. That figure pleases me as I helped to start that service and it also concerns me, as I have been the Assistant Editor, Subeditor, Reviews Editor, Editor, and/or Managing Editor of this magazine continuously since 1988.

When I first became Editor, I had a small group of subeditors from time to time but a lot of the time I did it all on my own. That was fine for a mostly black-and-white magazine, but as it matured into a colour publication and our personal circumstances changed, it became a team effort, with its production and advertising aspects being contracted out.

I believe that the magazine needs to be produced under one roof and for its staff to have more time to spend with vendors, with authors, and on the magazine. This can only happen reliably on a paid basis, although some would say that it is also possible on a volunteer basis. Those who have been members for the same 13 years as I, will have seen the improvements as we slowly went from a single-person to a volunteer-team effort, and ultimately to its present make-up. While we have managed never to miss a deadline, other volunteer-only user group magazines seem to do so from time to time. That would be a recipe for losing members.

It is difficult to detail the problems that have emerged in the last few years, as they keep changing. Some of the issues are:

  • Inadequate subeditorial support
  • Ignored deadlines
  • Inadequate material
  • Concern about litigation
  • Unforeseen events
  • Page count implications.
T hey place a tremendous burden on the magazine team in different ways, particularly Carol, who has often had to find more hours in a day than is possible, and on Peter, who needs to have the right page count before the deadline. One author sued us for breach of copyright for placing his article on the PC Update Online web pages. We learnt the hard way - and a few dollars later - that the notice on page 3 is not sufficient, so new authors all have to fill out a paper form and signify their permission before we can use their contributions.

Such realities have changed the old image of a casual club-like atmosphere and the level of attention required is not easy to achieve in our "spare" time. PC Update is also one of the facets of the Group that is visible to vendors and to other members of the community. This intercourse complements other Group activities such as obtaining speakers for our monthly meetings and other occasions. This marketing activity needs time that we don't have. All these factors point to a need for change.

Risks

What, if any, are the risks of such a move? The main change proposed is a paid Editor, given that production and advertising are already commercial arrangements. The Committee hasn't fully discussed these proposed changes, as it needs your input too. But you can rest assured that we will not allow the magazine to become indistinguishable from commercial publications. We have no preconceived ideas--the advertisement in this issue seeks a proposal that addresses three goals:

  • Content
  • Production
  • Advertising.
PC Update survey

Elsewhere you will read about the Web-based PC Update survey that will enable you to comment on the magazine as it is and how you would like to see it evolve. We have printed it in the magazine for those who cannot or do not use the Web. It is entirely anonymous, so please answer all questions.

Reprinted from the June 1999 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

 

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