Kitchen Garden Magazine - Good. RHS The Garden - Bad.

[Oakridge]

I have great difficulty reading printed material, books, magazines, newspapers, etc so I try to read as much as possible on the PC or tablet. Therefore I have a online subscription to Kitchen Garden Magazine which is excellent, the RHS, however, refuse to see the need and believe that it would be misused.

I have also posted this on Allotment Gardening Forums

[Pa Snip]

Oakridge

Sadly, I can quite believe the attitude you have found with RHS although in the main part it is not often I have a problem with reading the content of The Garden.
However there is an alternative magazine that had a habit (and might still have for all I know) of printing small text on coloured background which made the article a real struggle to read so to a degree I can empathise with your problem.

There are still organisations that have an incredibly archaic attitude towards the net, Look at how many have produced their website and not updated since year dot.

At least when using online you can usually zoom in to make life easier.

[Pawty]

Not sure I should say this but here goes ...... Name, shame and complain (when I say complain, I mean challenge, but that doesn't rhyme)! Challenging the way things are done is a good thing if you can offer ideas and suggestions to make improvements no matter how small it is.

Write a note to these magazines explaining how they're not working for you. If you're thinking something isn't working well, you can gaurentee you're not alone. I'm Trying to get KGs contact details at the moment so I can offer some constructive advice as a subscriber of over 3yrs.

Pawty

[Pa Snip]

I'm Trying to get KGs contact details at the moment so I can offer some constructive advice as a subscriber of over 3yrs.

Pawty

Kitchen Garden
Mortons Media Group
Media Centre
Morton Way
Horncastle
LN9 6JR

[PLUMPUDDING]

Or sott@mortons.co.uk

[Primrose]

I think there are sections of the written and broadcasting media who still believe that all their consumers are in their twenties or thirties and make no allowance for the fact that the population is ageing and might have difficulties with either eyesight or hearing. To be fair, most of their systems/programmes are probably designed by younger people who are fit as fleas and it never occurs to them that they might need to tweak them to accommodate older consumers.

I wish everybody more luck in their respective campaigns to bring the defaulters into the modern age that I've had with trying to persuade broadcasters to turn down the volume of background music which accompanies almost every programme these days. .
If I want to watch/listen to a concert I'll tune into it. I don't want imposed on me every time I switch the TV on.

[dan3008]

I think there are sections of the written and broadcasting media who still believe that all their consumers are in their twenties or thirties and make no allowance for the fact that the population is ageing and might have difficulties with either eyesight or hearing. To be fair, most of their systems/programmes are probably designed by younger people who are fit as fleas and it never occurs to them that they might need to tweak them to accommodate older consumers.

I'm 24, and I find online easyer to read than print. But that's probably because I'm dyslexic lpl

[peter]

Reviewing a document can be easier with paper especially illy if you have to keep referring back to other pages. Page 40 needs checking against page 17, easy with paper, scrolling or jumping between pages is a pain and even to screens oesnt really answer the convenience of handling paper using fingers or post it's as bookmarks!

No luddite, been using computers continuously since 1980.

[Pa Snip]

Peter,
there are indeed some occasions when paper beats screen
Equally there are times when being able to manipulate the size, or brightness / contrast of a page on screen beats paper hands down.

As for comparing between page 40 and page 17 on screen I open the both and flick between the two, side by side if possible.

[Geoff]

I certainly print the crossword every day - can't get into filling it in online.
When I worked in IT I used to say you could tell the paperless office was coming as each successive generation of laser printer had a bigger paper tray.
I also hate background music in TV programmes especially as most of it isn't background to me, I seem to hear everything at the same volume.

[robo]

I get annoyed when the volume increases as the adverts start it's bad enough watching them in the first place, the latest thing that winds me up is the one advertising that first rate idiot from America hazzelhof or what ever his name is the one where it starts hazzelhof has died bloody pity he hasn't rant over

[Ricard with an H]

I don't have any reading difficulties though a few years back during and after eye surgery I realised that disabled services and considerations hardly extended to those with sight difficulties though on my Mac I was able to sort things out, the black background was very-very helpfull at that time.

At the moment even though my sight is good for reading and distance there are still websites that insist on micro-text.

Tesco.

It's the first I could think of but there are others.

[Westi]

I don't do well with reading anything on shiny paper. The reflection from lights or sun make it difficult, even worse if written over a photo or something & not on a white background! Isn't shiny paper also not recommended for composting as slow to break down?

[Westi trying desperately to think of a gardening mag not printed on shiny paper]! Goodness Mr Oliver the Chef publishes his quarterly mag on dull paper & I tear it up, if I can't give it away, & in the compost it goes & disappears rather quickly actually!

KG you may have this wonderful re-cycling idea free from me (OK maybe for a lifelong subscription)! The first garden mag printed on recycled paper, without shine, easily compostable (if desired), good for making paper pots? I'm sure the forum & the magazine readers will have some good ideas as well.

Westi (Marketing genius in the making)

[Oakridge]

Peter, if reading the printed page is difficult in the first place it is not easier to compare different pages that way.

Christine, who is hard of hearing, - we make a good team - hates background but is often highly amused by the bludners on the subtitles.

Today we have been to Harlow Carr so I make enquiries again and spoke to a lady who was actually interested in the problem took all my details and itemised the problem so we will wait and see.

[Geoff]

How's Harlow Carr? We are planning to go to the plant fair on Saturday.