Kitchen Garden Forum

As we move into the digital age it poses me with the question "Will digital magazines be popular?" (a magazine that is emailed to you)

Then it occured to me, what better place to find out than on the KG Forum. So with that in mind perhaps you would be good enough to give me your thoughts:

Posted Magazine?
Digital Magazine?

Which would you prefer?

On another note: Who do you think is going to win "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here?"

I like having a magazine I can pick up and read wherever I am. In the past 24 hours I have read my January KG on a train, in my kitchen, in bed and in my car whilst waiting for Tim. I couldn't do that with an on-line magazine.

On the otherhand being able to copy and save articles to my computer would be good and it would save a lot space on my bookshelf where I have every magazine since it KG started.

On balance my vote is for a magazine in my paw.

Definitely through the letterbox. As Chantal says, it is a much more flexible option! Besides, you can't attach free seeds to an e-mail
Lyn

Definitely in paper. I take it into the garden, on the train etc and read it in bed.
I also have a sneaky feeling that it is actually not good for us to spend too many hours looking at a screen. I think it gets me headachy, makes my eyes sore, and can get me rather bad-tempered if I do it all day (as in the office, i.e.). It's one of the reasons why, although I think they should teach kids IT skills, I don't think they should be expected to spend much time in front of a computer when they are at school. I think it has a bad physical effect on them. I always remember how I compared notes with other mums when my kids were aged 8'ish, and we all said that we had found that if the kids watched TV for longer than 2 hours, they became extremely bad-tempered.
Alison.

I'm sorry, I just realised I had totally ignored your last question about "I'm a celebrity...". I don't have a clue who's even it it as I'm too busy reading KG

As all the others say, i agree that posted through the letterbox is the best, but i must admit i get mine from the newsagents at the moment.
I think it is the simpleness of a paper magazine that appeals to me, you can just pick it up and put it down again, so completely strees free.
And one more thing, have you ever tried swatting a fly with a lap top, very exspensive i would imagine.

a mag is easier to pick up and dip into in the odd spare moment.
regarding the getting iritable , headaches etc in front of the screen , i noticed some 12 months ago that though the desk pc gave me a headache after several hours the laptop didnt so we changed the desktop from the old cathod ray, tv like monitor to a flat thin lcd one like the laptop and have had no further problems.

I receive on of my Trade Magazines by e-mail every month and I have to admit to deleting it without reading

I found it messy to chase the articles around and it left me feeling totally frustrated...the ones that arrive by post I read avidly

I much prefer a paper mag. I like the noise that it makes when it hits the doormat once a month! Each month I have the worry of wondering if KG mag will arrive early on a Saturday or will I have to wait for the Monday post? How can I read an e-mag while sitting on the throne? Seriously though, its nice to have something to pick up and browse anywhere when I have have a few spare moments.

I am a fully paid-up founder member of SFPWNWIACGMOOH - Society For People Who Never Watch I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

John

Why cannot we have the best of both worlds?
i.e. either a free disc with the magazine, if occasionally the cost would be minimal, or access to the whole magazine and some back numbers via the net for registered subscribers. I would find it very convenient to be able to call up anything that I was particularly interested in, this forum cannot go on expanding its archive forever and it does not have appreciable magazine contents anyway.
A computer group I once belonged to had on a single disk all the info of about 10 years magazines and a lot of extras all on one disk.

Allan - what a super idea. Could you search under topic? Behind me on the floor are all the KG magazines from issue 2 and I haven't anywhere to put them and I don't often look anything up because it's so awkward to search through. To have the major articles of all the past magazines on a disk or online would be brilliant. I could then pass the magazines on.

Good idea Allan.

John, where do I sign up to join?

Do you read the Telegraph by any chance?

As an IT person I have to confess I loath electronic copies of magazines.

After a day at work spent reading a computer screen, time spent reading a computer screen at home for personal e-mail and catching up with Chantal, Allan and JB's adventures in Gardenland my eyes could do with a rest from pixels. Also I would rather hold a magazine to suit my position than adjust my position to suit what I am reading.

The only magazine I get regularly in e-format is "Computer Weekly" and it is superbly done, exact facsimile, searchable, zoomable, perfect copy of the paper version. It is excellent.

So by all means offer it for those that want it, but do not stop the paper copy and do not put the price up to pay for an e-copy.

Also, know what, a paper magazine;
is light.
totally portable.
doesn't need a battery, which runs out.
doesn't need a mains cable plugged into it.
doesn't require the internet to download or access it.
can be read anywhere in daylight.
can be read with a candle/torch/fire anywhere at night.
ditto during powercuts.
you can read it in the bath.
you can fall asleep reading it without breaking anything
you don't have to wait ten minutes before you start reading, just open and go.
no-one is going to mug you for your KG, well Chantal might if provoked by a proof copy.
it doesn't have a fan that kicks in and wakes the OH when reading in bed.
it does not need cossetting.
the dog can fetch it without electrocuting herself.
Need I go further?

Post-work luddite rant complete.

Yes Chantal. Telegraph is my breakfast read.
Its weekend gardening supplement is good for following the antics of allotment celebrities!!!

John

Rest assured Peter there are NO intentions to put an end to the paper version or indeed to put the price up to enable us to offer both versions.