Slimmed down magazine
Hi
Just received the Club Magazine. It was so slim I thought there must be something missing. There was - the tests which you can only see on line. The Club seems to be nudging us to using the on line version. Ok if it you use the internet (I do) but if not it is hard cheese .Have the club looked at the numbers who do not access the on line version and by default cannot access the full content of the magazine? If they do not care why don't the club say we will not be publishing the paper copy any more so we can all have a reduction on the membership fee.
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My understanding is that a very small proportion of members dont have the physical magazine but I can’t remember where i read that. Although we never find much to read in the magazine we do both flip through it. More difficult if you have the digital magazine. By the way do those who do use the digital version get an email alert to tell them it is available? I suspect they just want to either ditch it all together or reduce its frequency. Didn’t a recent survey ask about magazine frequency? No doubt another “you said” “ we did” coming up!
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Mine arrived today, agree much slimmer. Having said that they do seem to have changed the style a bit which I think is a little less cluttered and cleaner to view.
David
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Surely it is a case of non of the normal pages of adverts at the back are there?
Another case of a slip up do you think? I thought they were what paid for the magasine.
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Adverts might be less I agree. However if you are not comfortable with the on line version (I am) you will not see the caravan and car tests. This is one of the main purposes of the Magazine surely? The rest of the magazine is extremely lightweight and is hardly worth reading in depth because it has no depth. In my opinion it is much easier and pleasurable to read a paper copy rather than reading it on a smartphone whatever the quality of the content.
The Club appears to be excluding the membership who are not comfortable with the online magazine
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The "Club" seem to have gone into a "Time and Motion" phase.
Every last penny being spent is being investigated to find ways to save money, hence recent Site closures, bin collections changing, offers being made almost weekly. Be interesting to see what else is going to change/get the chop.
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While I enjoy reading the magazine, I always save them to read on site, I too find amusing that people put so much store in it arriving late, not enough pages, or that it even exists at all.
For me it's not that important, this is:
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Nice sunset. Is the site busy, Corners?
Edit: whoops, sorry, off topic.
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I couldn't spot an empty pitch anywhere, even the tent pitches are taken.
I like the approach here to not mowing everything. And the central bins by the entrance - WOW three threads in one!
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😎👍🏻
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I thought that the middle had dropped out when I lifted the magazine from the post box.
Then I counted the pages and found that it was less that half the pages of the July issue.
Are all the editorial staff on Holiday.
Very disappointed with the August issue, lets hope the September issue returns as standard content.
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I usually save my mag to read when I am away, don't really get the time when at home, however this months mag is a disgrace, with all the interesting articles missing, don't miss the adds, but assume they subsidize the costs.
Whilst I still want a decent mag, My main gripe is why do the club assume everyone has enough data on modern phones ( assuming you are not in the demographic ages of still a lot of the members) can't use the Wi-Fi on site with a stupid 1 meg anyway as from experience it would time out before full download anyway. if you can get it the 1st place. so we would have to pay for wifi just to read the mag, which as a member we have already paid for it in our membership subs anyway.
Another big lowering of what the club is about, just how much more do they want to squeeze out of us, certainly don't need 2 editors, sack 1 and his wage can go towards restoring a decent mag, bring back enroute, that was a proper members mag.
You do need to take more notice of us oldies, you are already pricing us out of sites, or shutting the cheaper ones we are happy with anyway, we are often the ones keeping the sites afloat during off peak and during the week, (sorry gone off track)
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Just received August's slimmed down edition of the Club magazine. Quite a difference on previous editions, much to early to give a thumbs up or down but I am not disappointed. Gone is the pages and pages of adverts from dealers offering to buy your caravans for pennies, gone to are reviews of (for many) unaffordable tow cars, £50,000+ caravans, impossibly expensive motorhomes, none of which interests me, except in my dreams. Disappointed that the crossword is missing, but overall not to bad an effort.
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I suspect we will have to wait until we get the next issue to see if this is a trend? We were asked to complete a survey on the magazine a while ago but I have no way of knowing if the changes to the current magazine are as a result of that feed back?
David
PS
Scoutman, I suspect those adverts have disappeared because no one is buying at the moment. Tried to sell my motorhome to one a while ago and they came back, sorry we already have too much stock!
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Very disappointed by lack of content in latest magazine. Personally, I dislike the digital version, it's not a communication that fits all. I am very disillusioned with the Club at present. Recently quoted over £1300 to stay on a Club site for three weeks. I could fly business class to California for less.
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I have to agree that the magazine is now becoming a joke. Like one of the other posters, we collect the magazines to read whilst we are away, this one is not going to be going with us.
As for an 'electronic' edition, ok some of us are computer savvy BUT when we go away the computer stays at home and as for that 'esential' the smartphone, don't get me started!
Yes I can see that it could be a prelude for forcing all members to go paperless as a cost saving exercise, but is the saving of moneys going to feed back to the members? I rather suspect not.
Some of the prices for a pitch on a club site are truly eye watering. We go to France regularly, and the most we have ever paid for a pitch was £24 per night, and this was a site with direct access to the beach, two swimming pools, a selection of on site grocery shops along with take away food emporiums.
No, we will never use a club site at these extortionate prices.
The death knell of the club may well be about to be rung!
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'We go to France regularly, and the most we have ever paid for a pitch was £24 per night, and this was a site with direct access to the beach, two swimming pools, a selection of on site grocery shops along with take away food emporiums.'
We're happy to pay more than £24 per night NOT to have any of these pitch subsidising 'benefits'
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Just tried to look at the latest on-line version of the magazine, and guess what, it keeps “falling over”.
The latest paper version was just a series of articles promoting various club sites, which depending on their interests, most members would all ready be familiar with, or could have worked out for themselves.
Either come clean and admit that the Club would prefer to do away with the printed magazine, or produce something worthwhile with genuine articles written by real journalists (not just telling us how wonderful everything is)
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The latest paper version was just a series of articles promoting various club sites, which depending on their interests, most members would all ready be familiar with, or could have worked out for themselves.
Today I manage to get past the first couple of pages and hundred percent agree. This might be fine for newbies but rather boreing for long serving members. Did you notice the abscence of the Ifracombe site from "Shore things" Is this going to be another site for the chop? Also why do we have keep getting the same old Club adverts shoved in our faces with every issue e.g. Pop up sites, World wide tours. Kill the mag off or at least go back to bi-monthly issues or even better quarterly. Lets face of it the internet provides much of todays views much quicker.
peedee
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Peedee
We were asked to comment of the magazine recently by taking a survey. A couple of things I mentioned was I thought the layout was messy and I think in the latest edition they have tried to address that. I did also mention that I thought it was just a promotion tool for the Club which is one of the points you have also made. On that point though they are going to use it to promote "Club" assets, there would be little point in it if they didn't? Perhaps what is missing is a balance?
I was also a bit surprised that they seemed to miss out some of the coastal sites but I did notice they were listed a page or two further in. I think we need to see how up coming editions look or change.
David
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We had a very good staff magazine, it contained very few if any promotional material for the Company.(it had little outside circulation if any) It was mostly about the staff. They changed it and it became more of a Company advert than a staff magazine and it eventually died.
I didn't complete the last survey, in truth I could think of nothing to offer. I would expect some promotional material but it does seem over the top. The only bits I read is Opinion and Club news and even those I quickly glance over to see if it is interesting enough before taking it in. Even reports of Club meetings are lacking in any meaningful information. I think your right, there needs to be more balance but quite what with, I don't know. Perhaps more about new tech and the market place e.g. an independent review of lithium batteries and an up grade to them?
peedee
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Yes, a disgrace. We've already complained to the Club. Despite being tech-savvy, there are so many advantages of having a paper magazine. Reading on a small screen is difficult.
When, eventually the whole paper magazine has been read, articles etc. can be removed and stored for future reference.
Magazines can be handed on to prospective caravanners. I take ours to a charity shop where they always sell.
The letters pages (plural, note) have always been interesting and are part of being a club with fellow caravanners. Opinions and experiences are important.
I could go on.
Let's hope they listen to us but we do wonder.
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Another instance of the Club doing what's best for them and damn the members. Thought the club was supposed to be run for the benefit of the members. Does anybody recall being asked about these changes. The only thing special about the August edition was the slimming down. 'John' obviously thinks we should be excited about these changes, well I've got news for him. These actions are are another slap in the face along with ridiculously high site fees. Think I need an evaluation as I recently renewed my membership.
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You don’t need to be asked about changes to the magazine. The Club's Governance explains how your elected representatives do this on your behalf.
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Down the years I have subscribed to a few special interest magazines. They are fine for the first year or so, but then by about 18 months in, articles start to get semi repetitive, as your own experience of something increases, you perhaps don’t find as much interest in certain aspects, and there’s often lack of “real life” input, from like minded individuals rather than paid journalists. Often way too much advertising padding as well (might be only thing that keeps Club Magazine going).
Never found the Club mag particularly inspiring. As a Club magazine, it could do with much more input from actual Members, dedicated pages for the regions, local centres, and maybe some Site staff input as well. I find all the endless car reviews, outfit reviews a bit of a bore as well. Some unpaid, telling it like it really is after a few months of ownership would be of more benefit to the Membership generally. Everything is all too shiny, too perfect to be honest. And it definitely gives the impression that the Club has too close a relationship with some of the manufacturers.
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