RUMCars Forum
General Category => RUMCar News => Topic started by: Jean on April 01, 2006, 05:43:58 PM
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Tony and I want to find out what people think of RUMCAR NEWS. We are facing heavier postal charges in August and the price of the magazine may have to go up again next year.
We have had an email from one unhappy customer but unless we can get people to voice an opinion we don't know which way to go. There are two alternatives - improve th quality, add more pages and increase the price or reduce the quality and the number of pages to keep within current price structure. The third alternative is to persuade many more people to subscribe to help us cover the costs. We now have a Frisky Page added to Nobel, Peel, Goggomobil and the Invalid Carriage pages. We hope to add a Scootacar page to this too. All this should mean more subscribers as we cater especially for more individual cars without clubs but there again we need all the help we can get from you to attract more subscribers. Tony is in the envious position of having more copy than he has space for most quarters so he could easily fill four more pages providing of course you keep sending in your articles. Please ,those of you who read this put your views on the forum, by email or just write a letter and encourage other people to do so too. The sooner the better of course August will soon be upon us and Tony and I have to plan ahead..
Come on at least let us hear from each of our current 29 forum members, and even if you are just visiting we would like your views too.[/b
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I wouldn't like to see the quantity of pages reduced in the mag. I do like reading about the classic stuff but not terribly interested in asian tuk tuk type vehicles or ultra modern stuff. A scootacar page would be good as I have a mk1 and I'm biased!..
Would like to read about owners restos,fault finding/fixing articles,tales of antics bubble-wise in their day,bargains bought etc
I'd pay more as opposed to receiving less..
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Strangely enough my tastes and preferances are identical to the previous contributors [Mr P50] I love all the 1950s/60 classic microcars. When I first became affiliated thats all the magazine was about. I would also like to read more fix it or tec articles. Because I subscribe to quite a few other clubs and magazines I wouldnt like to see Rum car news continue to rise in price,I couldnt afford to continue to subscribe to them all, something would have to go and I wouldnt want to have to choose which of my favourites to have to drop. I would prefer to see the magazine slightly condensed using only the best articles and prevent the cost from rising. Thats just my view, Tony does a great job and I wouldnt want to him to feel in the least discouraged.
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It would seem that both members who have posted replies so far agree they would like more technical information. Thats fine, but neither Tony nor I have that sort of expertise to impart we have to rely on YOU the members to help us. So let the technical articles flow in! If you have restored or are restoring an unusal vehicle let us hear about it, how you over came the lack of information that usually surrounds these "small run" makes. Have you found compatible spares, have you found a realy good speicalist who provides value for money or a website that helped with your project? Any information such as this would be most welcomed by the Archives so that we can help any future owners, after all that is what the Register is all about. We can't proivide a spare parts service as the one make Clubs can do but we can provide information, and RUMCAR NEWS should be reflecting this and therefore making it special. Give Tony the ammunition to edit, and he will give you the magazine YOU want.
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I would say that the reason membership is low is because people think it is just a register,ie just a database of a list of surviving cars.
I know i did before i joined,i had no idea there was a magazine etc,i believe that the register part throws people off track.
If it was the Unusual microcar Club,then it would be a bit more obvious what was offered.
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But Dan we are only a Register. The magazine is a separate entity for Unusual Microcars,we obviously need to advertise the magazine more but I am not sure how that can be done with out spending money with the motoring monthlies and we cannot afford to do that. Any ideas?
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I think Dan makes a very valid point,everyone in microcar circles knows of the register but do they know there is a great magazine that goes with it? I wonder if the other microcar club mags like kabinews, isetta club mag, Bond info ect ect would allow a little free ad just to make known the existance of Rumcar news?
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All the one make Clubs (except the MOC), many foreign microcar clubs and several other outside bodies exchange free magazines with us. They are sent direct to the magazine editors once a quarter, which of course is an added expense to us. Tony does however have the advantage of seeing the content of other magazines and does comment on items when appropriate and advertises their events. Some magazine editors, particularly those abroard do advertise our existance and they also often use advertisements that appear in our magazine. Maybe we should send each one of them an advertisement and ask them to publish it.
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I really enjoy RCN and think it is very important to RUM, and that people know it exists. Personally I enjoy reading about all types of unusual cars, old and new, after all our "classics" were once new, and newer cars like Smart, Aixam and Microcar will one day be classics too. I am in several clubs so money is tight, but will al;ways find a bit more to keep up the quality of RCN, if there has to be change I hope it does not have to be too drastic!
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Jean and Tony,
From my point of view I'm interested in the both the old and the new types of microcar,One of my reasons for including the newer vehicles is that they would bring in the new enthusiast who may not have encountered the fifties and sixties microcars before,but is looking to get involved and are not catered for by any other club. As for the magazine the bigger the better.
The older cars are daunting in the amount of restoration work needed and the type of skills required to do the job,A new cheaper modern micro would be a better introduction to the world of microcars than the heaps of rust and twisted metal that we all love restoring.
It would be interesting if some of the bigger club mags could provide a space to promote Rumcars .or prehaps as discussed on previous postings on the forum RUMCARS should be promoted in the bigger monthlys as a magazine as well as a register.
Also I think we should all carry an A5 sized flier with us to hand out to all the people interested in our vehicles when we are out and about in them .If this flier was squeezed into the mag we could photocopy it and keeps a few with us to hand out.
The problem with this is that we dont take our vehicles out to shows when they are unfinished even though the crowds are much bigger around a 'project' than a concours .( but most of the car shows nowadays want on-the-road vehicles mot'd and taxed )Is there more that individuals could do to raise the profile ,increase the membership and thus safeguard the magazine?
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Hello everyone,
Oh dear, I must be a real nutcase. After reading your comments I realized that I subscribe to a dozen vehicle clubs/registers and have eight magazines delivered monthly. Shall I stop all of this and retreat to my bed and laze the days away. No, I don't think so. I love the plop of all the mags. etc. that come through my letterbox. Every so often the price goes up, so what. Everything in the World seems to rise in price without us being forewarned. I don't think Magazines etc. would sell if everyone was in monochrome. Wouldn't it be boring looking at the pictures of every vehicle in a colour of Ford Model Ts?
I note that members don't like various articles on different cars. Without these in RumCars News would there be your favourite magazine fabulously edited by Tony? Where would the technical information come from? Copied from the vehicle's manual or does anyone do their own restoration to write about. It seems a lot of people farm out the various components to auto technicians, upholsterers and body specialists and then put it together like Meccano. But even so, how do you get people to write about it and submit to the magazine.
Maybe a flier could be inserted in the next issue of RumCarNews asking what the members would like to see in the magazine and how many RumCars fliers they would like to hand out to interested parties. Does any one mention rumcars.org when talking to people? Whenever I talk cars, bikes etc. to anyone I always quote the website. Do you?
How about a help page. Ask a question on microcar problems and see if anyone has the answers.
I started into microcars in the 1960s and then 1974 started a collection of bubblecars before anybody else thought about it, except Tony when he had the brilliant idea of the Burford Meetings. I have one or two tales, but would anybody be interested and would there be room in RumCar News? It seems to be full up now.
I read all the pages many times over so look forward to how ever many extra pages there are to come and I will pay more for the privilege.
Right, I had better get on with Jean's Gordon or there won't be anything to write about that's if you want to read about it. Bob D.
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I must say that i have enjoyed bobs Gordon restoration articles immensely,as it inspires others like myself to get on and do something!
Also very interesting seeing it come together and solutions used in restoration.
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Hi Everyone,
In my opinion I prefere to pay more instead of receiving less.
I only like classic microcars, but of course is up to you the contents of your (our) pretty magazine.
Good luck !
Best Regards from Spain,
Toni
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I would pay more for extra pages for what is an excellent mag.
I agree a flier in the next mag wcould be photocopied to spread the news. I''ll try my library.
Richard
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RUMCAR news is excellent value for money in any case - just look how much the specialist mags are in the bookshops - and no I don't mean THAT kind of specialist mags!! - As Editor of The Micromaniacs Mag I will be putting in a full-page ad in the next issue which will hit the streets in August ( the latest one has just gone to print)
As for the type of articles - I know just how hard it is to give the subscribers something fresh and I have to congratulate Tony on a very varied and informative read. ;D
Whilst I agree with the majority that "Classic" Micros generate more interest just remember that in the future all the modern ( 3rd generation) Micros will be classics and probably as rare as 1st and 2nd generation classics are today so it is useful to have some material about them now so that once the 3rd generation becomes " collectable and trendy" we will all be in a position to recall from storage all the info we - and future generations need.
Tony is doing a sterling job and seems to be a man after my own heart in his determination not to resort to "period ads" or " road tests" as page fillers - some of the other Microcar clubs do that and they do not have magazines half as entertaining!
keep it up Tony and Thanks!!!
Oh yes and the price - put it up - don't lower the quality ;)
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The concensus seems to be to go for an increase in subs and risk the ire of a few rather than to reduce the quality of the magazine. I'm wholly behind these sentiments and in agreement with Barchetta and P50 - even though I disagree with the latter's comment on Tuk Tuks! Fascinating vehicles...
Tony does a superb job with the magazine and is in a very enviable position with enough copy to fill each issue: a tribute to the readership's enthusiasm for the Register, surely.
With Bromley Pageant a week away if a flyer could be cobbled together in time for me to run off a few copies at work I'm sure I could find a few windscreens to decorate!
Nick D.
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I would be prepared to pay more for more of the same. I always look forward to the next issue and the wealth of knowledge it contains. Tony has to be one of the best editors in the microcar club scene (and I subscibe to a few) as he is able to keep things fresh and interesting.
Personally I don't have any intest in Tuk-Tuks but I accept others might well be. I have no doubt Tony is greatful for any contributions that ease the load on being an editor. The idea of reviewing modern microcars is great. After all, the club has no set aim of being "vintage" exclusive. Perhaps the next microcar hayday will soon be forced upon us by fuel pricing - much as the last one was. From a Club perspective perhaps broadening the appeal of microcars in general would encourage the owners of modern vehicles to join our membership.
Don't get me wrong, all my cars are from the 50's to the 70's and that is where my heart lies but our motoring industry is littered with examples of manufacturers that did not evolve for one reason or other and perhaps the club should not tie itself too much in the past either.
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.... perhaps the club should not tie itself too much in the past either.
its not a Club.
now that I've said that, my perspective is that you should consider charging overseas a bit more.
I'm sure I will get slapped for that, but those of us overseas that already subscribe and do so via PayPal are already willing to pay more than a "normal" subscription for information and news that we can't get in the States (and elsewhere).
I'm not a wealthy person, but I have my vices and one of them is RUMCAR NEWS.
How much does this postal increase amount to anyways?
Perhaps it is time for me to organize another "bulk buy" of subscriptions.....
Jim Janecek
editor
MICROCAR NEWS
The Vintage Microcar Club
www.microcar.org
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Actually, I think I must have overlooked paying my subscription because I don't think I got the summer issue. I'm printing-off a subscription form as I speak. I'd just like to add my tuppence-worth as a counter to the people who are only interested in the 'old' stuff. I'm actually primarily interested in the newer stuff and, yes, tuk-tuks and other things that are of interest around the world. (I actually had a ride in a tuktuk for the first time on holiday in Egypt recently: fantastic!)
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I am a little late to this topic but have been thinking about it a lot and feel that the scope of the magazine is unique and fulfills a very important part in the recorded history of motoring, in not just the UK but around the world. The fact that the magazine is a separate entity to the Register would would make a name change logical ( to say Microcar and Quadricycle news) and possibly benificial to the spread and acceptance of the magazine to a larger audience. A freshen up of the layout with a good balance of news, features, opinion and items for sale, will make for a magazine that will be a collectors item of the future.
I think Tony is doing a great job especially as he does it almost single handedly and does not get enough praise, but with more content there is a limit to his time and I feel we should all be helping him more.
As far as the cost goes, I would like to see the content grow, so I would be prepared to pay a little more. But I do think that alternatives should be considred like avoiding printing and postage altogether. For those of us who have internet access and a colour printer there could be an email based subscription with pages in pdf format that we could print out from our computer. Sending out 100 emails world wide would be a very cost effective distribution method. The pdf page layout could be linked to the web site for the feature articles, after say 1 year, to build up a bank of reasearch material, so building up the web site content.
I am sure that with a little head scratching we could come up with a lot of good positive ideas.
Keep up the good work Jean and Tony. and as always I look forward to the next edition.
Chris Thomas
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In response to Chris's comments there are two points I would like to make. Whilst people who Register their cars do not have to buy the magazine, it is nevertheless the voice of the Register, hence I for one would not like to see is divorced from the Register by changing its name.
The second point is not all peole have computers and colour printers yet and it would mean a two tier system if we sent them out by email because we would still have to despatch nearly half in hard copies. I have suggested that we send out the complimentary copies which go to most microcar clubs and some national magazines by email but neither Tony or I know how to! It would certainly reduce those costs and maybe we could even send out to more of the national press and gain extra publicity. Please can we have some help with tis part of the project.
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...send out the complimentary copies which go to most microcar clubs and some national magazines by email but neither Tony or I know how to! It would certainly reduce those costs and maybe we could even send out to more of the national press and gain extra publicity. Please can we have some help with tis part of the project...
What format is the newsletter compiled in before it is printed? The obvious format to send out as you describe would be as PDF. OpenOffice is free, can read many different document formats, and can export to PDF. Feel free to contact me by email to discuss. neil@goghroad.net
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Hi Jean
I am a new member of Rumcars, I have recently received my new copy of the mag and a selection of 8 of the older back copies.
I would like to say that I think the magazine is better now than it was in previous years, the pictures text and content all look better quality and with the improvement of colour pictures it helps to give more info (especialy to newer members who don't know the cars so well ).
In any club you will always find some of the longer established members have already read a lot of the info and feel the value needs to be questioned, whilst new members are hungry for everything they can get, and appreciate more pages and colour.
I would just like to sugest that when you name the previous months mystery car a very small picture would be useful, as you don't always read the mags in order and if you are new they all are a mystery.
Keep up the good work.
best wishes
John
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Hi Jean
I am a new member of Rumcars, I have recently received my new copy of the mag and a selection of 8 of the older back copies.
I would like to say that I think the magazine is better now than it was in previous years, the pictures text and content all look better quality and with the improvement of colour pictures it helps to give more info (especialy to newer members who don't know the cars so well ).
In any club you will always find some of the longer established members have already read a lot of the info and feel the value needs to be questioned, whilst new members are hungry for everything they can get, and appreciate more pages and colour.
I would just like to sugest that when you name the previous months mystery car a very small picture would be useful, as you don't always read the mags in order and if you are new they all are a mystery.
Keep up the good work.
best wishes
John
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Hi Toni
Just had a look at your great website.
I have never seen these cars before.
Brilliant.
A good tip for new members, go to the list of members and have a look at the websites that some members have, you will find info and links to cars you never new existed.
john
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Also look at the Rum Car page. There is a link to join Rum Cars and pay by Pay Pal. ;D
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Hi everyone
Most of the replies seem to be in favour of keeping the current high standard and paying more for it.
I'm more than happy to do this for what is a great quality mag full of interesting stuff and very well
put together.
Raising the profile of the Register and making enthusiasts aware of the existence of the mag by fliers
is a good idea. A photocopied flier slipped under the wipers of a car of which the owner might be a
potential member at classic car events could go some way to increase membership.
The Classic Camper Club runs a competition with a prize for the member who recruits the most newcomers
to the Club in the year. The membership form has a question "How did you hear about the Club?" and the
recruiter with the most mentions wins the prize. It doesn't have to be a big prize - maybe a year's subscription
or a voucher to be used against a Club Bookshop purchase (or regalia!) would hit the spot.
Regards
Nick D.
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Good idea Nick about a prize to the person who recruits the most new members. I will up date the subscription for accordingly.
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On the signing up of members subject here, I've just been looking the I.C.R satistics. Last year I had 29 "new" conveyances come to light and I handed out 35 RUM membership forms. I think it was something like 5 or 7 conveyances that were actully put on the RUM register during the year, therefore chances are that was 5 or 7 new members via the I.C.R. (Jean?) So far this year I've handed out 10 membership forms already, but then I'm also starting to attract a whole new fan base with the Mini-Comtesse......
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Hi
I know that Jean has copys of fliers etc. but I have also done some on the computer.
They are 8 on an A4 sheet.
Anyone who would like a copy in word to put in their computer email me and I can send you an attatchment, so that you can print off as many as you need.
They are writable so that you can put your name on them as the person who intoduced the club, or you can leave that bit blank if you are shy.
vandjjohnson@aol.com
John