Link to Sport Pilot for May

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Read my original few posts in the thread pdf will be available and if you can't use that then........

 

 

[Birdseye]

and also I believe as a PDF for those,

 

 

Read my original few posts in the thread pdf will be available and if you can't use that then........

I did and "and also I believe" isn't a definitive statement. Will it or won't it be available in a pdf?

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

I'll let you know absolutely in a few weeks when the CEO gets to that part of the plan.....

 

 

[webbm]

PDF would be nice - can then chuck it on my tablet and read it on the train. :)

 

 

[slb]

.pdf would solve my problem too ..... let's hope the CEO gets to that part of the plan

 

 

[Birdseye]

As an aside, why isn't this sort of thing on the RAA web site? Seems odd that an association's business gets more discussion\information on a third party web site than its own.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

ring the office if you need to clarify this

 

 

[Birdseye]

ring the office if you need to clarify this

I'm sure that Coles, Woolies, Ford, Holden etc etc would endorse your idea of communication....................

 

 

[fly_tornado]

its the RAA way, basically the process works like this, you ring the office and someone will very politely say that they will look into it. At a meeting later that month, it will be decided that this isn't falling within anyone's authority and be filed in the round filing cabinet.

 

 

[Birdseye]

its the RAA way, basically the process works like this, you ring the office and someone will very politely say that they will look into it. At a meeting later that month, it will be decided that this isn't falling within anyone's authority and be filed in the round filing cabinet.

Umm, it doesn't take long to work that one out.....But how to fix it?

 

 

[turboplanner]

As an aside, why isn't this sort of thing on the RAA web site? Seems odd that an association's business gets more discussion\information on a third party web site than its own.

Why are you asking us?

We are the ones who care enough to debate these issues.

 

 

[Birdseye]

It's a rhetorical question.

 

 

[seb7701]

I'm afraid I found that nothing but painful to read....

 

Yes, PDF would be better, but to just keep giving me what I paid for would be fine!

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

You also paid to be part of an organisation that in effect allows you to fly..... The simple choices are mag but no fly, fly but no mag (paper version) or increase costs by 50ish per member to have both.....

 

You can choose any of the 3 options, but the choice you are making is for all members...... Status quo is a possible 4th choice for a few more years before you loose everything!

 

 

[frank marriott]

Andy

 

You could get rid of it completely as far as I (and some others)are concerned. I only scan for anything of interest and fine little fitting that bill. I appreciate many here love it, and good for them, but I do wonder how many of the total membership value it as highly.

 

 

[dazza 38]

You also paid to be part of an organisation that in effect allows you to fly..... The simple choices are mag but no fly, fly but no mag (paper version) or increase costs by 50ish per member to have both.....You can choose any of the 3 options, but the choice you are making is for all members...... Status quo is a possible 4th choice for a few more years before you loose everything!

I dunno about loosing everything, but maybe losing everything. As I have said before though, the more the RAA jack up the fees or in this case, keep the fees the same but remove the magazine. People are going to get a bit jacked off and say stick it RAA and fly regardless if they are members or if their aircraft are registered.

 

 

[Blueadventures]

Dont like the format at all, very hard to read. Could they not have just done a ipad app? I get most of my subscriptions on the iPad now and love it!!

I also cannot read the print, tried increasing and decreasing the size but not readable. I'm not happy with present format of delivery. I one for the paper mag. Next rounds of member rep candidate profile statements could include a sentance if relevant stating thier support for reinstating the paper mag with normal membership fee might be a vote catcher???

Doing a PDF may also be a solution (I agree with those who have previously suggested this.) It could only take about 15 minutes for the admid to scan to PDF. (No need to scan the for sale advert pages as you can read those in the members market with the full details included.) The editor will need to reposition the adverts off the for sale members market pages; should not be a problem.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

 

[sfGnome]

Well, I just downloaded it on an iPad, opened it in iBooks and it's all good. It's only slightly smaller than a page of the printed version, and it's easy to zoom if required. No problem.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Part of the magazine process today is to produce the PDF that goes to the printers...There will be no need to produce, via scan of the paper magazine , a PDF, rather its more a question of IP (Intellectual Property) management......Generally speaking once I provide you a PDF file what happens after I give it to you I have no control over, you may well on-send to the world...or not....those in IT will know that technically that statement is wrong, there are ways to lock PDF opening to specific users, but in reality with our membership, like DRM everywhere, for every benefit that control and lockdown brings there are multiple drawbacks and generally only against your genuine users....an IT savy user will be annoyed by the DRM for about the 30seconds it takes with 3rd party tools to strip it out......A non savy but genuinely entitled user may well struggle with DRM and their end user devices for ever......

 

 

[planet47]

I did the create account - forgot password thing & every time I pressed "submit" it changed the security text & did not "submit". Sounds like some people I know!

 

 

[Geoff13]

Part of the magazine process today is to produce the PDF that goes to the printers...There will be no need to produce, via scan of the paper magazine , a PDF, rather its more a question of IP (Intellectual Property) management......Generally speaking once I provide you a PDF file what happens after I give it to you I have no control over, you may well on-send to the world...or not....those in IT will know that technically that statement is wrong, there are ways to lock PDF opening to specific users, but in reality with our membership, like DRM everywhere, for every benefit that control and lockdown brings there are multiple drawbacks and generally only against your genuine users....an IT savy user will be annoyed by the DRM for about the 30seconds it takes with 3rd party tools to strip it out......A non savy but genuinely entitled user may well struggle with DRM and their end user devices for ever......

Does it matter where it goes after it is released. With magazines they are on forwarded to the world. Left at Doctor surgeries etc. So is this more about restricting access than saving money. Sorry if I sound cynical.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

No its a fair question, on the one hand we want it to be seen by everyone that can see it to try and get people interested...on the other hand its a product we sell, if we give it away for nothing does that then mean, like the local suburban newspaper, that people think if its free its probably worth what it costs...... things that the CEO and his team need to grapple with..

 

FWIW, I went googling to see if you can get an offline copy to prevent you having to be connected to read.....Turns out if you sign up to ISSUU (and then immediately go into your account settings and turn off all the notification uses of your email address they will use by default!!) you can download a PDF of the magazine (at least today anytway)

 

http://help.issuu.com/hc/en-us/articles/204816208-Can-I-download-and-or-print-a-publication- identifies how to do it...I tested it this morning and the PDF file is about 34Mb in size......

 

Hope this helps those that want the PDF

 

Andy

 

 

[kasper]

Many confuse Intellectual Property rights (IP) with distribution and availability - the IP legally remains with the author if claimed at publication - RAA own the IP and others cannot use that IP without permission ... its up to us to decide if we want to distribute the IP freely or restrict it.

 

Given that the stated aim of even bothering with any form of printed magazine under the announced decision of the board is to distribute to flying clubs and schools as an advertisement I am astounded that we are even worrying about the likelihood of wide distribution - we actually want that as its a way of getting into people under the age of 30 who may be interested now and take up ultralights at a date in the future - and to be fair if its only at the club or school the person reading it has already got an interest and is acting on it so damn it all i vote for as wide a distribution electronically as possible to get it out there to people who might have an interest but have NOT acted on it already - that's what the paper mag in the newsagent targeted but it just cost too much in that form.

 

Changes in society with digital media and the mountainous cost of production have killed the mag as a printed 'member only benefit' and really the only question now is what do we want to do with the mag in digital form - either its NOT for advertising to non-members (club mag) and we go the way of behind the RAA members section for access with as much/little 'protection' as we decide OR its advertising of the sport AND communication to the members that is available regardless of RAA membership.

 

From my perspective the current RAA announced decision is completely mad and will last 1 year ... printing costs per magazine are higher the lower the numbers printed ... printing only copies for flying schools and clubs is a line of distribution that has only 1 end point - a very sharp escalating cost not covered by members funds with members who are cranky about the fact that the removal of the printed mag came at no reduction in membership ... and its only being seen by people who have already got an interest in the sport and acted on it to go the club/school ... right or wrong next year the printed mag will die unless it is printed from digital at the point where it is used IE by the flying clubs and schools at their expense.

 

Frankly the digital mag is good as far as it goes - its a digital replication of the existing paper so no point complaining about content and the format is pretty much the best you can get if you are just replicating a magazine in a different media ... All digital publication has limitations compared to paper but I have been reading digital mags and books for over 6 years and you adapt to them.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Do you want to sell magazines Andy, or do you want to attract new blood?

 

I know this is a big leap, but existing members are not new blood.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Please everyone stop preaching to the choir...... I know the answers to these questions just as well as you do, and if it were my SOLE role to answer them I would....but it isn't and I wont in isolation...... The question will be answered correctly....and even better by the people whose paid job it is to do so!

 

And while Im feeling sh!tty about being preached at.......Kasper the board strategy for RAAus spans a time period greater than 1 year......presuming in your post that far looking for us is 1 year is objectionable, as is you preaching to me on IP management...I've only been doing that within a 7000 employee company within the IT department (so about 110% of the damn time!) for a decade or so.....Point me to a member who would have, on my post about IP management not understood what the issue was I was discussing (high level, not the specific relevance to RAAus circumstances) . I was discussing with the average member not an IP Lawyer! your point of clarification is just nit picking....hmmm trend???