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Originally Posted by ericr
thanks, gents, for your thoughts.
in point of fact, I have previously suggested to someone in charge of the mag to reprint some of the Ford Dealer and Service Field materials, but I more or less got blown off.
Nor have I ever seen a solicitation in the mag for volunteer materials. If they have so posted such a request, it was not obvious to me.
I will always remain a member, the MARC/mag as presently constituted are certainly worthwhile, almost a necessity. I'm just not so sure the mag is as receptive to input as some of you guys think.
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If the club's magazine reprinted material previously printed in another magazine, wouldn't it be criticized for copying someone else's work? As Will Cronkrite says, "You'll never be the Leader if you are doing the same as everyone else!" Personally, I would want to see original topics in the MAN, and not something recopied from another magazine I own.
As for solicitation for materials, I personally feel there is more to this than meets the eye. The brutal reality is the club needs to be selective for whom they solicit articles from. Just like we find here, there are those who will write about subjects of which they have no true knowledge of. Publishing articles that are erroneous -or based solely on someone's opinion tends to have their readers feel like the magazine has lost credibility. My view is articles need to be tendered from those who are qualified to tender such an article. Adding to that thought, these submitted articles need to be in alignment with the club's overall mission. In other words, having a well written and thoroughly detailed article about swapping in a small-block Chevrolet engine into a Model-A might be enjoyable to a few readers however it probably does not align with the mission of the Club.
With regard to tech articles in the MARC magazine, the JSCommittee is responsible for submitting 6 magazine articles annually. Unfortunately they are down 3 members due to death/health issues (they are presently working to fill these positions with 'qualified & experienced' candidates), and have an additional 3 members out on sabbatical while those are serving as the Club's Board of Directors (The club's by-laws state you can only serve in one area simultaneously). This has put the Editor at a distinct disadvantage, AND she has had recent health issues also. Ken has done a remarkable job with both her & the magazine during all of this. I recently sat down with him and a few others at dinner discussing my views, and what I came to realize is there are underlying reasons why things are as they are. In the grande scheme of things, the magazine & it's' content could be WAY worse than what we have. Therefore be content that there is a magazine of its' caliber available.