After finding out Swimmer takes 30% of our budget,I was thinking how to make it better.I think it is perhaps fine as it is now for what it does now,but if it is to help us grow...
What do you think?
Rodale had a magazine called "Fitness Swimmer' a few years ago and I thought it was excellent and I think implied that such a mag could be(almost) profitable.The current 4 in one format of "Swimming World" now seems excellent.Perhaps Swimmer should have sections:Competitive Swimmer,fitness swimmer,tri,noodlers(to be totally inclusive.)This might help with the problem of technique articles in Swimmer.The articles seem aimed for the middle and are too simple for elite swimmers and too advanced for beginners.
If you want to sell issues how about more pictures of good looking Masters swimmers in swim suits(it worked for Sports Illustrated.)
I don't find the "new product"section very helpful as it just gives what the company says.How about product testing? I expect a company would be glad to say"our goggles were the top rated by USMS-publicity for us.)If you really want to sell how about product testing on LZR vsTracer Rise,vs Nero Comp.I bet most swimmers,coaches,and parents would be interested in that.
Parents
Former Member
Let me start by saying that I like getting Swimmer, I like magazines in general, and I think Bill Volckening is a fine person who is doing the best job he can with what he has to work with. And I am one of those people cited in the statistics who refuse to read anything longer than one page on my computer screen.
But I am really enjoying the mixed media models like floswimming or Swimnetwork.com. The news is fresh, and the video content adds quite a bit to the experience that a magazine can't give you. floswimming also has a bunch of free features that look neat that I haven't tried yet; things like workout logs and coach/team communication boards.
I'd like to see USMS explore piggybacking on flo's site, or licensing the technology for a standalone site. Wednesday workouts, interviews with a wide variety of masters swimmers, competition videos, technique tips with video demonstration, and a whole cadre of bloggers (we could even cull some from here: Smith v. Smith on the horror of foreign students swimming Div I on scholarship; Geek v. Gull on the horror of grown men wearing briefs to a waterpark; Ande's blog could find a home; Thornton could weigh in on the benefits of frotteurism as related to swimming with nursing students, etc. etc. etc.)
Bill could keep his job; he seems to be about as personable and knowledgeable as Garrett at flo. Just buy him a bunch of plane tickets and a decent handheld camera. I'm sure he already has the laptop and wi-fi card.
No, it isn't push technology, and maybe it would reach a more limited audience than the magazine does. I think it would do a better job of providing interesting and useful content to that audience, though.
Great idea. Limitless possibilities. And a broader audience.
Let me start by saying that I like getting Swimmer, I like magazines in general, and I think Bill Volckening is a fine person who is doing the best job he can with what he has to work with. And I am one of those people cited in the statistics who refuse to read anything longer than one page on my computer screen.
But I am really enjoying the mixed media models like floswimming or Swimnetwork.com. The news is fresh, and the video content adds quite a bit to the experience that a magazine can't give you. floswimming also has a bunch of free features that look neat that I haven't tried yet; things like workout logs and coach/team communication boards.
I'd like to see USMS explore piggybacking on flo's site, or licensing the technology for a standalone site. Wednesday workouts, interviews with a wide variety of masters swimmers, competition videos, technique tips with video demonstration, and a whole cadre of bloggers (we could even cull some from here: Smith v. Smith on the horror of foreign students swimming Div I on scholarship; Geek v. Gull on the horror of grown men wearing briefs to a waterpark; Ande's blog could find a home; Thornton could weigh in on the benefits of frotteurism as related to swimming with nursing students, etc. etc. etc.)
Bill could keep his job; he seems to be about as personable and knowledgeable as Garrett at flo. Just buy him a bunch of plane tickets and a decent handheld camera. I'm sure he already has the laptop and wi-fi card.
No, it isn't push technology, and maybe it would reach a more limited audience than the magazine does. I think it would do a better job of providing interesting and useful content to that audience, though.
Great idea. Limitless possibilities. And a broader audience.
