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.
I'm curious: has the marketing department of Swimmer attempted to solicit advertising outside producers of swimming-related items? If so, what was the response?
(Some "middle name" companies that have crossed my mind are along the lines of Harry and David , White Flower Farm, Williams Sonoma , SwimTrek, other destination travel National Geographic?], related sports equipment such as bicycles and trikes , yoga , running, moderately priced, functional watches ). Rosetta Stone, famously endorsed by M. Phelps, is advertising staff positions.
I'd try for:
--yoga mag
--destination travel (Aqua Moon Adventures already runs a nice ad; this zone seems a good one to tap)
--health and nutrition
--business services (Barron's, Home Depot)
Another idea percolating: A special issue focused on swimming-related destination travel would suddenly open the door to all things travel-related. I've already used Avis in my swimming-related destination travel. :) Took a Canon camera. Fossil watch (around $22).
VB
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.
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.
I just saw a new (this summer) book on Amazon by David Salo and Scott Riewald, Complete Conditioning for Swimming, that looked pretty good. It has both in-water drills and dry-land core exercises to improve swimming. A check of the Contents and a few pages may tell you whether you want it or not. I plan to order it for myself. :agree:
VB
Yep, bought that book a couple months ago along with Janet Evans' book. Love them both.
I'm very happy to see this thread bringing forward discussion to suggest ideas for SWIMMER magazine.
Being relatively new to the Discussion Forum, I was not aware of it before.
However, there are some non-factual statements made regarding the publication while it was in the hands of Rodale Press.
I have no idea who Craig Johnson is, but his statements are quite inaccurate.
Bottom line, the magazine was closed because Rodale has a very high standard for circulation and advertising revenue which was not being met.
Mary Bolster was not only a great editor, but a true fitness swimmer from an huge competitive swimming family.
But the numbers in masters swimming at the time did not support the expense of the magazine.
The big issue affecting all media is format and distribution. Just look at how popular newspapers and magazines (US News and World Report, Christian Science Monitor, among others) are going all-electronic due to the costs associated with print.
Why do we want to invest resources into a dying medium?
Rather than allocate time, money, and effort to print, why not make the website, forums, and email distribution tools top-notch? This would involve spending on infrastructure, software, and services but the costs would be much less than print and postage. Content could be fresh and include everything for every segment identified in Dr. Boyd's reports from two years ago.
Let's look at better ways to convey information and take advantage of tools that now exist for us to use. If people want/need to print something, have the articles available as PDFs. That is only my suggestion but we ought to consider it as an enhancement to our overall communications strategy.
:2cents:
As an LMSC chair and a participant at the annual convention, I would suppose that you know that there are about 30% of members that are not internet connected for one reason or another.
To suggest that we go entirely to web based publishing is short sighted at best. Parts of the magazine are already on the web, but to lock out many world record holders because they choose not to be connected would be counter productive. We must have the magazine in a tangible form, the trick is to print things that everyone wants to read. About 80% of the membership is non-competitive. They do not necessarily want to read pages of splits and race results, even though that is fascinating to many competitors. I think a true, competitive product evaluation is a bully idea, and will promote the concept.
Once USMS has grown to 150,000 members, we will start to attract sponsors and advertisers that can pony up some serious money, presuming we are ready to promote their products effectively in the magazine and at events. Are you all prepared for 8 foot high banners touting the benefits of viagra or ex-lax?
Vivebene,
(bump)
This is a great thread! Thanks for the link. Any results from it so far? I'm going to chew this over during my swim, and get back to it. Or maybe after vacation, since I leave this PM.
Vivebene,
(bump)
This is a great thread! Thanks for the link. Any results from it so far? I'm going to chew this over during my swim, and get back to it. Or maybe after vacation, since I leave this PM.
See post 39, "Follow-up."
The editor is aware of the thread. Changes take time, and the direction of the magazine is most likely decided by an executive committee, not the editor. So no hurry!
This thread would be an appropriate place to post further comments, or you can send them directly to Bill Volckening (email in post 39 and in mag).
