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ON Magazine

If a goober like me can get an article into the Owners News (and I've had two), then any member who can form a few hundred consecutive coherent sentences and include some nice pictures can do it.

Just follow your inner directive! No need to try to compete with the slick Euro-tour article, or the 'ride your GS up Everest' article, or the travel-slide-show-article; you certainly CAN do that, and the result might be good, but try something else if your imagination takes you there. Maybe do an article on all the good hole-in-the-wall eateries you could stitch together with a day-ride route in your area? Maybe a humourous article on how your riding affects your family dynamic? How about a review of a product that helps your riding, but which nobody else might have thought of because it's not a motorcycle-specific product? Perhaps there's an interesting event (or if we're lucky, even a downright quirky event) near you that makes for a good ride and/or a good gathering of riders. Maybe we could have a new one-pager with a different member each month writing about how motorcycling changed their life- I'll betcha donuts to drain-plugs that there are some great stories there!

If you do feel the urge to write a travel article, try breaking the mold on those and structure it a bit differently. While a chronological account of your trip is generally a good guideline for readers to understand your experience, the same old 'I rode here, ate here, saw this, then rode there, saw that, ate that, etc...' style of writing can get a little dull after a while. Try including paragraphs here and there that might be helpful advice to a reader who might want to go to the same place, or even write some sidebars to cover practical advice. Maybe sprinkle in some paragraphs that break from the five W's and instead examine your personal experience- how you felt, thoughts you had, etc. Get creative with the pictures too- I think that there is LOTS of un-tapped potential here that our writing members tend to ignore.

I'm bikeless right now so there's not much I could probably contribute in the near future, so that means that the rest of y'all need to get on it. Ride like the wind, then WRITE like the wind! :thumb
 
I am not so sure, that telling those who voice criticism to do a better job (write an article) or to quit and stop paying, is the right way to respond to this.:dunno
 
I am not so sure, that telling those who voice criticism to do a better job (write an article) or to quit and stop paying, is the right way to respond to this.:dunno

You may be right. What do you suggest instead?
 
I am not so sure, that telling those who voice criticism to do a better job (write an article) or to quit and stop paying, is the right way to respond to this.:dunno

The other option I see is don't expect every article to be written especially for you, but enjoy the ones that do interest you, and keep paying your membership because the money supports other worthwhile causes.
 
""Why would anyone care to see photos of people they don't know enjoying their time with people they don't know? Again, I'm sure these people are avid fans and great people and I'm sure Sedalia was an awesome event but with all due respect and humility, I don't care to pay to subscribe to a publication full of this month after month. I'm sad to say that if it continues I will probably not renew when my membership comes due"".

Scenic photos without people in them are by far more boring to me than those of MOA members socializing. Since the club newsletter is in a way publicity for the club, photos of members enjoying themselves hopefully encourage some who see the magazine to think positively and have some interest in membership. It's not 100 % riding on a motorcycle in this club or any other.

I do get a little tired of several people who seem to manage to get their faces in the magazine every month. Yes I know...this chronicles their active participation in furthering the club. Somebody else must be doing some good deeds and doing so without fanfare, A little recognition spread around might encourage others to participate more. Somehow I suspect some are just gluttons for being in the limelight.
 
Kinda harsh assuming they are publicity hounds. They may be just lucky enough to have a scedule or a lifestyle that allows them to attend many events and got in the pictures taken by others.
 
This is my first year of BMW motorcycle ownership and membership in MOA so I'm still learning the ropes around here: what to expect out of the forum, the publication, and most especially, the members. Based upon my experience so far, I'm feeling very fortunate to have taken the plunge into a culture that is so enthusiastic about the brand and sharing of knowledge and experiences as is very evident here on this forum. I'm totally geeked up on my experience thus far with my K1600GT, the dealer support I'm getting (Bob's BMW), and most especially all that I've learned from having an easily accessible base of knowledge as is found here, on I-BMW, and on the K1600 forum. It's definitely made my journey up the learning curve quick and painless and, I'm convinced, less costly.

I think I have a much better appreciation now as to the newsletter nature of the ON Magazine. What I'm hearing is that the annual rally is a pretty big deal. I had no idea that so many people would attend and that the "doings" would be so extensive. I learned that from these issues of ON and from the posts here on the forum. So, I guess if I have to see an issue or two of annual meet news, that's OK and as so many have pointed out, I can skip it if I want. I would respectfully suggest that instead of publishing grinning faces to focus more on the things I missed that might make me want to attend next year and that might be more interesting. Perhaps a call to members who might take it upon themselves to report on particular tracks of interest the way Visian did with the video posted here?

And finally, I appreciate the invitation to get involved and let Vince know personally of any feedback I might have. That might fall under the heading of "be careful what you ask for" ;) but I'll try to consider ways I might personally try to make a difference other than lobbing bombs in the forum. Vince, I am struck by something you said about not spending much time here in the forums. As you've seen here in this thread alone, many consider this to be the primary value return for their annual membership. I would take that as a friendly challenge to the publication and seek out some fresh ideas or features to flip that around! In any event, I'll try to temper my inner curmudgeon/smartass for future submissions/comments.
 
You may be right. What do you suggest instead?

I really don't know but it has been a pretty good discussion and I think comments along the line of "why don't you go ahead and do a better job" or "quit if you don't like it" don't get us anywhere.

One of the biggest issue for any club is attracting new members. New members usually will not participate actively right away and if what the club offers is too lopsided and doesn't cover some of their interest, they may not stay.
 
Vince, I am struck by something you said about not spending much time here in the forums. As you've seen here in this thread alone, many consider this to be the primary value return for their annual membership. I would take that as a friendly challenge to the publication and seek out some fresh ideas or features to flip that around! In any event, I'll try to temper my inner curmudgeon/smartass for future submissions/comments.

Totally agree. The FORUM is an amazing resource, and in the past we have found some good articles based on forum posts. I need to create more time for me to explore. Hey, good thread! Thanks for making it happen.
 
Vanity v Value

""Why would anyone care to see photos of people they don't know enjoying their time with people they don't know? Again, I'm sure these people are avid fans and great people and I'm sure Sedalia was an awesome event but with all due respect and humility, I don't care to pay to subscribe to a publication full of this month after month. I'm sad to say that if it continues I will probably not renew when my membership comes due""...snipped

Kinda harsh assuming they are publicity hounds. They may be just lucky enough to have a scedule or a lifestyle that allows them to attend many events and got in the pictures taken by others.

Authors may not intend them to be vanity pieces but the line between a vanity piece and and article with value can be a fine one. Both may contain the 'hey look ar me or us' quality but the latter has something of value that can be taken away and used by the reader beyond enjoyment of reading a well written article. They cover the who what where and when but lack value (at least for me) by covering the how and why in their article.

What has always surprised me is that Vince and other editors of the magazine have always been able to publish a first rate club magazine with 'run what they brung' articles to choose from.
 
Authors may not intend them to be vanity pieces but the line between a vanity piece and and article with value can be a fine one. Both may contain the 'hey look ar me or us' quality but the latter has something of value that can be taken away and used by the reader beyond enjoyment of reading a well written article. They cover the who what where and when but lack value (at least for me) by covering the how and why in their article.

What has always surprised me is that Vince and other editors of the magazine have always been able to publish a first rate club magazine with 'run what they brung' articles to choose from.

The referenced text was NOT originally by me. It was from the first poster and I used it as a rebuttal target.
 
Since I started this brouhaha, I'd like to add to the discussion that after flipping through my November 2012 ON, I'm very pleased to see a number of articles there that I'm looking forward to reading. This issue seems to strike a fine balance minimizing the grinning photos and chocked full of articles inviting me to spend some leisure time with my copy of ON. Well done.

Wes
 
An ST on the cover of last month's issue, the Stanley Stomp in this month's issue; Vince is on a roll.

Those pipes in the Remus ad would look good on your GT.

I'm seriously considering the full header system they're about to start shipping. +20 hp and about +20Nm all through the mid-range - wooo hoo!
 
A Remus equipped GT would make for a wonderful symphony, and there is a significant weight loss.

The saving on my ST is 24 pounds; add the weight loss from my summer diet, and my bike is 32 pounds lighter. :D

And the finish is much nicer than the stock system.
 
I'm seriously considering the full header system they're about to start shipping. +20 hp and about +20Nm all through the mid-range - wooo hoo!

I like the Remus just for the looks.
This link has pics of the Remus and a sound link, but it may be a older system than the one you're talking about.

http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=35836&highlight=Remus

I like the looks of the carbon fiber Remus.
Here's a couple pictures of Miles Miller's bike on I-BMW.
IMG_00082.JPG


IMG_00123.JPG
 
I look forward to receiving my copy of ON every month. Some months it's better than others for content, but it's always enjoyable.

I returned to the club after several years away, probably won't get to a rally unless it's a lot closer to home and the temp's are managable for me.

At the moment i am not even riding a BMW product and am not sure one will be in my future. ( I have owned several in the past)

Doug
 
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