BMW ON December 2013

[Emoto]

Has any of those who "play this down" as a small "error" actually seen what I am talking about?
The casual reader of the magazine may miss this. Especially if he doesn't give a hoot about events.
If you are given the task to "edit" or "proof read" and take that seriously, I have absolutely no idea how you could.
I have also been involved in editing, setting up and laying out publications, so I think I know what I am talking about.
Would you miss two identical pictures on the same page?
But I realize, this could be one of these issues in our fine club, where critcism is not politically correct and I herewith quit this subject.

Well, I don't know anything about what is politically correct, nor am I "in" with anyone in particular. I just call 'em as I see 'em, and take my lumps from time to time. You can criticize all you want, I just think it is kind of silly to expect a small club magazine to come out like a big commercial publication. Two different animals. If I had the time, I would volunteer to proofread galleys (if that term even has relevance anymore) but I don't. So, I don't sweat it.

 

[dennisdarrow]

I can only pray that someday I will have the time to get so wound-up about such an inconsequential issue. It must be an indication that all else in one's areas of responsibility are in order.

Thanks for stepping in and bringing a bit of reality to the situation.......God bless........Dennis

 

[SCBuckeye]

Well, I don't know anything about what is politically correct, nor am I "in" with anyone in particular. I just call 'em as I see 'em, and take my lumps from time to time. You can criticize all you want, I just think it is kind of silly to expect a small club magazine to come out like a big commercial publication. Two different animals. If I had the time, I would volunteer to proofread galleys (if that term even has relevance anymore) but I don't. So, I don't sweat it.

Hmmmm? What is the cost of membership which includes access to web-site, and forums, and the magazine. That cost is pretty expensive. THAT'S the reason it is not silly to expect a decent magazine. i didn't join just to keep a club going.

Aside from the occasional help from fellow member with repairing, I see little reason to keep spending the money on membership. Then, there's the couple of obnoxious members who just can't seem to make any comments without using them to browbeat other members. They've even showed up here already!

 

[Bud]

do

Rebecca resigned due to health problems IIRC.

Vince is wearing many hats and I would guess that as soon as a replacement is found these things will be resolved. I'm sure Vince isn't any more happy about the errors than anyone else. I've known him for many years and he is truly dedicated to MOA and the entire media efforts. In addition he is a rider. He doesn't dodge criticism. Has published letters to the editor that have been very critical of him personally. Would be hard to find a more stand up guy for the position.

You all know I am an unabashed supporter of the ON. I wish there were never any errors, but I've read other MC publications that have errors as well.

If you really are that upset about the problems, e-mail the BOD with your concerns. Telling us won't insure that they will see it. They don't monitor all posts on this forum.

You could also call HQ and speak to Vince personally or talk to our new ExDir, Bob Aldridge.

I've repeatedly heard from BOD members that they rarely hear from members.

[ on soapbox]

And, as a reminder, if you wish to serve, elections will soon be here. Looking forward to lively discussions once the election forum is open.

I hope the candidates do their due diligence and don't just make unsupported statements or accusations. It's easy to ask the BOD what they are doing to insure the continuation of the MOA during times of decreased membership. These folks aren't just sitting on their butts but working hard to attract new members will retaining current members. They are also making the decisions necessary to be fiscally responsible. Challenges present opportunity.

I've asked this question for years: "What would the MOA look like if it was started today?" It's hard to know what to do to attract new members w/o answering that question.

[off soapbox}

 

[36654]

Grant me the wisdom...........

Yep, we should all strive to do our best, but accept the reality of our collective imperfections and plan accordingly to complete our tasks. If a few, non-critical details are missed...no one will care (or remember) in the not too distant future.

In engineering terms, a properly specified tolerance is one that insures performance with minimal cost impact. To an OCD perfectionist, that is heresy. To the rest of us, it's an approach that allows us to live day-to-day and achieve our goals.

 

[Bud]

Has any of those who "play this down" as a small "error" actually seen what I am talking about?
The casual reader of the magazine may miss this. Especially if he doesn't give a hoot about events.
If you are given the task to "edit" or "proof read" and take that seriously, I have absolutely no idea how you could.
I have also been involved in editing, setting up and laying out publications, so I think I know what I am talking about.
Would you miss two identical pictures on the same page?
But I realize, this could be one of these issues in our fine club, where critcism is not politically correct and I herewith quit this subject.

I hope it is never the case. IMO criticism is always acceptable. Pointing out errors is fair game.

Personal attacks are not.

 

[greenwald]

Has any of those who "play this down" as a small "error" actually seen what I am talking about?
The casual reader of the magazine may miss this. Especially if he doesn't give a hoot about events.
If you are given the task to "edit" or "proof read" and take that seriously, I have absolutely no idea how you could.
I have also been involved in editing, setting up and laying out publications, so I think I know what I am talking about.
Would you miss two identical pictures on the same page?
But I realize, this could be one of these issues in our fine club, where critcism is not politically correct and I herewith quit this subject.

Mike - As someone who manages a monthly column in the ON and has contributed dozens of feature articles and product evaluations, I can "feel your pain." No one likes to see errors in print (Yup - one of my contributors got listed as from "Anytown, USA" in this December issue of Touring Tips) when, as club members, we both look forward to and rely on the accuracy of the information each issue carries.

While Vince is currently short-staffed (Rebecca needed to depart to address some health concerns), I agree that solutions are more productive than excuses.

Ergo, while Jim (met him at the Sedalia Rally while I was chairing 'Gates' - heck of a nice guy) works hard to peruse each line prior to going to press, I have found that more than one set of eyes truly helps when striving for journalistic perfection.

Perhaps the ON should consider an additional volunteer 'proofing editor' to run the rough draft thru a second filter before declaring it good to go. Not a criticism of our current matrix - just a suggestion with an eye on improvement.

As for 'quitting this issue' over the political correctness of our club - push back from the table for a moment and just enjoy Thanksgiving. Your opinions are no less valuable than anyone else's. The PC of the MOA is both palpable and too often, extreme. Take it with a grain of salt (or today, a leg of turkey!).

Enjoy this day!

 

[lkraus]

If I process an order from one of my customers and I send 19 pieces instead of 20 that were ordered, I made a mistake, and everybody, I hope, will accept this and allow me to correct it.

So your customer receives an incomplete order, they contact you to advise of the error, and you ship the missing item ASAP. That contact is probably private - phone call, email, letter.

In the case of the ON item, I would expect you to email the editor and allow him to correct the error in the January ON.

No need to embarrass him with a public rant.

Most professional publications have a small section near the front to correct inevitable errors.

 

[lkchris]

When the presentation is perfect, you notice nothing but the content.

When it's not, the message is garbled.

Small publication, volunteers, etc., are simply weak excuses and don't fix the message.

Somebody draws a salary in this effort, and the buck stops there.

What if the error occurs in paid advertising--should the advertiser just laugh it off?

"Political correctness" is a perfect description of the excuse making, and it's simply more of the same to characterize this as "personal."

In the real business world, where quality principles are followed, a "complaint is a gift," and the only reasonable response is "thank you."

Thanks to Mike for taking the time to contribute.

 

[Bud]

When the presentation is perfect, you notice nothing but the content.

When it's not, the message is garbled.

Small publication, volunteers, etc., are simply weak excuses and don't fix the message.

Somebody draws a salary in this effort, and the buck stops there.

What if the error occurs in paid advertising--should the advertiser just laugh it off?

"Political correctness" is a perfect description of the excuse making, and it's simply more of the same to characterize this as "personal."

In the real business world, where quality principles are followed, a "complaint is a gift," and the only reasonable response is "thank you."

Thanks to Mike for taking the time to contribute.

+1

I hope no one thought I was accusing Mike of a personal attack. On the contrary, I thought his complaints were in no way personal. He stated the problems clearly w/o blame.

I apologize if my previous post wasn't clear.

Those who take the time too point out errors do so, IMO because they care.

 

[EMSimon]

I will eat crow and come back one more time. I didn't think I was being accused of a personal attack. I also harbor no ill feelings toward anybody who "reprimanted" me for bringing the issue up ( well, maybe against a few) It is just another example, that some people's loyalty and forgiveness for mistakes in a tight-knit community goes further than that of others. Somewhat like in a political party....

 

[rangerreece]

From previous posts and threads one can conclude that mike can always be counted on for a CRITICAL eye on everything from June bugs to junipers.

 

[kantuckid]

I'm cutting both Mike & Vince some slack here. Mike makes frequent & lucid comments in the Forum. Vince seems to try for a better ON over time. It's not my perfect MC mag so I "cruise through" the parts of no interest.
My larger complaint away from content aspects that I don't find interesting (pics of people at rally as an e.g.) is the "too artsy" attempts at "colorizing" pages of script. Makes for difficult reading. "Artsy" I get as I am trained in & do art but legibility certainly trumps colored backgrounds on pages. This is also seen in for profit mags too & obnoxious.
What kind of articles is ON looking for these days? Perhaps I'm missing the spot where you see that info as seems to be rarely mentioned in ON?

 

[36654]

Hmmm......I'm getting really scared......Am I garbled?

As Ben Franklin, possibly, told John Adams.....

"....John, the history books will clean it up.........."

Relative to MOA PC, could it be that some folks are just trying to be civil? Of course, a nice verbal "slap-down" always adds the humiliation of the wretch that made the error. No need not to enjoy that.

 

[akbeemer]

A simple guidline to constructive interaction was ignored. Praise in public; reprove in private.

 

[royce]

... What kind of articles is ON looking for these days? Perhaps I'm missing the spot where you see that info as seems to be rarely mentioned in ON?

Judging from what I heard at the Salem rally (others likely heard something different cuz we all hear what we want to hear, right?) they want travel/ride articles that are something besides around-the-world stories where someone on a GS rides the least-traveled trek there is. Those are fine, in moderation, but ON had gotten so focused on that type of story that you could hardly read an issue with anything else in it. The editorial staff has, over the past months, gotten comments from readers/members who wanted to read more "regular rider" stories, so that is one of the things they are encouraging now.

 

[8ninety8]

I always think to myself when reading the mag, "How does anyone find the time to do this type of volunteer work to any level?" So hats off to these selfless individuals without whom we would not have the slick mag that we now enjoy. Now back to changing the moly oil in my kickstand.

 

[Omega Man]

A simple guidline to constructive interaction was ignored. Praise in public; reprove in private.

[ Mod hat on ] Yes, we really need to stop the bashing (I don't think this was done on purpose). [Mod hat off ]

Judging from what I heard at the Salem rally (others likely heard something different cuz we all hear what we want to hear, right?) they want travel/ride articles that are something besides around-the-world stories where someone on a GS rides the least-traveled trek there is. Those are fine, in moderation, but ON had gotten so focused on that type of story that you could hardly read an issue with anything else in it. The editorial staff has, over the past months, gotten comments from readers/members who wanted to read more "regular rider" stories, so that is one of the things they are encouraging now.

Articles in general are in short supply. When I put up the Best of Forum posts, I look for a good story, with pictures if possible. It could be a Ride Report or a tech article but best if it can be followed easily. Some here on the forum have the knack for this and it works out fine right out of the box.
If you would like to write an article, a reasonable example to follow is in the Best of Forum part of the forum. It can be done easily in your word processing program of your computer where you can take a couple of days to look it over 'till it sounds right to you.
If you need help, you can always contact a moderator to "fix" something that didn't turn out exactly right- no problem.
As we try to integrate the ON magazine with the forum, hopefully we will get more articles from our members.
I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.
Gary

 

[classicvw]

A simple guidline to constructive interaction was ignored. Praise in public; reprove in private.

EXCELLENT!

Last time I was in a Staples store I noticed that pencils still came with erasers attached to the end, and they even have ink pens that the ink is erasable! Imagine that! I guess people still make mistakes in 2013.

 

[classicvw]

I will eat crow and come back one more time. I didn't think I was being accused of a personal attack. I also harbor no ill feelings toward anybody who "reprimanted" me for bringing the issue up ( well, maybe against a few) It is just another example, that some people's loyalty and forgiveness for mistakes in a tight-knit community goes further than that of others. Somewhat like in a political party....

I take offense to your linking our loyalty and forgiveness ( your words) to how a political party operates. We know political parties blindly stick together even when their positions have been silly or even proven wrong. We support the ON staff because we appreciate the work they do for us.

I do, however, appreciate that you've called us loyal and forgiving. Two qualities one can only be proud to be recognized for.