Articles. What types of articles do you like to see in magazines?

[Kettlewell]

I think there's a huge disconnect between what readers like and want to read and what makes money for publications and websites. There are a few writers who have been able to circumvent this problem by publishing their own stuff on platforms like Substack, where they get to charge a subscription fee that they get to keep a chunk of. But, I bet it would be difficult to get enough boaters to subscribe to something like that to make it worthwhile financially. You probably know better than most--is Practical Sailor profitable? Are you asking what people want to read, or what will make you money? Two different questions.

[dougweibel]

Originally Posted by Iron E

The buy grew NYT digital subscriber base by almost 200k and gave them a 47 million profit for the quarter. So yes, It worked.

I'm sure this was intentionally diverting from the original intent of "did the product work?" and completely describes the problem with content today. Content is created accepted by publishers to produce income first, and providing value is a secondary concern.

Just wait. It is all about to get much worse with AI. With AI I can generate an article in a couple minutes. Will I take the many hours required to research if the content is actually valid? I will, but people interested in earning income rather than providing value will not.

[sailorboy1]

Haven't read a boating magazine in over 8 years. But what I don't what to read is stories about places written by charter b otters that mostly an ad for the charter company

[Kettlewell]

It is interesting how many articles are written about chartering and charter destinations, yet most sailors rarely if ever charter. Same with these big boat reviews. A lot of these big boats sell maybe one or two a year. The market is tiny. Under 7,000 new sailboats of all sizes are sold in the USA each year, and the number of new cruising sized boats is probably under 1,000. And, the number of registered sailboats in the USA has declined steadily for over a decade.

Ninety-five percent of boats on the water in the U.S. are less than 26 feet—boats that can be trailered by a vehicle to local waterways.

https://b2b.discoverboating.com/tool...d-figures.aspx The market for cruising boat information is tiny and shrinking. The money for publications is in selling ads to big-boat companies and products that sell to big boats, along with charters, but the vast number of sailors out there are not in the market for a new boat or a charter.

[Mike OReilly]

As a long-time freelance scribbler, my read on the sailing/cruising market is that most magazines (and now Tuber-channels) aren't written for cruisers. They're written for dreamers, vacationers (charters) and part-timers. So (IMO) you're asking the wrong crowd what topics to write about Thin.

I do think there are niché markets that can focus on quality cruiser-content, but these would be small, and likely not paid well, or at all. So if you want to make money in this world, look at the ads in the glossy mags, and tailor your articles to reach these folks.

BTW, I think GOB kinda straddled the two worlds: a bit for both dreamer & actual sailor/cruiser. Their demise shows that even this compromise isn't viable anymore in this new world of 'free'* content everywhere.

* Nothing is free. People pay for it in other, more insidious ways.

[barcoMeCasa]

Interesting thread. Without really noticing it I've mostly gone away from written word about sailing to podcasts. And AI to research very specific topics or items.
And youtube to follow a few long distance full time cruisers which varies as time goes by.
With the amount of content online now good chance you'll find something which fits what interests you that week, the media needs to try to cater for everyone. Podcasting / ytube being honest & nice with a streak of humility can be a strong selling point.

[LakeSuperior]

I would enjoy some yachting fiction stories mixed in with the hardcore nuts and bolts articles. For example, a short story and a serialized book thread each month.

[Kettlewell]

Podcasting / ytube being honest & nice with a streak of humility can be a strong selling point.

I guess I should try podcasts/YouTube more, but I find them mostly excrutiatingly slow to the point I don't last more than a few minutes. Though the other day my wife put a podcast on (about health) when we were in the car and the guy was so fast and non stop we almost couldn't keep up. I personally really like print. I can easily proceed at my own pace with print. I can skim quickly the stuff I am less interested in, and then I can dig in with searches for more detail on something I want to know more about. For example, if the author mentions a product I might stop reading and look up the company website to read more about the product.

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by dougweibel

I'm sure this was intentionally diverting from the original intent of "did the product work?" and completely describes the problem with content today. Content is created accepted by publishers to produce income first, and providing value is a secondary concern.

I can tell you all of the reasons McDonald's is horrible, yet they're valued at 26 billion.
If someone writes to generate income, and they just think they need to be a great writer, they'll probably die on that hill.

[Hoodsail]

I'm still receiving hard-copy GOB, so not certain where the death of this sailing mag was announced. Please send me the link....Still subscribe to Sailing also, because I can read it while in the can...difficult balancing laptop while taking a dump!? Still prefer the printed word as evidenced by my 100+ hardcover, some paperback books on sailing/how to sail/how to work on boats. Supplement it with "Off center harbor" & "boathow to" and utube vid's (eg Boatworks today) on whatever project I am consumed with. So to answer the question, I read for either entertainment or education: how to articles, ingenious boat projects to maximize space, food storage w/o refrig, weather sources/interpretation of, an occasional offshore solo race update (eg vendee globe, global solo challenge, etc), new gear. Also regional freebie paper sailing publications, WindCheck (NE usa), are still published monthly.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Hoodsail

I'm still receiving hard-copy GOB, so not certain where the death of this sailing mag was announced. Please send me the link....

Excerpt from the note emailed to all current subscribers. Perhaps check your spam filter?

Welcome to the March/April 2024 issue of Good Old Boat.

It is with heavy hearts that we announce this March/April 2024 issue will be our last, and will only be released in a digital format. As a subscriber, though, you will now have access to all 155 back issues of Good Old Boat as downloads. You'll receive an email next month with the digital download.

[Hoodsail]

thanks Mike....well that stinks!

[Kettlewell]

I mentioned it in a previous reply, but I personally find information on voyaging and cruising to places fascinating, and I like to participate in those threads on here. There seems to be endless questions presented on this topic here, and in my experience also from patrons at boat shows. Despite cruising guides and voyaging planning guidebooks, it is always great to get personal opinion and perspective. Though you do have to take the opinionated stuff with more than a few grains of salt! One angle that is not well covered in most mainstream cruising guides for North America is where to anchor, how to get ashore, and the general perspective of the non-marina, non-restaurant goer. When I did seminars on the ICW there were always many questions on where to get groceries, fuel, marine supplies, etc. Place-specific information is popular.

[dlj]

I feel that a new model needs to come into existence that we have not yet discovered. Discussions like this help to try and figure out what that model may be.

I'll give an example from direct experience. Years ago I worked for a research institute on the North Coast of Spain. It was located in what at that time was the biggest industrial "powerhouse" of Spain. However, the industries were generally family run or a fairly small number of employees based businesses. Some of these businesses produced small niche market products that were the best in their field. But as regulations in various markets increased, the requirement to have quality control data increased. None of these "mom and pop" sized businesses had the resources to create a quality control department with the needed equipment to meet the new requirements. A large number of these businesses got together, pooled their resources, and created the research institute that I later worked in. It was brilliant and served to solve a serious problem. It was an innovative solution that broke the mold of current thinking.

Something similar - similar in needing an innovative solution - needs to be created here. What that is I do not know.

Some thoughts.

1) There is the desire to have well researched data based articles. Research is expensive. How do we find the funds? Crowd sourcing? We cruisers tend to be rather independent folk. But can we find a model where we can tap into the resources in this group? One thing I learned in the "corporate world" -- if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far go with a group. Towards the end of my working career, I was involved in group research projects where we came up with some of the most innovative and extraordinary products. It was achieved through tapping into many experts that all added in their own expertise to areas that needed specific input. As I am now retired, my funds are restricted, however, I would be willing to add in my particular expertise if something like this were to come to fruition.

2) Many of us are looking for low-cost solutions to sailing questions. This is not a “good business model” for a company to invest in. Is there a list of subjects that should be pursued? How can we find/fund/support this aspect?

3) Concerns I've not yet seen expressed concerning AI. AI is a powerful tool. It is here to stay/grow. In my specific area of expertise I have seen a significant decrease in research done to produce real data. Companies no longer have the funds to do fundamental research (this has been a long standing problem predating the creation of AI) and rely on already existing data. Often quite lacking in applicability. As AI grows, the impetus to produce more real world data will decrease – just go look it up through AI. I have had many rather heated discussions refuting the garbage that can be “simply looked up” - in the field of metallurgy - google is not your friend.

Anyway, this is getting long – hope it somehow helps.

dj

[barcoMeCasa]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

I mentioned it in a previous reply, but I personally find information on voyaging and cruising to places fascinating, and I like to participate in those threads on here. There seems to be endless questions presented on this topic here, and in my experience also from patrons at boat shows. Despite cruising guides and voyaging planning guidebooks, it is always great to get personal opinion and perspective. Though you do have to take the opinionated stuff with more than a few grains of salt! One angle that is not well covered in most mainstream cruising guides for North America is where to anchor, how to get ashore, and the general perspective of the non-marina, non-restaurant goer. When I did seminars on the ICW there were always many questions on where to get groceries, fuel, marine supplies, etc. Place-specific information is popular.

Lots info available online now, plus the noforeighnland app can download data for offline use, random example >
https://www.noforeignland.com/place/...768?tab=photos