 Pat Jones |
When I started this new gig a few months back, I promised we’d really listen to readers and act on your good ideas. We asked you what you thought and, for the most part, you’ve been very positive and polite. Maybe too polite. “We like the magazine quite sincerely, Pat. Thank you ever so much for producing it. Keep up the fine work!”
Ugh. Warm and fuzzy, yes. But not the no-holds-barred constructive criticism I’d hoped to get from you.
So, I got a little more specific with my questions and I directed them to a few guys who I knew wouldn’t pull any punches. Here’s what I asked and what they said:
What articles do you like the most? How-to articles about interesting little innovations, tips or tricks topped the list. I heard a lot of good things about the cover story in April, which focused on specific, cheap, creative solutions the course superintendent and his mechanic dreamed up and fabricated in their shop.
Understandable technical/research articles about real-world practices and chemicals also ranked high. Look for us to do more pieces in our “Real Science” section that are written in plain English and that summarize applied research about existing and new products.
What articles to you like the least? Course profiles about some new development by a “name” architect (yawn) or stories that are obviously shamming for one or more advertisers (“String Trimmers on Parade!”). We’ll avoid these as much as humanly possible.
Is GCI fast and easy to read? The answer was, “Kind of.” We had too many of our columnists all bunched at the front of the magazine, so we spread them out to make the articles flow better. Everyone likes our design and photography, so we’re not changing a damn thing there. But, we are focusing on adding more, shorter articles to break it up and keep you reading from cover to cover. (By the way, my friend “Guido” – name changed but you’d know him from his Jersey accent – pointed out that we were much easier to read than the association magazine because we didn’t have quite as many ads. Ummm… sorry, but we plan to disappoint Guido and those of you who like the skinny look. We may be number two in advertising today, but look for a bigger, fatter GCI in months and years to come. And remember that those lovely ad pages are what allow us to send you a free magazine – and also put food on the table for all the nice people who work here.)
What about the Web site? Specifically, why is no one posting on our online forum? Well, because the format sucks and no one wants another bulletin board. “I posted in there one time,” said “Cyber Mike” (name changed to protect his inner nerdiness). “It was like yelling into an empty cave.” Point taken. Plus, both GCSAA and TurfNet already offer bulletin-board type forums, they only interest a few people and some of the stuff that gets posted tends to turn people off. Plus, the trend toward different types of social media like Facebook and Twitter seems to be moving away from traditional forums. So, we’re simply going to pull the plug on the GCI Message Board and allow it to die peacefully… but it will be replaced very soon by something new and vastly more interesting, so stay tuned.
Videos? Keep doing them. Keep them simple and fun. “But don’t get fancy and don’t dress up in wigs and costumes and crap like that,” said my friend “Bubba” (name changed to protect his true redneck identity).
Are we on the right track? The consensus was yes. The quality look and feel of the magazine along with the caliber of our columnists and contributors really does seem to stand out. “It’s businesslike, interesting and I actually know and trust several of your columnists,” said Bubba. “That right there makes you different in my book.”
That’s good enough for me… but as always, we want to hear from you. Are we on the right track?
pjones@gie.net
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