BCM Seeks Articles: WiFi/Internet, Food

[wrench]

  Was that way 10 years ago, did not change a bit, & I don't think it will change in the next 10 years.
I sold(lucky me) my 5 years pile up 10 year ago & did not look back, I read here.
              wrench

[Jriddle]

I received and email from BCM. They stated that more energy would be put into distribution.

John

[chris4905]

I am in line with Gumpy and Bob.

I am a strong supporter of Mike and I like and respect his style (and I don't just mean writing style).  I understand he has a hard job to do, keeping BCM afloat.

That said, I'm about ready to let my subscription expire.  BCM is no longer for the "backyard builder".  Very seldom are there articles about the type of stuff we self converters do.  And I don't mean preparing meals.  I believe that was tried by BCM within the last year.  And the person advocating this is gone.  If I want to learn about cooking I'll subscribe to a cook book.

Some of the best and most useful articles I have seen in BCM in the past years were written by MAK himself.  Very short and to the point, very useful for the backyard converter, and exactly the reason why I subscribed originally to the mag.  I would like to see more articles by Mike.

Recently, with a few exceptions, the articles are about high end units, about conversion subjects and techniques that may be used by a very small portion of our group, or written by someone who doesn't even own or work on a conversion.

I don't want to be negative, but I think it's time for the magazine to get back to basics.  I like the suggestion of an article of how to convert my lights to LED, that's exactly the type of stuff I'm talking about, and that's the type of stuff I want to read in a Bus Conversion magazine !!!

And I'm sorry, but when trying to cut back on publication cost, doesn't it cost more for the recent fancy high tech graphics?  If not, then I'm sorry for mentioning it.  If so, forget the glossy pictures, give me black & white if necessary, but I want to see clear detailed wiring pictures, some plumbing ideas, or pictures of how to repair an air leak under my bus, etc.

I understand these are tuff times, and I know it's not easy for Mike to keep the ship afloat, again my respect for his tenacity.  I will probably not let my subscription expire, if for no other reason than trying to "pay back"  BCM for the many valuable articles thoughout the years, that provided me assistance and guidance while doing my conversion.

Chris

[HighTechRedneck]

The modern graphics shouldn't be doing much to the cost.  The gloss printing does bump it up, but I'm sure that when competing for the reduced number of advertisers, the look of the magazine does play a major role in the decision.

I fully agree with Chris on the kind of articles I would like to see.  Among subscribers, I would bet that self converters outnumber pro converters several hundred to one.  As a self converter, I most appreciate the practical how to technical features.  And I am glad to see there have been several of those lately. 

As has been said in this thread, I think the biggest problem is getting people to write those how-to articles and in finding fresh topics to publish in that context.  (at 12 issues per year, it can exhaust the basic conversion topics pretty fast)  And with George Myers stepping down from writing, it will be a greater challenge having tech articles to publish.

All that said, I like to look at the pro conversions too.  They are nice to look at and they can spawn some ideas for the poor mans version of a feature.  I think of it kind of like the car enthusiast magazines.  There is no chance I'll ever own one of the $250K (or more) exotic sports cars, but they are fun to look at and read their specs (and drool).

On the road cooking articles don't bother me if they don't take away from more conversion related articles.  If they are added content, then I think they truly do add something.  But I wouldn't use them to replace the lack of tech articles.  If space needs filling, I would agree with digging back a few years in the archives and dusting off some of the old tech articles for updating and reprint.

[Dreamscape]

I agree with HT on past topics. They could title it " A Blast From The Past". Most of the topics from the past are still viable today, although some of the high tech articles are constantly changing.

It will be a challenge to come up with new stuff, and getting some of us to compile an article. As far as compensation, not sure how that would work, maybe a free subscription or a coffee mug with a picture of your bus on it!

There is a wealth of knowledge here and on other boards to glean from, we just have to jump in and "Git 'er Done".