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which magazine would you choose (1 Viewer)

2

2nd_winter

Books are not just to prop up your bed!
Hi All, You have limited funds(your poor or normal!)so you can only have one magazine a month or quarter which one would you buy?
ie. British birds,BTO Fellow membership,Bird watch etc. you get the idea
 
"Newsagents" magazine - 'Birdwatch' (- much better than 'Birdwatching' if you're beyond the beginner stage)
Subscription only - "British Birds" - if your focus is beyond ID, rarities, etc
- "Birding World" - if ID rarities are your focus
 
2nd_winter said:
Hi All, You have limited funds(your poor or normal!)so you can only have one magazine a month or quarter which one would you buy?
ie. British birds,BTO Fellow membership,Bird watch etc. you get the idea
Click to expand...

I am already a member of the RSPB, WWT, and SWT so I receive their magazines already per quarter :t:

For an extra magazine I think the Bird watching Magazine would be the one I would choose as it is full of good robust information :t:

I received a call only a couple of days ago from the Bird Watching Magazine people, and they have a deal on just now that if you place an order by bank card, you get 3 months worth of Bird Watch magazines free, and they are delivered to your door.

Worth a thought too. ;)

Regards
Kathy
x
 
I subscribe to both Bird Watching and Birdwatch magazines. But in ability I feel I fall between the two as I am beyond the beginner stage but still only a casual 'birder'. Because of this I find things of interest in both magazines but some articles in Birdwatching are a bit too beginner related and some articles in Birdwatch are too serious for me. Both are great publications though.

Dave
 
Hi All, interesting responses, like you Guys/Girls I receive many different magazines RSPB, BTO, Local bird club, birdwatching, WWT, but if we only had around £50.00 pounds to spend a year on one magazine what would we chose? would we chose a Bird/wildlife Charity or commercial magazine. feel good factor, enjoyment or both? I think it's a tough one to-call
 
2nd_winter said:
Hi All, interesting responses, like you Guys/Girls I receive many different magazines RSPB, BTO, Local bird club, birdwatching, WWT, but if we only had around £50.00 pounds to spend a year on one magazine what would we chose? would we chose a Bird/wildlife Charity or commercial magazine. feel good factor, enjoyment or both? I think it's a tough one to-call
Click to expand...

I would still go for the Bird Watching Magazine 100 per cent - i did try its sister Birdwatch Magazine, but i found it to basic for me.
I have picked the Bird Watching Magazine because it is informative and as a more serious bird watcher. I would choose this magazine for this reason alone.

The other aspect of the Bird Watching Magazine that it gives a great centre page of related birds, and it gives a good insight into what bird is what species. I keep all the centrefolds, and the magazines.

Regards
Kathy
x
 
2nd_winter said:
Hi All, interesting responses, like you Guys/Girls I receive many different magazines RSPB, BTO, Local bird club, birdwatching, WWT, but if we only had around £50.00 pounds to spend a year on one magazine what would we chose? would we chose a Bird/wildlife Charity or commercial magazine. feel good factor, enjoyment or both? I think it's a tough one to-call
Click to expand...

Most of the mags over the years have been bought out of habit, and publishers like to get readers into that, esp. if they get you subscribing; 'inertia selling' is the term for buying into something and then not being *rs*d to get out. If you count the no. of pages you're actually interested by, as against those you flick past, then there's not a lot of value for money in them.

So, my answer, if I really did only have £50 I'd look carefully at the contents and buy 'x', then 'y', then 'z', depending. Anything that's a subscription for the year would wait (I could always borrow from someone for a looksee). And I'd try not to spend the whole £50, as most of the mag contents are on the web in some form or another. Much better spent on the 'book of the year'. If pushed, might've been BB, but would be happy to save the money and wait the couple of years for that to come online as a freebie now.. ;)

Mind you, I'm really quite tempted by this new title..
http://thedrunkbirder.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/vague/
;)
 
DunnoKev said:
Most of the mags over the years have been bought out of habit, and publishers like to get readers into that, esp. if they get you subscribing; 'inertia selling' is the term for buying into something and then not being *rs*d to get out. If you count the no. of pages you're actually interested by, as against those you flick past, then there's not a lot of value for money in them.

So, my answer, if I really did only have £50 I'd look carefully at the contents and buy 'x', then 'y', then 'z', depending. Anything that's a subscription for the year would wait (I could always borrow from someone for a looksee). And I'd try not to spend the whole £50, as most of the mag contents are on the web in some form or another. Much better spent on the 'book of the year'. If pushed, might've been BB, but would be happy to save the money and wait the couple of years for that to come online as a freebie now.. ;)

Mind you, I'm really quite tempted by this new title..
http://thedrunkbirder.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/vague/
;)
Click to expand...

I once had this very conversation with my son. He wanted to buy a particular magazine & I said why not buy a book on the subject this way you get all the info you 'need' in one go so to speak instead of over a year. Also the Library will order some magazines for Library users.

Magazines do give current information were as a book gives you that years update & you don't get chit chat and titbits with books.

The Idea really is a bit like desert Island disc One magazine delivered to your Island.
 
2nd_winter said:
Magazines do give current information were as a book gives you that years update & you don't get chit chat and titbits with books.

The Idea really is a bit like desert Island disc One magazine delivered to your Island.
Click to expand...

Dagnabbit 2W, where's the island? I'll obviously need a subscription to a relevant journal for that location.. ;)

Chitchat and tidbits? I think that's what we're here for.. Current info is usually available via websites as well, the only advantage of a mag is it lands in front of you- t'interwideweb needs a tad more proactivity. An over the counter mag needs a hook, or a unique selling point to pull the punters in. I'm not really sure what the likes of Birdwatching and Birdwatch have to offer in this way any more.
 
DunnoKev said:
Dagnabbit 2W, where's the island? I'll obviously need a subscription to a relevant journal for that location.. ;)

Chitchat and tidbits? I think that's what we're here for.. Current info is usually available via websites as well, the only advantage of a mag is it lands in front of you- t'interwideweb needs a tad more proactivity. An over the counter mag needs a hook, or a unique selling point to pull the punters in. I'm not really sure what the likes of Birdwatching and Birdwatch have to offer in this way any more.
Click to expand...

Don't forget a magazine means you don't have to talk or make eye contact with anyone on a bus or train! Surely a Good selling point one that magazine producers have missed? I hear you say worth every penny & more! ;)
 
It all depends what intrests you really. As a birder of 4 years i'm past the begginner stage however rarities dont intrest me (vagrants). To me a rarity is a bird that's critically endangered, not something blown over here by the wind.

If i had £50 then it would have to be fellowship with the BTO being a body issuing facts through thousands of fieldworkers for people like the RSPB to use.
 
I'm member of BTO, RSPB and county Wildlife Trust so get the mags along with that. The only other mag I need is Yorkshire Birding, which isn't going to break the bank at £12.00 per annum. I get this rather than any other as it is focused on my home county and I get the news etc I want to read.
 
Keith Dickinson said:
I'm member of BTO, RSPB and county Wildlife Trust so get the mags along with that. The only other mag I need is Yorkshire Birding, which isn't going to break the bank at £12.00 per annum. I get this rather than any other as it is focused on my home county and I get the news etc I want to read.
Click to expand...
I'm certainly with Keith on this one a good 12 quids worth which of course appeals to a Yorkshireman
 
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