Any Comments?

[Hargus]

I agree with AustinBoston, he's always thinking. (Even though he's not from Boston anymore he transplanted.) I also agree with Sacrawf. I subscribe to Camping Life magazine and I am happy with their articles and information. I subcribed to PUT times to get exclusive information on pop-ups. I understand the need to expand to reach more subscribers but I think you must be cautious not to lose readers to expansion. My point is this, there are so many copycaters out there with forums similar to this. If you "turn off" subscribers by adding information that pop-upers are not interested in they might find another periodical out there. Someone else might realize the need for a format that is missing and pick all those readers up. Then you lose all the way around. Don't get me wrong I enjoy your magazine and don't wish you any bad, but change can sometimes be dangerous.
 I could recomend AustinBoston for the new editors job if someone else decides to start another Pop-up magazine.
 Hope it works out for everyone especially the loyal subcribers.

[AustinBoston]

I could recomend AustinBoston for the new editors job if someone else decides to start another Pop-up magazine.

Nope, I'm too darn lazy for a job like that.

Austin

[Campaholics]

Austin,

But, you would make one heck of a humor columist.
 
Bob

[Kelly]

As long as you focus on "camping" and not "RV'ing" I'll keep subscribing.

I'm with Mike on this one ...

[RVMOMNDAD]

As I stated in my earlier post....popupping well always be my first love. I would like to see the magazine offer more on other types of RV"S...but more specifically basic camping problems that we all have, no matter what it is that we are camping in.   We belonged to PUT long before it became a subscriiption site ( darned if I can remember our former user name though--must be that some timers syndrome!)  We were thrilled to see that we could access PUT again at a price we could afford--free!!
I liked Austins thoughts about giving out mags to new owners, but there again you run into cost.   Since Viking seems to be PUTs main sponser (or only--excuse my ignorance)  why not work with them to revive pop ups???   Sales are down and that is effecting them also.  Why not get them the "exclusive" on giving out free mags and get them to sponser a  "Design the Perfect Pop-up" contest?   Call it the  "Viking Arvee" and actually produce it.  Contestants would need to actually draw up floors plans and design it......and the winner of the contest would win the first one off the production line!!!!   Couldn't hurt to present the idea to Viking, could it???   It would promote both popups and PUTimes.

[outdoors5]

Please DO NOT lose your focuse on pop ups.  I understand that you need to expand your market but it is the pop up that makes you unique.  The addition of hybrids and smaller trailers may fit fine, but do not lose the inclusion of the pop up as an important section.  This is what makes you unique.  If you lose the smaller camper type focuse then you are simply competting with all the other magazines losing what attracts us to you.  Change is good but not at the expense of your roots.

[Zagami]

As always, your comments, concerns and suggestions are sincerely appreciated.  I want to assure you that we have no desire to put out a copy-cat Trailer Life or Motorhome magazine.
 
The expanded coverage will allow us to grow our readership base and attract new advertisers to help support this business.  
 
We are very sensitive to our loyal base of PUT readers and enthusiastic supports of pop-up camping and believe that we can continue to earn your business while improving the quality and content of the magazine.
 
Dave and I have just returned from the National RV Industry Trade Show in Louisville, KY and concept and ideas that we have for RV Enthusiast were very well received by everyone in the business, including our competitors at Trailer Life, Motorhome and Camping Life to name just a few of them.
 
Many companies pledged their support to help us launch the new magazine with advertising support, story ideas, and information on their products and services.
 
We understand that this change in direction might cause some of our readers to look elsewhere for their camping and RVing news and enjoyment.  All we ask is that you give us a chance to prove to you that we can still give you the kind of magazine you want, and improve the product at the same time.
 
Don't forget, Dave and I are campers just like all of you.  We are passionate about the RV lifestyle.  We are not executives of a printing company that just happen to publish an RV magazine and have never been in an RV or campground.  This experience will keep our feet firmly planted on the ground that we enjoy camping on and we have no plans to order larger hats for our heads.  Our pants still go on the same way as yours, and we don't intend to change our personalities or perspective on the RV lifestyle.  
 
We do have tough skin, so feel free to take a few shots at us if you really are opposed to the new direction.  Take the shot, it will make you feel good.  But don't stop reading the magazine, because you are not going to find anything like it elsewhere, even after we make the changes discussed in this thread.
 
Thanks.

[Gone-Camping]

Got a couple of questions for Dave (or Bob)...
 
Will the price go up?
 
How much?
 
Still available at the PUT store?
 
I haven't got a copy since...well....the snafu, so figure I have to buy-in again??

[Kelly]

As always, your comments, concerns and suggestions are sincerely appreciated.  I want to assure you that we have no desire to put out a copy-cat Trailer Life or Motorhome magazine.
 
***
 
We are very sensitive to our loyal base of PUT readers and enthusiastic supports of pop-up camping and believe that we can continue to earn your business while improving the quality and content of the magazine.
 
Dave and I have just returned from the National RV Industry Trade Show in Louisville, KY and concept and ideas that we have for RV Enthusiast were very well received ****

We understand that this change in direction might cause some of our readers to look elsewhere for their camping and RVing news and enjoyment.  All we ask is that you give us a chance to prove to you that we can still give you the kind of magazine you want, and improve the product at the same time.
 
Don't forget, Dave and I are campers just like all of you.  We are passionate about the RV lifestyle.  

This my be plain ole semantics on my part, but I am NOT an RV enthusiast ... and I suspect there are a great many PUT members who would say the same.  

If I close my eyes and imagine what an RV enthusiast looks like, I come up with a retired couple who has just sold their home, purchased a brand-new diesel pusher (or a bus conversion), hitched up the toad for a full-time life on the road.  Nothing wrong with that image, it's just not me.

I am PU enthusiast.  I camp in a small trailer by choice.  I love my PU and the 'lifestyle' that I enjoy because of it ~ be it long weekends in the state parks or road trips ~ but I wouldn't in a million years call it an RV lifestyle.  It's plain ole camping in a tent on wheels.

I will try and overlook the language (and the visual) and give the new magazine a chance ... and hope that I am pleasantly surprised by the results.

[tlhdoc]

This my be plain ole semantics on my part, but I am NOT an RV enthusiast ... and I suspect there are a great many PUT members who would say the same.
 
I am PU enthusiast.

I am with Kelly on this one.  I am a camper, NOT an RVer.

[rccs]

What Kelly said.

[Old Goat]

The new direction of Pop Up Times sounds great to me..I'm renewing my subscription for another two years......

[Campaholics]

Kelly's opening paragraph states it nicely.  I'm not an RV enthusiast either.  I can assure you I have never, ever, ever said "Let's go RVing."  I don't even think of a pop up as an RV. Our name hints at it; DW and I are into camping.  Our pop up and the tent we camped in for 18 years before that are a means to and end... camping.
 
After reading the latest issue, which used "RV" and "RV lifestyle" over and over again.  I may end up eating some my words from an earlier post; but don't pass the salt just yet.  Please stay focused on camping.  Review pop ups, review travel trailers, these things are a means to an end, not the end itself.
 
Bob

[ForestCreature]

I think the new format sounds interesting, but not the new name. To help show the focus of the mag possibly add Camping into the title...
 
  RV Camping Enthusiast ?
 
 As much as most do not like being bunched in with RVs, when you go to a show to look at or buy a new Pop Up...it's at an RV show or an RV dealership...like it or not, Pop Ups are classified as an RV. Most PUs have gone way beyond a tent on wheels any more.
 

[GrizzlyTaco]

Hi Bob, I've only had our PU for a short time. We subscribe to Trailer Life and I wish i'd never taken the subscription, i dont find anything about PU's. I've gotten 4 magazines from them so far and nothing, i wont be renewing. I got lucky and found out about Pop-Up times on the Net and got a subscription and I like it. I would hate to see you go in the direction of Trailer Life. How about doing some articles on your readers. I read some of the stuff they do and see, and about there rally's large or small. They post some really cool pics and things. I sure they would love to see themselves in your magazine. Put some of the newbies in there also, what a boost that would be for them. Lets fatten the magazine up a bit. Thanks for listening..........Ed C.      :sombraro: