Angling Times

[Chris Bishop]

All other mediums have to ensure they offer something which the Net cannot and that is

the question many have to find an answer to.

This is the Holy Grail the mainstream print media were looking for a few years ago. They've now embraced the internet as part of the process of gathering and providing the news.

The watershed was about eight or 10 months ago for two reasons.

One of the big regional newspaper groups put its stable of local papers up for sale and didn't get a buyer because print advertising revenues are falling, while online advertising spend is increasing sharply.

The Guardian was on the front page of the Press Gazette saying it was breaking stories online before they'd been in the paper and it was bringing a growing audience who didn't buy the printed paper.

Now virtually every national and regional daily newspaper has followed suit to some extent.

The angling weeklies will have to embrace this sooner or later if they are to survive or remain viable sources of news and information.

Look at AT and the wealth of features they have in their back catalogue. Not one article online.

Compare and contrast with FISHINGmagic. Want to learn how to fish a stick float, make a pike trace or catch winter carp..? It's all online 24/7.

 

[Neil Maidment]

"What it (FishingMagic) then gives its members is a tremendous sense of belonging"

One of the key things that makes FM one of the best, if not the best, angling site on the web.

I had that sense of "belonging" when I was a member of a club (Christchurch AC) back in 1960-90, and I'm sure many will have had similar experiences with their clubs and associations.

That may be still be the case formany but for me FishingMagic stood out from the crowd on the web and has cemented itself into my fishing life. Not just for the immense amount of information and knowledge available at a keystroke and the immediacy of the medium but for it's real life events. So many "members" willling to put time in and organise events and get togethers which sometimes involve catching a few fish!

The AT site will I'm sure attract a few hits but it hasmany mountains to climb before it becomes one of the best, creating and sustaining an identity is just one of them!

I think I'm trying to say the same as Lee Swords, but he did it in 5 lines!

 

[Lee Swords]

Don't worry Mr. Maidment.....You have a bigger vocabulary than me...Please feel free to exercise it

/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

 

[honslow]

Agreed an excellent thread. I certainly agree with why FM works and, yes, our site is at the very beginning.

But I'd argue that there could be more to a website than the sense of belonging and being able to contribute. It should be a one stop interactive shop for everything to do with fishing. And I think that will be Emap's longterm aim with GoFishing. However, getting there with what we've been given is going to take time. And Magicalia are years ahead of us at the moment. In FM they have found what works for them.

But if Emap remains committed to the Web (which I'm pretty sure it now will be - we have no choice) then with our resources and the creative talent of our staff we should be able to come up with a very good site. I suspect that it will grow in a different way to FM. But that's what excites me at the moment - it could go anywhere providing the programmers are flexible enough and we can get what be want. And we can make it pay.

I don't think we'll necessarilylead on news, although that's obviously one of our strengths. Interactivity will underpin what we do. Tackle will be big. As will where to fish and vidoes and galleries, both of 'stars' and from readers. Sky's the limit really.

 

[Cakey]

Greg Im 57 ...please get a move on

 

[MarkTheSpark]

I think Chris nailed it when he mentioned the vast back-catalogue of material - right back to **** Walker - it has at its disposal. If AT's not prepared to get someone in to get some of that lot on line, I think it's missing a trick.

Surely a fair chunk of the previous week's should be going on-line all the time?

 

[chavender]

ok ,Emap have in the short term in their rush to get the content side of things sorted have for the most part ignored its bread & butter followng in its fiercely loyal members of its forums and by doing so have alienated a great number of them which has been the kiss of death to the forum side ,its all very well having great content (when it arrives !) a few video's without a back up article or discussion isn't great content just mear decoration ! ,and by alienating its loyal forum members its lost a great deal of its appeal as the word is out that the members get a raw deal by word of mouth & once a site gets a bad reputation its hard to throw it off.

i've no doupt the site has the protential to be good but with out the back up it'll be just another showcase site.

 

[chavender]

people do want great content on line ,they want whats in the magazines and paper's as well as older stuff ,getting hold of the print form isn't always easy ,if i want to buy coarsefisherman i have to travel to another town to get it ,and i live in a densley populated area .people laughed when gareth purnell set-up the Total-fishing.com club site as a subscriber only site but it works you get magazine articles online to read or download as PDF's to read later ,great if you've missed a great article or are on the move all the time ,ok they're an issue behind but thats the deal with DHp it could easily be current articles the system is in place ,the future is internet based magazines even if its subscriber /semi subcriber based as a two tier system .none subscribers get sellected content while subscribers get full access past and pressent content at a price equilellent to the pressent subscription rates or less (fewer overheads ~ no postage etc).

 

[Lee Fletcher 1]

Dear All,

Steve Pope said;

"All other mediums have to ensure they offer something which the Net cannot and that is

the question many have to find an answer to."

How are you Steve? Simple answer to your quote above Steve, and that is they cannot. Its perhaps only the fashion and gossip mags that retain their news stand popularity and even these will turn to the internet sooner rather than later simply because all information is going towards the internet because thats where their customers are going.

Interesting words about the single species groups. I feel that most of them will also be gone within a few short years. Here again, the internet is taking over their realm on the information front. You guys have perhaps got the social side cornered for now, but as the song said, "In the year 25 25?"

Regards,

Lee.

 

[Paul (Brummie) Williams]

Lee,

I personally have to disagree that single species groups will disapear.....the net can be a very social focal point in todays working lifestyle.

Single species groups will in my opinion thrive, after all to belong to a single species group one doesn't have to be a single species angler?

The net offers us a huge parcel, we just need to open it up to our advantage depending on the angling mode we are in.......nothing wrong with either piking or barbel fishing and both have "net" facilities?

Anyone interested in forming a Roach catchers group? /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

 

[Chris Bishop]

I feel that most of them will also be gone within a few short years. Here again, the internet is taking over their realm on the information front.

Not sure this is right if the experience of the PAC is anything to go by over the last 18 months or so.

A higher online profile is a lot of the reason it's had record levels of people joining and boosted retention of existing members.

This isn't just anorak stuff for committee bean counters, it's definitely made for a stronger and more vibrant club.

Just look at the success of its recent convention, which was largely promoted online. Record advance ticket sales and an event that surpassed all expectations.

There's also been quite a shift in terms of people joining online, while its online shop has again been very successful.

 

[Cakey]

I joined CNET a couple of years ago ...................to day they are covering THIS

 

[Cakey]

also I signed up for THIS23 weeks ago and I enjoy beings its a freebie

 

[John H Member of THE C.S.G.. & The A.T.]

I believe that Ron C started a roach group a few years ago, not sure whether it's still going. Ironic really, when Charlie Landells (now President of the Chub StudyGroup ) first approached Eric Hodgsonover 40 years ago wanting to set up a chub group he was told they (NASG) would like to see a roach group up and running first. As they say, the rest is history

From a personal point of view as Sec of the CSG,interest in the Group and membership levels have never been higher.

A good spread of members fromScotland through mainland England / Wales down to the far South West,we even have a member in Southern Ireland. Our magazine has also had contributions on chub fishing from anglers in theScandinavian country's

As for 'back catalnogues' we now have three decades, the70'/80's/90's, of the Group magazine 'Chevin' plusthe Group History now on CD, available to members for a modest outlay.

 

[The Monk]

The first Roch group was set up under the auspices of the NASG in cica 1967, sadlyu it didnt lasdt long, Ron Clay set up the Roachfishers in 1994-5, but that didnt last either, very sad really but Roach groups have had checkered histories

 

[Lee Swords]

Yep you can never tell if they are hybrids or not and without DNA testing......

 

[Lee Swords]

Ok I am going to work

 

[The Monk]

sorry about thre spelling, i`ll repeat that

The first Roach group was set up under the auspices of the NASG in circa 1967, sadly it didnt last long, Ron Clay set up the Roachfishers in 1994-5, but that also didnt last either, very sad really but Roach groups have had checkered histories. Bream was another specie that only ever had one national group representative of the specie and that didnt last long either.