Large Scale Central

Audacity at the GR site

General Discussion
#1

I’ve been subscribed to the GR Magazine for many years and have used their site for the past few years. A few months ago they had pop up ads set up on the forum there. Some of us complained and the pop ups went by by. A few days ago they came back and I posted a complaint about it saying I thought we had this resolved before.

The next day the woman that runs the forum answered my post saying the pop ups are here to stay. She had it set where her reply could not be replied to. I put up a new post telling her basically GOOD BYE as the ads are staying I’m leaving.

I’ll never use that site again. Screw their audacity

#2

Does your Browser have a setting to ignore pop-ups? I use Firefox 3.5 and it has that feature.

#3

Same here.
It’s called “Ad Block Plus”

#4

In fairness to Rene, she does NOT own or run the site, she is just the moderator, its not HER desicion whether there are pop-ups or not, I dont think she cares for them either because the users hate them but its not her call, so don’t blame her.

I dont like them either but them I also have a pop-up blocker, I only get a pop-up when I first log-in, after I delete that , I dont get any more even when I switch forums, so the issue might be with what blocker programs users have on there own systems and not so much with the Klambake website itself.

#5

Haven’t been there since March. Don’t miss it. Haven’t subscribed in 2 years. Miss the layout pictures, but not the wading through the 65% advertisements for crap I don’t want, and can’t afford, to find them.

#6

They are not your classic pop-up.
They are overlays.

Standard pop-up blockers won’t work.

I modified my hosts file to kill kalmbach data, worked until this last go round, still does if I stay logged out.

If they need to advertise that badly, I am done, too.
Last I heard, this was brought to you by the same person who brought you the MR review where he called lagging clamps “casting sprues”.

If they don’t want to listen to their subscribers, maybe they’ll listen to advertisers.

I’m just really not much interested in dealing with this stuff.
I’ll just stay logged out, deal with logging in on occasion to answer a question, then log back out.

The (quote HJ) Botchmann forum, well, I quit there almost a year ago, deleted my account.
I guess the Junior VP of Marketing got what he wanted for a forum, eh?
Soapsuds, with his latest “upgrade”, works best for me to stay logged out (active topics work better), so, this forum is it.

#7
Curmudgeon said:
They are not your classic pop-up. They are overlays.

Standard pop-up blockers won’t work.


I have never seen a pop up there with Firefox and AdBlock plus.

-Brian

#8

They are in the business to make money.
Unfortunately, print is a dieing medium, thanks to the internet.
Additional sources of revenue are probably a survival requirement.

Today I’ll make out my subscription renewal. I never have used the web-site, but do very much enjoy the magazine.
Ralph

#9

My print media sales rep keeps pushing me toward internet advertising and away from print. The internet isn’t killing print - the print media is killing print.

The biggest problem I see with internet advertising from an advertiser’s point of view is that sophisticated net users know how to block ads, and if they can’t block them, they stay away like TOC is doing. So the audience the advertiser gets is not really who he was after in the first place.

I round filed my GR subscription renewal. I like the magazine and the advertising content can be helpful. I just can’t afford to toss money away on things like magazines.

#10

I just get one red colored ad when I first open up the GR web page, after that and even moving from Forum to Forum no other overlay - pop up whatever is to be seen.

I buy GR and Classic Trains from a local newsagent. I like the mags. GR is about the price of two pints of beer in the UK. Next day the beer is gone but I still have the magazine. lol

#11
Ralph Berg said:
They are in the business to make money. Unfortunately, print is a dieing medium, thanks to the internet. Additional sources of revenue are probably a survival requirement.

Today I’ll make out my subscription renewal. I never have used the web-site, but do very much enjoy the magazine.
Ralph


AMEN!!!
Never referred to the site either but I agree 100% with everything said and would totally miss the magazine if gone!
The internet is a hellish resource tool but print will always be print so when my electricity goes out this winter due to a massive storm I can still sit on the couch and read. When the power is restored the Penguin X-69 can go to work!
:wink:
Tighten up your browser R.J and add some features.

#12

Yes, they are in business to make money. HOWEVER, when the percentage of advertising space equals or exceeds the actual articles and columns (either in reality, or perception due to crappy layout design) you start getting close to the tipping point where many people will NOT pay to buy it. A few trendy magazines may be able to get away with this, but ones like model train ones cannot. (Ever see a GR in your doctor’s office? No. But almost every single flippin one has 4 year old copies of Time, Newsweek, National Geographic, Audubon, Runner’s World, and maybe Motor Trend)

Large scale is a niche and fragmented market, yes. But $7 per issue just to look at mostly advertisements? MY money can be better spent on glue, styrene and basswood. If something on the cover of one catches my eye, I MAY buy it… except few places even carry it.

If I was going to subscribe to any rag in the near future, it would probably be the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette. A lot of HOn3 stuff yes, but a LOT more ‘meat n taters’ articles that I can actually USE as well. (Before anybody asked if I have submitted any articles to GR, the answer is no. I don’t feel my stuff is quite ready for primetime.)

#13

I don’t like the popups either. However, if I am interested in the content of the Trains forums, then I just click them off and read what interests me.
JimC.

#14

If the actual quantity of modeling content in each issue is about the same from year to year and the price remains about the same (adjusted for inflation) then the amount of advertising is irrelevant. As a matter of fact the advertising is a good source of information and ideas. I have no objection to it, if it doesn’t interest me I just ignore it.

Walt

#15

I bailed on them back when they stopped using the plastic shipping bags on the magazines. USPS pretty much shreds anything we get so the lack of bags was the last straw for me. Every time I ran across their ads for magazine binders (to preserve old issues) I couldn’t help being reminded about the condition of the magazines before I got them!

Plus, there are plenty of other magazines and web based sites to support that give far better products and information. For magazines I kind of like:

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/

Jon.

#16

I made a complaining a post on this a while back… on a thread about the popups… the entire thread disappeared.

It sucks, and I’m going to contact them… it’s annoying, and it is WE who support the mag, no buyers, no sales, no advertisers…

Regards, Greg

#17

I gave up my subscription to GR a couple years ago when my dwindling eyesight was keeping me from reading it without a magnifier. I would resubscribe if it was online so I could make the type larger.
I really appreciate the comments and great photos at the LSC because the quality of the work is great.

#18

Jon,

Kalmbach replaces magazines damaged in delivery. Call their 800 customer service number.

Joe

#19
Joe Satnik said:
Jon,

Kalmbach replaces magazines damaged in delivery. Call their 800 customer service number.

Joe


I did that a few times. But having a need to get replacements for every issue quickly became a problem.

Jon.

#20

Tell em how much you like em by just dropping your subscription!! I did! The Regal

If something special I really want I buy off the shelf, you can control the condition that way too!! Hah