What sort of articles

[Surfer]

What sort of articles would you like to see in PC magazine? I enjoy reading reviews of sites however I would like the review to be constructive and not slanted towards the site, i.e. good and bad points based on a 5 star award but the site owner must be allowed to answer back if they only received one or two stars,. Perhaps this can be extended to some CLs & CS's.

I would like to see reviews of workshops, dealers and manufacturers not confined to caravan manufacturers. How about a review of the CC or C & CC booking system or the clubs themselves or even reviews of other forums. Why doesn't PC publish a list of websites associated with caravanning?

Come on lets give Alex some ideas to work on.

 

[CliveV]

These are all good suggestions from Ian. I personally like a good long read on the subject of an "expitition"! Not caravanning through the Sahara maybe, but that would get my interest. I enjoyed a few articles I have read on the pleasure of driving to Portugal/Spain/France etc and overwintering there.

That was great but all too short. Similar articles in Car Magazines on such destinations make me want to get the map out and get planning!!

Articles covering UK destinations are just as POTENTIALY intersting but somehow never seem to be so. I do not believe this is due to the location but to a lack of ability by the writter to enthuse the reader.

Have a look at some of the article in Car Magazine or any of the 4x4 magazines on the events and journeys they get to do.

The article on sink drainers was an insult. If we demand better we will get it.

Advertisers in PC have also picked up on this discracfuly fascile article. I do not expect they will want to put their money in a magazine that could potentially loose so many readers.

Ian, the only thing I would disagree on is that the editor should not be the editor if they do not know and understand the target audience. Touring with a caravan is full of possibilities for good stories, reviews and "How to" articles.

Regular writers on the forum demonstrate this every day. A full time squad of jounalists should be able to at least match this once a month.

 

[coljac]

these 2 letters are both good and show how unhappy most of us are with what we are getting from the caravan professional writters.

Does any one from PC ever read this forum ???,Well if you do ,how about defending yourselves ,

If as i suspect none of the journalist read this forum ,well that says it all One thing i must say is that this and other forums keep us caravan adicts up to date and entertained

Coljac

 

[Tina3]

I've only had the last two issues as am new to the hobby, hace found alot of great sites for me and my children,

However both mags I've read refer to children as

little monsters or monkeys which I find highly offensive.

P.s well said the top above three letters!!

 

[Tina3]

Maybe a review on good sites for children, where they are welcomed for what they are, get some journalists

to write it who have children and cherish them as I do mine.

 

[CliveV]

Hi again

Interesting point re "Do the journalists read this forum" - I assumed that they did. The current Editor has tried to justify the infamous sink drainer article but it sounds terribly hollow!

Do they really think that those new to caravanning, even if on a lmited budget, are going to be impressed, enthused and motivated by such drivel? The points raised on this Forum should be the basic research material as to what we as caravaners are interested in. Unless of course they believe that only a minority of caravanners have mastered the www.

I will lay down a challenge to Alex the Editor as a new caravanner that has recently bought a proper caravan after having a folding caravan for a couple of years and tents prior to that. We enjoy UK based holidays and gentle "off-roading" in the incredible Picos de Europa, in Northern Spain.

Why not let a member of this Forum control the content of a future article and write an article? I would be happy to do it as a complete amateur who has never written professionaly before whatsoever. Others on this Forum clearly have the ability and may well wish to take part.

I find the humour, content and technical ability of what I have read here of late is a great deal better than last months PC issue. What about full readers articles appearing on this or another site? Shouldn't be hard to set up.

As I have stated before - I scanned this months PC mag on the stand and decided NOT to buy. The reason for this was primarily the said article, but also because previous editions when bought had disapointed. Contrast this to other mags that I buy when I want an "extra read" on top of those I subscribe to. These I buy on cover recognition alone without scanning the content because so far they have not let me down.

If the PC staff do not read this forum they are remakably silly. We are the best free Market Research resource they have.

 

[BrianStAlbans]

I've only had the last two issues as am new to the hobby, hace found alot of great sites for me and my children,

However both mags I've read refer to children as

little monsters or monkeys which I find highly offensive.

P.s well said the top above three letters!!

Try reading the Caravan Club magazine, they call them ...the grandchildren!

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Clive,

For balance I stress that I am not bound to PC in any way.

You make some good points in your postings, I would add that whilst the forum is a rich source of views, its balance is probably suspect, in that the majority of people if they are satisfied, tend to do nothing to tell others about it, after all why should they, we should all be satisfied with goods and services we receive it is our right. So it is usually those who have some sort of niggle that are moved to air their voice/words. I am always very pleased to see contributors who have a very positive message, but the proportion of good to bad is very low.

Good research should aim to get a true balance.

I urge all readers of the forum to tell us about the good things as well as the bad.

 

[CliveV]

I disagree 100%

Have a look at the Insurance Topic and you will see positive replies to enquries about what company to use.

Similarly the Towcar Topic has good feedback that is in no way a gripe. And so on with the other threads.

The General Topic is advertised as a thread where you can "let of steam about general caravaning issues". So whats is your problem?

It would seem to me that not only is PC getting the article mix wrong but it has hacked off people by censoring a thread that was critical of an insurer!

Excuse me but is that not what these Forums are for? I am critical of insurers every day (I am an IFA) because they deserve it if their admin/policy conditions are sub-standard! If PC held any respect for its readers then it would cover the issue raised and ask for both sides to comment. This is what RESPONCIBLE jounalism is all about - read the car mags if you want examples - they regularly take a pop at a poor performing manufacturer, insurer or whatever.

If you are infering that all responders to such Forums are "Victor Meldrew's" then I believe you could not be more wrong.

As regards PC getting it right? Well they seem to have upset a few people of late for reasons I certainly empathise with!

 

[Award1]

As Clive, I want to see investigative journalism, such as the long running thread on this and other sites re insurance companies. Not in just how competitive they are, but in the real world - HOW THEY DEAL WITH CLAIMS. Are there barriers to claiming i.e security measures fitted etc.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I disagree 100%

Have a look at the Insurance Topic and you will see positive replies to enquries about what company to use.

Similarly the Towcar Topic has good feedback that is in no way a gripe. And so on with the other threads.

The General Topic is advertised as a thread where you can "let of steam about general caravaning issues". So whats is your problem?

It would seem to me that not only is PC getting the article mix wrong but it has hacked off people by censoring a thread that was critical of an insurer!

Excuse me but is that not what these Forums are for? I am critical of insurers every day (I am an IFA) because they deserve it if their admin/policy conditions are sub-standard! If PC held any respect for its readers then it would cover the issue raised and ask for both sides to comment. This is what RESPONCIBLE jounalism is all about - read the car mags if you want examples - they regularly take a pop at a poor performing manufacturer, insurer or whatever.

If you are infering that all responders to such Forums are "Victor Meldrew's" then I believe you could not be more wrong.

As regards PC getting it right? Well they seem to have upset a few people of late for reasons I certainly empathise with!

Hello Clive,

Your response to my comment concerns me because it seems that you are angry. I am not quite sure why? as I supported most of what you posted. My concern was to do with the view that the forum is the best source of free market research. I agree it is a rich source of views, but it would be unwise to accept it as the only source or as an accurate represntation of the views of all potentially intersted parties.

I am most certainly not infering that all contributor are Victor Meldrews, and I appologies if my comments have been taken that way.

 

[CliveV]

Hello Clive,

Your response to my comment concerns me because it seems that you are angry. I am not quite sure why? as I supported most of what you posted. My concern was to do with the view that the forum is the best source of free market research. I agree it is a rich source of views, but it would be unwise to accept it as the only source or as an accurate represntation of the views of all potentially intersted parties.

I am most certainly not infering that all contributor are Victor Meldrews, and I appologies if my comments have been taken that way.

Hi John - believe me I am not angry. On rereading what i wrote I can only assume that the single sentance "So what is your problem" led you to think this.

I can see how it could be misinterpreted but please be assurred it was meant as a genuine request for you to clarify what you meant!

It was certainly not meant in an aggresive context. My sincere apologies if you read it this way. My only excuse is that I must write lterally dozens of letters and emails a day in my business and so the niceties of language sometimes get overlooked.

 

[CliveV]

Hi John - believe me I am not angry. On rereading what i wrote I can only assume that the single sentance "So what is your problem" led you to think this.

I can see how it could be misinterpreted but please be assurred it was meant as a genuine request for you to clarify what you meant!

It was certainly not meant in an aggresive context. My sincere apologies if you read it this way. My only excuse is that I must write lterally dozens of letters and emails a day in my business and so the niceties of language sometimes get overlooked.

Sorry one and all - this was an unfortunate use of words.

 

[coljac]

Hi again

Interesting point re "Do the journalists read this forum" - I assumed that they did. The current Editor has tried to justify the infamous sink drainer article but it sounds terribly hollow!

Do they really think that those new to caravanning, even if on a lmited budget, are going to be impressed, enthused and motivated by such drivel? The points raised on this Forum should be the basic research material as to what we as caravaners are interested in. Unless of course they believe that only a minority of caravanners have mastered the www.

I will lay down a challenge to Alex the Editor as a new caravanner that has recently bought a proper caravan after having a folding caravan for a couple of years and tents prior to that. We enjoy UK based holidays and gentle "off-roading" in the incredible Picos de Europa, in Northern Spain.

Why not let a member of this Forum control the content of a future article and write an article? I would be happy to do it as a complete amateur who has never written professionaly before whatsoever. Others on this Forum clearly have the ability and may well wish to take part.

I find the humour, content and technical ability of what I have read here of late is a great deal better than last months PC issue. What about full readers articles appearing on this or another site? Shouldn't be hard to set up.

As I have stated before - I scanned this months PC mag on the stand and decided NOT to buy. The reason for this was primarily the said article, but also because previous editions when bought had disapointed. Contrast this to other mags that I buy when I want an "extra read" on top of those I subscribe to. These I buy on cover recognition alone without scanning the content because so far they have not let me down.

If the PC staff do not read this forum they are remakably silly. We are the best free Market Research resource they have.

Clive i was very impressed with what you said .Like you i visit other web sites and the quality of journalism is critisised every where .I have sugested that we all write to the magazines which offend and tell them that we are going to boycot their July edition . Lets face it if we dont read them ,the advertisers who seem to conrole them will stop advertising.

It is a pity that caravan magazines have sunk to such a level that we have to resort to this .

As a matter of interest i have E mailed the Editor of Caravan and told him his web site is pathetic .[SUPRISE/] he Emailed me back and said they had great plans for the web site and that i should watch out for them [I will not hold my breath but you never know Keep up the good work Coljac.

/

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi John - believe me I am not angry. On rereading what i wrote I can only assume that the single sentance "So what is your problem" led you to think this.

I can see how it could be misinterpreted but please be assurred it was meant as a genuine request for you to clarify what you meant!

It was certainly not meant in an aggresive context. My sincere apologies if you read it this way. My only excuse is that I must write lterally dozens of letters and emails a day in my business and so the niceties of language sometimes get overlooked.

Sorry one and all - this was an unfortunate use of words.

Hello Clive,

Apologies accepted and understood. Glad to have cleared up the misunderstanding.

Have I enlightened you sufficiently as to my perspective on the topic?

 

[AlexN]

Hello Clive. I think we're all completely clear about your feeling towards Practical Caravan's recent issues, including the drainers article. If you still feel that the content in the magazine doesn't reflect what you want to read about, why not drop me a line direct and let me know your wish list for the magazine? To reassure you, I frequently use the Forum to see what issues our readers care about most - I agree it's the best marketing tool we've got. For instance, I discovered that there are plenty of readers who want advice on kitting out their van with even the smallest domestic items (such as drainers) as well as those who want to know about top-notch technology. In the meantime, you might want to look out for the July issue of Practical Caravan. It has a new look, new features and I think even you might be rather impressed with the balance of the content - and the sheer quantity of it. Let me know what you think - my email is alex.newby@haynet.com.

 

[jacky3]

YOU CAN PLEASE SOME OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME AND ALL OF THE PEOPLE SOME OF THE TIME,BUT YOU CAN'T PLEASE ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OT THE TIME

 

[CaptainKangaroo]

To show that caravanners are not a boring bunch of old farts, why not do what the govt does and "sex" it up a bit. Why not a few photo's of the female journalists in bikinis with the caravans in each issue but please not the male journalists, they would look silly in bikinis!

 

[Tina3]

To show that caravanners are not a boring bunch of old farts, why not do what the govt does and "sex" it up a bit. Why not a few photo's of the female journalists in bikinis with the caravans in each issue but please not the male journalists, they would look silly in bikinis!

well theres going to be a good demonstration on erections in wales at the weekend !!!!!!!!(awnings that is)

 

[jacky3]

well theres going to be a good demonstration on erections in wales at the weekend !!!!!!!!(awnings that is)

could be a good 'dai' all round

 

[colin(bridgend)]

well theres going to be a good demonstration on erections in wales at the weekend !!!!!!!!(awnings that is)

Hi Tina - in response to your comments regarding a good erection in Wales this weekend I was wandering if the caravaners of Wales could come and watch. You could sell tickets for spectaters and possibly make a few bob.

Seriously on a more serious point I totally agree with your remarks regarding children on sitew. We were all children at one time. Surely s caravan holiday is for the children as well as adults. Let the children play and enjoy themselves. If they are "disruptive little monsters" as stated by others this, in my opinion, is a reflection of their parents and the way they are bringing their children up. In my opinion it is great to hear youngsters laughing and enjoying themselves. My children are now adults, although we have grandchildren they tend to go abroad with theur parents on package holidays rather than caravaning.

Good luck and enjoy your stay in Wales - hope the weather is kind for you.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Hi Tina - in response to your comments regarding a good erection in Wales this weekend I was wandering if the caravaners of Wales could come and watch. You could sell tickets for spectaters and possibly make a few bob.

Seriously on a more serious point I totally agree with your remarks regarding children on sitew. We were all children at one time. Surely s caravan holiday is for the children as well as adults. Let the children play and enjoy themselves. If they are "disruptive little monsters" as stated by others this, in my opinion, is a reflection of their parents and the way they are bringing their children up. In my opinion it is great to hear youngsters laughing and enjoying themselves. My children are now adults, although we have grandchildren they tend to go abroad with theur parents on package holidays rather than caravaning.

Good luck and enjoy your stay in Wales - hope the weather is kind for you.

Sorry about the typing/spelling errors - I have now retired from education and my brain is not functioning so well.

 

[G_5063311]

New look Practical Caravan July issue: Didn't seem much different to us. The article using a couple to try out a new 'van seemed rather odd. So they had been caravanners for many years (so?) and yet nearly everything they looked at they didn't use themselves! Cooking area: 'we don't cook in the caravan', washroom: 'we never use the shower', kitchen sink: 'we don't wash up in the caravan'! We're not caravanners of many years (1 in fact) but we use every facility on the caravan in full (paid for after all) and go off exploring as much as we can. We would like to see more articles covering unusual places to explore, using all age groups/experience levels. Gail & Mark

 

[sian_5062266]

Hi Alex

I am quite new to caravanning, having never done it before taking delivery of my twin axle Senator last November.I have now been out and about in it 7 times since then however, all during the winter and all in this country. I buy and read PC every month, and I must say that in general I have enjoyed the articles, and on the whole have found them interesting and informative, all with the exception of the dish drainer!!! I note your comments about the household gadgets, but I think perhaps there could have been a whole section just devoted a heading something like " and everything but the kitchen sink" to include hints and tips on everything that makes it practical for those who actually spend the time on the domestic chores from washing the dishes to washing the clothes!! Personally I despise drainers and don't even have one at home as my preferred option is to use a second smaller washing up bowl to put the clean stuff in so that the suds can be rinsed off properly. With regards to some of the responses on the types of articles that appeal to various target audiences, perhaps the magazine cold consider sections which reflect the interests of major groups as regular features, eg families, empty nesters and singles, or perhaps indicating with icons on the articles which group certain features would appeal to. I appreciate that editing a magazine such as yours is not easy with such a diverse audience to please, I spent many years in a similar role within a local authority and the interests of my target audiences included nearly all the public services provided!!

Hope my comments help, they are meant to be constructive, by the way how about about a feature on sites which have great garden centres and nurseries near them, my husband is a gardening fanatic!! Also, how about a feature on CCC Pembrey Country Park, everyone appears to think Gowerton is central, but infact Pembrey is much better offering many more local facitilies and the option of affordably using the train to access places further East(Swansea and Cardiff) and West(Tenby, Fishguard and Pembroke), avoiding congested roads during busy times, avoiding parking charges, not having to use fuel and being able to have a few glasses of wine or beer safely. The local fare from this park to the station by taxi is

 

[Beechy]

Maybe a review on good sites for children, where they are welcomed for what they are, get some journalists

to write it who have children and cherish them as I do mine.

I have raised my children to respect others and other peoples property. Unfortunateley not all parents have, not tha I'm suggesting that you are one of these few. However some children do behave like little monsters and I for one would like to see articles on adults only sites. When I take my grandchildren along I obviously need info on children friendly sites too. Please don't take things to heart or too literally when young persons are refered to as monsters or monkeys, after all I've heard far worse terms of 'endearment' from some parents