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Old 11-04-2002, 07:25 PM   #39
the_logos
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Mill Valley, California
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Nod, that's what I meant by running in the red.

Well, and this is intended only as a constructive comment, not as criticism, but the reason I didn't subscribe to it is because a paper magazine aimed at text MUDs seems out of place, and superfluous. It's not a medium that lends itself well to a glossy magazine, because there's no way to take a screenshot of your imagination, which is the canvas a MUD is painted on. There's also inevitably going to be a lack of quality content. I'm not trying to criticize anyone, but nearly all the articles written about text MUDs in particular (as opposed to virtual spaces in general) come off as somewhat amateurish. That's fine in the sense that most of the people doing the writing are hobbyists, but at the same time, it clashes with your goal of a glossy magazine. I really just think a website is a better medium for the information and target audience.

The reason I didn't advertise in it is because I didn't think it would get sufficient circulation, due to the above reasons. It wasn't about supporting anything to me, but about where to best place our advertising budget.


Sure, I'd agree with that.

Understandable, though from a strictly commerce point of view, the buck stops with you. If the ads and articles aren't ready, it's your fault from the consumer's point of view. (I wasn't a consumer and have nothing against you at all. Fault doesn't have to carry negative ethical implications.)

Yep. You wouldn't look good, but hey, #### happens. If you formed a corporation or limited partnership/LLC to do it, you could simply shut down and not suffer any personal legal liability. Sole propietorships are cheap to declare and maintain, but the risk is greatly increased.


Check out . It's put out by Versus, but only covers graphical MUDs really (though Eternal City is listed on its list of games for some reason, oddly enough).

So I was going to guarantee a loan for someone when I was a bit younger, and went to the bank with my friend to talk to the loan officer. The loan officer wanted to speak to me alone, and once my friend was out of the room, he said to me (and I'll never forget this, as it was sound advice), "Matt, we're in the loan business. We're successful in the loan business. If your friend's credit isn't good enough for us, why is it good enough for you?" I poo-pood his advice saying I knew my friend better than the bank's credit scoring algorithm does and guaranteed the loan. My friend, of course, defaulted about 9 months later, leaving me to pay it or ruin my credit. He didn't do it with any malice. One just can't get blood from a stone, as the saying goes.

In other words, if Versus and Prima, who are very successful at doing printed game-related material, don't see the text MUD market as being able to support a flashy magazine, why did/do you? I mean, I'm not saying that they're automatically right. They may not have considered it (unlikely I'd say. They were just waiting for the online market to get big enough generally to support one), or may simply be slow in taking advantage of an opportunity, giving you the chance to do it first. But more likely, the reason is that they know the market isn't there to support the kind of magazine you want/wanted to do.

Anyway, I wish you luck, but my (unsolicited and therefore possibly rude) advice is to cut your losses now, and perhaps turn your attention towards a website.

--matt
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