AGD shortchanged by APG

[Shaft]

My biggest problem with niche magazines is the reviews are always "love-fests," (to quote another AO member).
Rarely do you ever read, "this new product from company A sucks."
Mainstream mags like Car&Driver will at least call a piece'a junk a piece'a junk.
I don't know if they are scared to lose potential advertising dollars or really easy to please, but it makes reading these magazines useless at times.

[raehl]

Very simply...

The editors of Car and Driver, and their writers, probably rarely see any big car company executives. It's not like that in paintball, where the people who cover the industry play in the industry socialize heavily with those in the industry and somewhat built the industry. It's hard to "call it like it is" on a product made by a company when you'll be seeing the President of that company at every tournament you're going to be at.

Paintball is, comparatively, small. While I'm sure we all enjoy the relative ease with which we have access to Tom and the heads of other paintball companies, when was the last time a customer talked to an executive from, say, Spalding? It doesn't happen, and there's a reason for that. A sport eventually gets big enough where someone goes to the store, asks which product is the best for them, and buys it, and the idea of having personal contact with the executives of the company responsible for that product never enters their head.

The industry is young, and those "in charge" of it are almost completely players, because if you wern't a paintball player 10 years ago, you never would have thought to get into the paintball buisiness. That's very atypical for most sports. The players are the owners are the media. Niche by definition means you're going to have everyone scratching everyone else's back.

What you're going to see as this sport grows is all of these smaller companies are going to colesce into bigger ones. There won't be a company that just makes barrels, or air systems, or markers, or whatever. You'll eventually see 4-6 companies with COMPLETE paintball product lines, markers, air systems, loaders, barrels, gear, etc. AGD is getting close, they just need barrels and loaders. Brass Eagle is working on it, they just need to get their marker-related gear up-to-snuff at the middle-upper range of the product line. The whole "Java" thing is kind of along these lines as well.

- Chris

[deweasel697]

what are these benchmark kits?

[EvilErnie]

I have an idea!!

My biggest problem with niche magazines is the reviews are always "love-fests,"

I think I will start a magazine to find the worst products in paintball. I will call it Paintball Crap! Maybe I can get people to send me product to test. That would be cool. A magazine devoted to crappy products. I bet I would have a large group of readers! What do you guys/gals think?

[dawump]

I wouldn't buy that because there would be no AGD stuff.

keith

[shartley]

Yes, I think a no holds barred tell it like it is Paintball Magazine would be great. Ever notice how Road & Track and Car & Driver seem to not have a problem with advertising? It is because they know people READ the magazine for the honest reviews and articles.

It forces companies to produce quality products, not forces them to not advertise in the magazine. I have seen many issues where a particular product is given unfavorable reviews, then turn several pages and see a full page add for the SAME company that made the poorly reviewed product.

So not wanting to ruffle feathers is not a valid reason why no such Paintball Magazine has been published.

Also, the size thing, and not rubbing elbows with actual owners? Please, if you don't have enough backbone to tell things like they are, you should not be doing an interview, writing an article, or Publishing a Magazine. And if the owners of these Paintball Companies wanted to be jerks because they made a crappy product and your Magazine or Reporter said so... then what does that say about THEM?

I think people often confuse the line between liking a person, and liking everything they do or make. It is often quite different. And saying a product is bad, is not saying that the owner of the company is bad.

I would most definitely buy a PB Magazine like the one discussed... even if it only came out twice a year. It would be money well spent... for me anyway.

[luke]

Originally posted by Webmaster
- I didnt call it the Intelliframe in the article, because when I wrote it, there had not been the contest to give it the official name! Remember, those grips were a week old when they were at zap.

Boy this thread opened a can of worms! Just so you know Weby, I wasn't really complaining or pointing fingers or anything like that. It's a cool little spread for AGD, but from an advertising point of view, it lacked all the info.... In a hundred years nobody will care about this little oversight!

Every year (for about 3 now) I tell myself "this year I'm not going to renew my subscription" and every year I do. There are many things I don't like about it, but nobody forces me to buy it either. That's really what it boils down to, boycott it, change it or ignore it. We all have a choice. I have to admit, I no longer read it cover to cover, and sections I wouldn't read if you twisted my arm. It's a newbie magazine, a fact they don't hide, but what would I (we) trade it for, a magazine full of tournament results? Once in a while I'm surprised and actually read something with some good information or something I simply enjoy. For the few bucks it cost, it's no big loss anyway you look at it.

Am I missing something or did AGD stop advertising in it?

I guess if we want a quality magazine TK will have to bring it too us!

[Shaft]

It's forums like this where one can find honest information and informed opinions. Sometimes in the face of the product creator (speaking of, Shartley, did JJ ever agree to give us those free memberships?).

I buy the magazines more for the advertising - it's cool to see what's new. APG does have some good players tips as well.

[luke]

Originally posted by Shaft

I buy the magazines more for the advertising - it's cool to see what's new. APG does have some good players tips as well.

Me too, the first thing I read in APG is "Gear Bag", it's the best thing about the magazine. I did find the article about Alvarez interesting, the sport could use more like him.