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Suggest Improvements To The Fortean Times

Less of the crypto-zoology. I feel a little deflated every time I see there's yet another piece by Karl Shuker in the magazine. No offence to Dr Shuker, I just find the discovery of some new trilobite to be extremely tedious.

I tend to think the mag has declined in quality in the past few years, but that's probably because things like the UFO phenomenon has died a whimpering death, and people have realised Most Haunted is a big pile of crap in which nothing ever happens.
Not so much of Fortean interest around to write about these days?


Oh yeah, stop reviewing silly Japanese movies. If pages must be filled what about a "Fortean website of the month" or similar?
 
DiocletianX said:
Less of the crypto-zoology. I feel a little deflated every time I see there's yet another piece by Karl Shuker in the magazine. No offence to Dr Shuker, I just find the discovery of some new trilobite to be extremely tedious.

I tend to think the mag has declined in quality in the past few years, but that's probably because things like the UFO phenomenon has died a whimpering death, and people have realised Most Haunted is a big pile of crap in which nothing ever happens.
Not so much of Fortean interest around to write about these days?


Oh yeah, stop reviewing silly Japanese movies. If pages must be filled what about a "Fortean website of the month" or similar?

Have to admit that I enjoy the CZ stuff. Not so much Ghost stuff, first time in ages I enjoyed GW in the current issue. Perhaps too much UFO stuff which doesnt amount to anything.

More conspiracy! Give Robin Ramsey a full page each issue.
 
DiocletianX said:
Less of the crypto-zoology. I feel a little deflated every time I see there's yet another piece by Karl Shuker in the magazine. No offence to Dr Shuker, I just find the discovery of some new trilobite to be extremely tedious.

I tend to think the mag has declined in quality in the past few years, but that's probably because things like the UFO phenomenon has died a whimpering death, and people have realised Most Haunted is a big pile of crap in which nothing ever happens.
Not so much of Fortean interest around to write about these days?


Oh yeah, stop reviewing silly Japanese movies. If pages must be filled what about a "Fortean website of the month" or similar?

I agree wholeheartedly. CZ isn't really Fortean as it can easily be explained. I know that there must be some still unknown species around, so what. Surely there are nature magazines that could cover things like that.
Ghosts should be interesting but they seem to be covered in a very boring way. I don't even read those pages any more. As a matter of fact FT magazine has become so boring and behind the news [I usually know most news a months before they are printed] that I cancelled my subscription after many years. I have been reading FT since 1990, when it was still interesting. Now I get my forteana from this website or the internet in general. Shame but true.
If anyone would like to know what could bring me back:
- In depth and interesting articles about various fortean phenomena
- no more news clips or Crypto Zoology
- Interviews with people who were [or think they were] abducted/ had an encounter etc
- No more Archaeological bits unless they find part of a spaceship
- Articles about quantum physics and it implications on ghosts/ timeslips/ ufo's etc
- Yes, more conspiracy!
- More personal stories from readers [but then there would be no money to be made selling the highly priced books].
- No more boring Victorian stuff and get rid of Barry Baldwin's Classical corner. That bloke can't write for the life of him. Or at least get someone else to write it.
 
Dingo667 said:
DiocletianX said:
Less of the crypto-zoology. I feel a little deflated every time I see there's yet another piece by Karl Shuker in the magazine. No offence to Dr Shuker, I just find the discovery of some new trilobite to be extremely tedious.

I tend to think the mag has declined in quality in the past few years, but that's probably because things like the UFO phenomenon has died a whimpering death, and people have realised Most Haunted is a big pile of crap in which nothing ever happens.
Not so much of Fortean interest around to write about these days?


Oh yeah, stop reviewing silly Japanese movies. If pages must be filled what about a "Fortean website of the month" or similar?

I agree wholeheartedly. CZ isn't really Fortean as it can easily be explained. I know that there must be some still unknown species around, so what. Surely there are nature magazines that could cover things like that.
Ghosts should be interesting but they seem to be covered in a very boring way. I don't even read those pages any more. As a matter of fact FT magazine has become so boring and behind the news [I usually know most news a months before they are printed] that I cancelled my subscription after many years. I have been reading FT since 1990, when it was still interesting. Now I get my forteana from this website or the internet in general. Shame but true.
If anyone would like to know what could bring me back:
- In depth and interesting articles about various fortean phenomena
- no more news clips or Crypto Zoology
- Interviews with people who were [or think they were] abducted/ had an encounter etc
- No more Archaeological bits unless they find part of a spaceship
- Articles about quantum physics and it implications on ghosts/ timeslips/ ufo's etc
- Yes, more conspiracy!
- More personal stories from readers [but then there would be no money to be made selling the highly priced books].
- No more boring Victorian stuff and get rid of Barry Baldwin's Classical corner. That bloke can't write for the life of him. Or at least get someone else to write it.

I'm broadly in agreement with all that (although I don't mind the archaelogy stuff, purely because I find the subject interesting!) Classical Corner I normally don't read any more - it has interesting facts in it but yeah, the writing style is incredibly tedious.
The Victorian stuff has taken a large upward trend recently and I dont even bother to read those articles now.
Conspiracy corner is very interesting, generally, yes, I could go for a much bigger section on that every month.

Crypto-zoology I am fine with IF its something like Bigfoot or even Nessie but only if its an interesting article, which doesnt seem to be the case these days. I have no interest whatsoever in a new breed of horse, a cat with three nobs, a duck with Jesus face on its arse or the amazing discovery of a a previously believed extinct sub-class of tadpole.

I get FT as a gift subscription from my mother these days having subscribed myself for years but every year I tell her not to renew it and she always does it anyway. Next time I will just ask her to subscribe me to "Guitar" magazine or "360 Gamer", I'm just really bored with FT.
 
One more thing - instead of reviewing every crappy horror movie that comes out, or fantasy books or whatever, why not review an old classic or old best seller every month (for example something by Graham Hancock, Christopher Dunn, Robert Temple etc etc)?
 
Dingo667 said:
DiocletianX said:
Less of the crypto-zoology. I feel a little deflated every time I see there's yet another piece by Karl Shuker in the magazine. No offence to Dr Shuker, I just find the discovery of some new trilobite to be extremely tedious.

I tend to think the mag has declined in quality in the past few years, but that's probably because things like the UFO phenomenon has died a whimpering death, and people have realised Most Haunted is a big pile of crap in which nothing ever happens.
Not so much of Fortean interest around to write about these days?


Oh yeah, stop reviewing silly Japanese movies. If pages must be filled what about a "Fortean website of the month" or similar?

I agree wholeheartedly. CZ isn't really Fortean as it can easily be explained. I know that there must be some still unknown species around, so what. Surely there are nature magazines that could cover things like that.
Ghosts should be interesting but they seem to be covered in a very boring way. I don't even read those pages any more. As a matter of fact FT magazine has become so boring and behind the news [I usually know most news a months before they are printed] that I cancelled my subscription after many years. I have been reading FT since 1990, when it was still interesting. Now I get my forteana from this website or the internet in general. Shame but true.
If anyone would like to know what could bring me back:
- In depth and interesting articles about various fortean phenomena
- no more news clips or Crypto Zoology
- Interviews with people who were [or think they were] abducted/ had an encounter etc
- No more Archaeological bits unless they find part of a spaceship
- Articles about quantum physics and it implications on ghosts/ timeslips/ ufo's etc
- Yes, more conspiracy!
- More personal stories from readers [but then there would be no money to be made selling the highly priced books].
- No more boring Victorian stuff and get rid of Barry Baldwin's Classical corner. That bloke can't write for the life of him. Or at least get someone else to write it.

I agree, although I do like Ghost Watch and would like more.
As said CZ is superdull unless its Nessie or bigfoot or someother more Fortean stuff.
I have never read classical corner as I find the writing style tedious in the extreme.
 
As a student, both drunk and stoned I attempted to read the terms and conditions of our tenancy agreement. Half an hour later, I hadn't got past the second line. I deduced some things aren't meant to be read.

Now every issue, despite being sober and attentive, I relive the experience through Classical Corner.
 
Not sure if this belongs here, but I can't think of anywhere else I might offer this suggestion.

Subscribers to the mag are debited every six months. I can't be the only subscriber to not remember that the fee is due. Having been to the bank today, it seems that I've been debited the £19.99 that was due. Now, I don't have a problem with the renewal process being one of cancellation rather than having to opt in every six months, I'd have just appreciated a reminder a few weeks before hand. I'm not working ATM, so twenty quid coming out of my account unexpectedly is going to cause me a bit of an issue for the next couple of weeks. Had I got a reminder, I would have been able to budget for the debit, rather than spending the next couple of weeks catching up.
 
jimv1 said:
As a student, both drunk and stoned I attempted to read the terms and conditions of our tenancy agreement. Half an hour later, I hadn't got past the second line. I deduced some things aren't meant to be read.

Now every issue, despite being sober and attentive, I relive the experience through Classical Corner.

It took me about a year to get my dainty little head around Classical Corner, but I've found it worth the effort - even if I do leave it to last to read, like the unwanted Brussell Sprouts at dinner time!
 
I'm a bit of a geek, so I LIKE the cryto zoology stuff, and the archaeological stuff!

The only thing my boyfriend reads in my FT is the games reviews, he's been complaining about the lack of them recently!
 
Daftbugger1 said:
I'm a bit of a geek, so I LIKE the cryto zoology stuff, and the archaeological stuff!

I'm not a big archaeology buff, but do like to read the column in the FT because it gives an insight, however small, incredibly far back in humankind's development. Makes you wonder what they were up to burying horses or whatever, and knowing we'll probably never know for sure.
 
blackhand2010 said:
I'm a subscriber, and to be honest I'm wondering about renewing.
Over the past few months (possibly even to a year), the magazine seems to have taken a bit of a dip.

The lead articles seem flimsy at best (this months Chupacabra one takes the biscuit: an article that could have been dealt with in a few paragraphs, and isn't that convincing or indeed interesting to begin with is given front cover status).

The letters pages seem to have shrunk (though I accept this could be due fewer letters actually being received), and any good IHTM stories seemed to have been siphoned off for use in the spin off books.

There are also fewer DVD reviews, though again, I accept, not being a widely read publication they're less likely to get freebies from the studios.

In all there just seems to be less generally in the magazine than there once was.

Rant over...

Somewhat in agreement.

The IHTM page is the first I turn to, in eager anticipation, yet they do indeed appear to a shadow of those in years gone by.

Jenny Randles is always a good read, however, David Clark and Andy Roberts are clearly non-believers. Nothing wrong with that, except that I find their approach, and conclusions, patronising.

They seem to belong to a new breed of revisionist skeptics who will take an historic, unsolved case, and then attempt to weave around it their own pre-determined "It was swamp gas" outcome.

An example of this revisionism would be the Bob Taylor case, in which the solution involves Taylor ingesting deadly nightshade, hallucinating a water tower as the UFO and being attacked by his own dog (oh really?). Also, despite Taylor stating the object was fading in and out of 'existence' i.e. some sort of invisibility device, the lack of corroborating witnesses from the adjacent motorway, is used as evidence to debunk the case.

No harm in giving Clark and Roberts their own Skeptics Corner, or whatever, but at the moment it is very much like Richard Dawkins editing the Catholic Herald...
 
Dingo667 said:
DiocletianX said:
Less of the crypto-zoology. I feel a little deflated every time I see there's yet another piece by Karl Shuker in the magazine. No offence to Dr Shuker, I just find the discovery of some new trilobite to be extremely tedious.

I tend to think the mag has declined in quality in the past few years, but that's probably because things like the UFO phenomenon has died a whimpering death, and people have realised Most Haunted is a big pile of crap in which nothing ever happens.
Not so much of Fortean interest around to write about these days?


Oh yeah, stop reviewing silly Japanese movies. If pages must be filled what about a "Fortean website of the month" or similar?

I agree wholeheartedly. CZ isn't really Fortean as it can easily be explained. I know that there must be some still unknown species around, so what. Surely there are nature magazines that could cover things like that.
Ghosts should be interesting but they seem to be covered in a very boring way. I don't even read those pages any more. As a matter of fact FT magazine has become so boring and behind the news [I usually know most news a months before they are printed] that I cancelled my subscription after many years. I have been reading FT since 1990, when it was still interesting. Now I get my forteana from this website or the internet in general. Shame but true.
If anyone would like to know what could bring me back:
- In depth and interesting articles about various fortean phenomena
- no more news clips or Crypto Zoology
- Interviews with people who were [or think they were] abducted/ had an encounter etc
- No more Archaeological bits unless they find part of a spaceship
- Articles about quantum physics and it implications on ghosts/ timeslips/ ufo's etc
- Yes, more conspiracy!
- More personal stories from readers [but then there would be no money to be made selling the highly priced books].
- No more boring Victorian stuff and get rid of Barry Baldwin's Classical corner. That bloke can't write for the life of him. Or at least get someone else to write it.

Very good post, really sums up how I feel, with the exception of Cryptozoology if it applies to the Mongolian Death Worm or whatever :shock:

If FT is to survive the digital age, it surely needs to be more proactive and less responsive i.e. less Clark and Reynolds picking the bones of old UFO cases, in a patronising and skeptical manner

There are a lot of good authors out there who are unearthing new witnesses to modern-day Fortean phenomenon, yet too often their findings are relegated to the book reviews only.
 
Not necessarily, Clarke and Roberts usually get one page per issue (if you can call it that), and a lot of the articles these days are adapted extracts from new Fortean books.
 
Dear FT, far too much religion in the mag of late, it's becoming like reading the Catholic Herald.

Please return to your roots

Thanks
 
I have to read everything, even stuff that is boring as heck. It's a bit OCD. And one of the reasons why I'm still on issue 305. :/

Unless something drastic is coming in future issues I've not read yet there is nothing really I'd change.

The constant shoehorning in of certain folk was starting to bug me a bit but not to the level that really mattered. Ditto the bursts of similarly themed articles (Next Month: Dogs who wore hats!).

I think the problems are due to several factors.

1) Actually properly weird stuff just doesn't seem to happen as much anymore. Everything can be explained away and I think we are a lot quicker to question things.

2) The internet means there is instant access to everything already. By the time FT comes out stuff that was mainstream has already been seen, dissected and judged on here. Research about older stuff can be done whenever you want thanks to Google. I think the mag actually does very well to find stuff to report on that we haven't already debated to death on the MB.

3) We are all a lot older, and... wiser. I started reading FT in '93 when I was 13/14. I believed a lot more then, I knew much less so each issue was full of wonder and things I had never heard of. I also didn't have internet access to go searching for more background stuff. Now, I've read everything there is to read on most mainstream subjects, I've seen through the folk in costumes, poor photoshops and dodgy camcorder footage of a 'UFO'. I am far, far more skeptical and far less inclined to be left in awe by something read in FT.

I actually quite enjoy FT as a historical journal nowadays, far less articles have a true aura of mystery and the unexplained. A lot of my enjoyment comes from the historical aspect of the pieces. What people mistook for strange phenomena in days of old. The mag still pulls out an article or two that really surprises and amuses.

I'd not be too keen to see it expand the reviews section too much to cater for more paranormal films/games etc... lest it become Shivers. Also I find it quite irritating as well to see a lot of articles these days end with "...of course, you can read about this in much more detail in the book I've just written." However, these 'advertorials' I guess are a necessity these days.

Much as they take up space in my poor Mum's loft I hope the mag carries on in its present physical format for a long time. A shift about of a few sections might liven the place up but no point doing it for the sake of it.

In terms of ideas for new features that could cover old stories in a different way perhaps a "Beginners Guide/What We Thought We Knew..." feature each month looking at a popular done to death topic but starting with the basic story, then the way people believed or reacted at the time and how we view it now after years of analysis and advances in technology/thinking. Wouldn't work for everything but could allow a way to look at the big themes when there isn't really anything new to be said.

Also have to remember that what for us might be our 50th, 100th, 200th, 300th edition of FT it can just as equally be someone's first so ruling out repeating topics because WE have read it all before is a dangerous game when thinking of the long-term future of the magazine and enquiring minds. The next generation are only just discovering the world of strange phenomena, it would be a shame for them to be denied articles about Kenneth Arnold, Borley Rectory or the Surgeon's Photograph just because veteran readers have been around those houses many, many times.
 
I like the Fortean Times so much, that I wish it were a weekly.

I know that is not a practical or helpful suggestion, but I just had to say it.

On a more practical note - a more extensive website, with some of the articles featured freely, and others available only to subscribers.

I find that cheap or silly ads don't worry me at all. I like the illustrations, and the general tone of the magazine.
 
There isn't the staff for the upkeep of an actual site ie anything more than we have here. There used to be a site much as you propose but it has gone the way of the DoDo.
 
There are several websites and forums that have died or are in a derelict state. It's funny that we are barely getting into the business end of the decline of print media and already message boards and in depth websites are starting to cough up blood.

It is all about apps, 140 characters and dumb 20 Pictures Of Ghosts That Will Totally Make You Go OMG! clickbait websites.
 
Bring back Hierophant! I liked his articles! I now go through my old back issues (dating back to 2001) just to read them! I find them refreshingly witty and well written!)
 
Lots more serious and genuine research and articles. Lots less silly stuff.

I rarely buy it these days as it's a bit pricey for me.
 
Bring back Hierophant! I liked his articles! I now go through my old back issues (dating back to 2001) just to read them! I find them refreshingly witty and well written!)

They did bring him back and it turned out nobody liked him anymore. He'd gone all ranty.
 
I'd like it easier to read in terms of contrast..... been OK the last few but I have real problems if there isn't a contrast between the print and the background :oops:
 
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