Suggest Improvements To The Fortean Times
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Wouldn't that need a ghost writer?
I'll get me coat,.......
GNC said:
I meen a one off issue focusing on ghosts. It's a vast topic, you can have all sorts of conotations in it rather than just hauntings and because ft is NOT like nexus or uri geller's encounters we might actully find out about things we wern't aware of before or be shown a veiw of a topic counter to how we had thought of things previously.
No publication is actully looking seriously at ghosts rather than Just the "ooh theres this ghostie and it haunts this old castle in Scotland and it must be true because a local man known as 'dodgey' dave saw it." type of ghost story, so I feal ft is missing a huge and potentially lucretive gap in the market there.
I mentioned most haunted because as a result of that program, ghosts are the current 'cool' phenomina, like aliens and ufo's were cool in the 90's because of xfiles and in the 40's and 50's because of B movies and earth mysterys were cool in the 70's because of the culture at the time.
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I mean a one off issue focusing on ghosts
Personally, I like the idea but others may not, I for one wouldn't be interested in a whole issue of cryptozoology.
Personally, I like the idea but others may not, I for one wouldn't be interested in a whole issue of cryptozoology.
I'd be interested in an exlusively crypozooalogical issue too, it's nice to have alian zoo, but i feal apart from that the subject has only be responcible for 3 memorable articles in the last 10 years or so we could do with more i think 
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Maybe a bit high concept but I'd like to see a special issue dealing with different interpretations of old ideas.
There could be a feature on the theory ghosts are the product of electromagnetic fields, one on zooform phemomena instead of flesh and blood cryptozoology, and one for ufos being creatures living in the atmosphere.
So you end up with a science article about ghosts, a parapsychology article about cryptozoology, and a cryptozoology article about ufos.
Um, did that make sense?
There could be a feature on the theory ghosts are the product of electromagnetic fields, one on zooform phemomena instead of flesh and blood cryptozoology, and one for ufos being creatures living in the atmosphere.
So you end up with a science article about ghosts, a parapsychology article about cryptozoology, and a cryptozoology article about ufos.
Um, did that make sense?
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Your just trying to muddy the waters you evil sprout.
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I miss Guru...
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I was reading through some old issues of FT ( in the 40-50 range ) this morning and realised that I found them more enjoyable than the current manifestation of the magazine.
I tried to work out why this was the case and realised that it was down to the way I was reading it. To explain this better, I was lying in bed on a Sunday morning enjoying a long lie in and a cup of tea and found the smallish articles very easy to read without having to remember something mentioned way back at the start of the article (such as you get in the bigger articles these days).
It also makes it much more accessible to the casual reader with lots of articles to make them think "wow, that's interesting" rather than having an in-depth piece on one particular subject.
The magazine needs to have a good supply of the smaller news related articles and some small follow ups to start the magazine and somewhat less in-depth articles (save these for the Fortean Studies volumes) so that it is much more like the old versions for accessability.
What do the others here think about the general readability of FT for casual or new readers compared to previous years?
thanks
Iain
I tried to work out why this was the case and realised that it was down to the way I was reading it. To explain this better, I was lying in bed on a Sunday morning enjoying a long lie in and a cup of tea and found the smallish articles very easy to read without having to remember something mentioned way back at the start of the article (such as you get in the bigger articles these days).
It also makes it much more accessible to the casual reader with lots of articles to make them think "wow, that's interesting" rather than having an in-depth piece on one particular subject.
The magazine needs to have a good supply of the smaller news related articles and some small follow ups to start the magazine and somewhat less in-depth articles (save these for the Fortean Studies volumes) so that it is much more like the old versions for accessability.
What do the others here think about the general readability of FT for casual or new readers compared to previous years?
thanks
Iain
A
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After I cancelled my sub, I continued to buy the mag for a while, in newsagents. Increasingly difficult since fewer places now seem to stock it.
Several months now since I completely stopped buying it.
I've subscribed to 'The Atlantic' magazine instead. It's a much more informative and satisfying read. I'm very impressed with the quality of the writing and range of the topics covered (http://www.theatlantic.com/). The website archive is also fantastic. There are more articles than I have time to read and it is significantly cheaper than FT. Covers equally interesting subjects and doesn't stray into the world of very - silly.
There is a fantastic article in the current issue relating to emails sent by various Al Qaeda people leading up to 9/11. Featured on 'Broadcasting House' this morning on BBC Radio 4.
Several months now since I completely stopped buying it.
I've subscribed to 'The Atlantic' magazine instead. It's a much more informative and satisfying read. I'm very impressed with the quality of the writing and range of the topics covered (http://www.theatlantic.com/). The website archive is also fantastic. There are more articles than I have time to read and it is significantly cheaper than FT. Covers equally interesting subjects and doesn't stray into the world of very - silly.
There is a fantastic article in the current issue relating to emails sent by various Al Qaeda people leading up to 9/11. Featured on 'Broadcasting House' this morning on BBC Radio 4.
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There's nothing more I can add, I totally agree with you.
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I agree with you Uncle B.
I find it very irritating to have to suspend reading an article in order to rush off and read the contents of an information panel (sometimes as long as the original article) in order to understand it's background.
I find it very irritating to have to suspend reading an article in order to rush off and read the contents of an information panel (sometimes as long as the original article) in order to understand it's background.
Only publish themed issues when the material is strong enough to do so. Themed issues have a tradition in The pages of the FT, the first was perhaps the 'Monster Issue' of January 1976. I thought FT 180, the Drugs and Rock & Roll issue was a good one. A strong variety of articles in a single issue has always served the FT well. Its readers are a broad church and I'm sure as many occasional readers would be put off by a 'cryptology special' as attracted to it. A series of small round ups under the old fortean titles of swarms, falls, lights and so on perhaps followed by short well researched articles that could be expanded in more regular issues of Fortean Studies. A variety of subject matter would also I think appeal more to the first time reader than a single issue magazine.
Illustrations, more care is needed. For example FT188.33, a pointless full page artists impression of a Chance Vought V-173, a photograph of the actual aircraft in flight appears later on page 36. In contrast the photographs for Paul Devereux's article in the same issue seem very hard done-by. The image of 'Petroglyph Rock' in the centre of page 47 is tiny, a full page version of this would have been helpfull, interpretive and worthwhile.
Does each issue need to be 80 pages long, the length of the magazine should be dependent on the articles within it. If there are only 60 pages of worthy material ready then publish only those pages, if there are 120 then publish 120. I'm sure nobody buys FT regularly on a pence-per-page basis.
Use a number of occasional columnists, publish there names on the front cover to attract occasional readers. A few hundred words in exchange for a handful of beer tokens seems a fair exchange. Look towards old favourites such as Ken Campbell, Mr X, Doc Shiels or Lionel Fanthorpe; perhaps Derren Brown, Julian Cope or Colin Wilson or even the likes of P. J. O'Rourke, Johnathan Meades or Lembit Opik MP! (No women amongst them, any suggestions?)
Advertising rears its ugly head again and frankly I don't give a damn I can't say it bothers me one bit; have never bought anything from them a most likely never will. However, I would like to thank the advertisers for the supply of filthy lucre over the years that keeps the magazine going.
Publish an Index to the FT on the website.
Do we realy need a full page review for a computer game (FT188.66). I will happily defend the need for the magazine to publish game reviews I just don't think a full page is necessary when a couple of hundred words will do. The space could be used to review music CD's, concerts, theatre or art exhibitions, Fortean events don't occur in isolation but are part of our culture and world - I look forward to reading a report of this years Edinburgh Festival within its pages!
Never again repeat the 'Sender Theory' debacle. OK so we expect some fringe stuff within the pages of Fortean Times but these I have felt have at least been based on someones perception of 'reality' or experience. The publication of the fiction has destroyed the caveat (is that the right word?) that existed betwen the editors and the readership, you may dress it up as a joke, a hoax or in keeping with an issue on deception but in fact it was just a sad little lie. Fortean Times = Yellow Card.
Illustrations, more care is needed. For example FT188.33, a pointless full page artists impression of a Chance Vought V-173, a photograph of the actual aircraft in flight appears later on page 36. In contrast the photographs for Paul Devereux's article in the same issue seem very hard done-by. The image of 'Petroglyph Rock' in the centre of page 47 is tiny, a full page version of this would have been helpfull, interpretive and worthwhile.
Does each issue need to be 80 pages long, the length of the magazine should be dependent on the articles within it. If there are only 60 pages of worthy material ready then publish only those pages, if there are 120 then publish 120. I'm sure nobody buys FT regularly on a pence-per-page basis.
Use a number of occasional columnists, publish there names on the front cover to attract occasional readers. A few hundred words in exchange for a handful of beer tokens seems a fair exchange. Look towards old favourites such as Ken Campbell, Mr X, Doc Shiels or Lionel Fanthorpe; perhaps Derren Brown, Julian Cope or Colin Wilson or even the likes of P. J. O'Rourke, Johnathan Meades or Lembit Opik MP! (No women amongst them, any suggestions?)
Advertising rears its ugly head again and frankly I don't give a damn I can't say it bothers me one bit; have never bought anything from them a most likely never will. However, I would like to thank the advertisers for the supply of filthy lucre over the years that keeps the magazine going.
Publish an Index to the FT on the website.
Do we realy need a full page review for a computer game (FT188.66). I will happily defend the need for the magazine to publish game reviews I just don't think a full page is necessary when a couple of hundred words will do. The space could be used to review music CD's, concerts, theatre or art exhibitions, Fortean events don't occur in isolation but are part of our culture and world - I look forward to reading a report of this years Edinburgh Festival within its pages!
Never again repeat the 'Sender Theory' debacle. OK so we expect some fringe stuff within the pages of Fortean Times but these I have felt have at least been based on someones perception of 'reality' or experience. The publication of the fiction has destroyed the caveat (is that the right word?) that existed betwen the editors and the readership, you may dress it up as a joke, a hoax or in keeping with an issue on deception but in fact it was just a sad little lie. Fortean Times = Yellow Card.
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Thanks Byron, I think that says it for many of us.
Byron Cac said:
Lembit writes a very good (and often quite funny) weekly colum for the Wales on Sunday (the most popular sunday paper in Wales) and as probably one of the most well informed saucer head's still around he would make a great ocasional columist for ft and probably breathe a much needed bit of life into the subject of ufology.
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How about publishing links to the best or most interesting threads on this site? I sometimes spend hours and hours hopping from one promising thread to another and only end up frustrated and bored. Next day I'll stumble across a really interesting thread a quarter of an hour before going to bed and not have time to read it through. A summary in the magazine of some of the moderators' recommendations would help in this respect.
One thing that I think would really help is if you (FT) would take some sort of a stance on some of the articles you publish. Even if it were just to say that you've accepted an article at face value and have not carried out any furthre research. I alluded to this in reference to the article you published recently concerning a woman's alledged encounter with fairies on the isle of Aran in Scotland. Has anybody checked that she was actually there at that time? She is a professional hack - what else has she published in the past that would lend credence to her story? Did she mention the episode to anybody else on Aran at the time etc.? Without this sort of supplementary information there is no value at all in the article.
Again, I've mentioned this before on other threads: I would like to see comments from people from varios backgrounds on a specific story. For example someone claims to have been abducted not by Greys but by Blues. What does the UFO community make of this? What does psychiatry say? What do people say who deliberately experiment with altered states of consciousness. What does the person's old school friends say about him? Pulling these comments together would mean that you couldn't publish the article 2 days after it's appeared in some other newspaper somewhere but surely you want the magazine to be more than just a repository for other people's old articles? It would change an article from just one more 'so what?' sort of a story to something more worthwhile and thought provoking.
The series you publish on saints is a good example of something, which is screaming for some sort of additional commentary of the sort outlined above. I mean, here's a church with a gigantic worldwide following and a blood drenched past and we find out that they have this selection of loony saints!! At the very least I'd be interested to know who appoints them and what process is applied. I'd also like to hear from Catholics what the doctrine says about this process. Let's say the Pope declares someone to be a saint: is this to say that he has managed to divine by some means that God has appointed a new saint, or is it that, following the Pope's decision, God will then appoint this new saint? And does the Catholic doctrine say that a saint can actively intervene in a person's life or is the habit of praying to a saint simply a way to let God know that, of all the saints on offer, you want to identify with this particular one? (No need to answer any of the above on this thread by the way, although I'm genuinely interested - I'm just pointing out some of the questions that these articles raise to which I think the magazine should take some sort of a stance through the inclusion of supporting articles).
I agree with the comment above about illustrations. Illustrations are important but should be used to clarify a statement or concept rather than just as page fillers or as decoration.
One thing that I think would really help is if you (FT) would take some sort of a stance on some of the articles you publish. Even if it were just to say that you've accepted an article at face value and have not carried out any furthre research. I alluded to this in reference to the article you published recently concerning a woman's alledged encounter with fairies on the isle of Aran in Scotland. Has anybody checked that she was actually there at that time? She is a professional hack - what else has she published in the past that would lend credence to her story? Did she mention the episode to anybody else on Aran at the time etc.? Without this sort of supplementary information there is no value at all in the article.
Again, I've mentioned this before on other threads: I would like to see comments from people from varios backgrounds on a specific story. For example someone claims to have been abducted not by Greys but by Blues. What does the UFO community make of this? What does psychiatry say? What do people say who deliberately experiment with altered states of consciousness. What does the person's old school friends say about him? Pulling these comments together would mean that you couldn't publish the article 2 days after it's appeared in some other newspaper somewhere but surely you want the magazine to be more than just a repository for other people's old articles? It would change an article from just one more 'so what?' sort of a story to something more worthwhile and thought provoking.
The series you publish on saints is a good example of something, which is screaming for some sort of additional commentary of the sort outlined above. I mean, here's a church with a gigantic worldwide following and a blood drenched past and we find out that they have this selection of loony saints!! At the very least I'd be interested to know who appoints them and what process is applied. I'd also like to hear from Catholics what the doctrine says about this process. Let's say the Pope declares someone to be a saint: is this to say that he has managed to divine by some means that God has appointed a new saint, or is it that, following the Pope's decision, God will then appoint this new saint? And does the Catholic doctrine say that a saint can actively intervene in a person's life or is the habit of praying to a saint simply a way to let God know that, of all the saints on offer, you want to identify with this particular one? (No need to answer any of the above on this thread by the way, although I'm genuinely interested - I'm just pointing out some of the questions that these articles raise to which I think the magazine should take some sort of a stance through the inclusion of supporting articles).
I agree with the comment above about illustrations. Illustrations are important but should be used to clarify a statement or concept rather than just as page fillers or as decoration.
FT should NOT and NEVER take a 'stance' on the articles they publish - FT should be and remain a journal of discussion rather than one of opinion! It is an expression of opinion that has caused some disquiet on the 'Issue 188 (Fortean Pursuits) thread' regarding the censure of Dr David J Fisher (FT188.73). If the Editor finds his remarks offensive or insulting then he has an option to break and not respond to any further communication - as they have done before! Personally I can't help but agree with the Doctor's view although would like to see the experiments carried out before coming to any conclusions. (rant over).
Circa 1997 Ian Tresman used to produce a column called "Wired For Weird" which gave links to websites thought of interest to FT readers; this was latter taken over by Jeff Koyen and Dave Walsh. Currently FT have nine special correspondents for cyberspace so perhaps one or more of these can be leaned on to produce a monthly column - first column about the website of Mr X and the treasures within, a second on online editions of Lovecrafts works, a third on online resources for Robert Anton Wilson etc. As for individual threads on this site it would be better as part of the website, tables of 'most visited', 'most stars', 'most recent', 'most recommendations' and so on. It is perhaps better left out of the magazine as the threads will perhaps be out of date and cold by the time of publication.
(Thought - why don't reviews of websites appear in the review section of the magazine)?
Always enjoyed the "Saint's Pages" - perhaps the column could do with a few references for further reading, internet links, centres of worship, associated festivals, patronage and so on. Concerned a little that the column concentrates on the Catholic Church only, what of the Orthodox and Anglican Curches; what of Judaism and Islam and what of the Sadhu's of India. . . .
Circa 1997 Ian Tresman used to produce a column called "Wired For Weird" which gave links to websites thought of interest to FT readers; this was latter taken over by Jeff Koyen and Dave Walsh. Currently FT have nine special correspondents for cyberspace so perhaps one or more of these can be leaned on to produce a monthly column - first column about the website of Mr X and the treasures within, a second on online editions of Lovecrafts works, a third on online resources for Robert Anton Wilson etc. As for individual threads on this site it would be better as part of the website, tables of 'most visited', 'most stars', 'most recent', 'most recommendations' and so on. It is perhaps better left out of the magazine as the threads will perhaps be out of date and cold by the time of publication.
(Thought - why don't reviews of websites appear in the review section of the magazine)?
Always enjoyed the "Saint's Pages" - perhaps the column could do with a few references for further reading, internet links, centres of worship, associated festivals, patronage and so on. Concerned a little that the column concentrates on the Catholic Church only, what of the Orthodox and Anglican Curches; what of Judaism and Islam and what of the Sadhu's of India. . . .
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Byron Cac said:
Thats an interesting idea - perhaps the Wired for Weird column could be brought back but with a different person producing a different review focusing on vital resources in a specific subject area (and a "whats new" general one as space filler if there is nay shortfall). You could have "Kennedy Assassination", "Jack The Ripper", "Bigfoot", "General Cryptozoology", etc. I'd be happy to do a best of the FTMB if that was thought to be a good idea (there is also the Threads of Fortean Excellence thread if people here are looking for recommendations here).
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Bunch of fairies
Just on the subject of not taking any sort of a stance, I do think that the FT editors should at least say how much of a given story has been substantiated. In the case of the fairies for example, which I commented on here:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14346
There is nothing at all to suggest that this hasn't just been produced to order, so to speak. Let's say the editors receive a hundred articles of this type in a month; how do they select those worthy of publication?
I think it's perfectly reasonable for us to ask why a particular article was published, especially when it seems highly unlikely.
Surely the Fortean answer cannot be; "We received it in the post so we published it". If that's the case then give me a day and a half and I'll send you three articles of that calibre.
All I'm saying is that we need to know the magazine editorship's position with regard to a given article. Even if the answer is simply "We saw this and thought you'd like it - unverified story".
Maybe they would say "Dunno about the fairies but we do know that the author was on Aran at the time - partially substantiated story".
If an unsubstantiated article is published let's say as a particularly well written example of a common type of claim e.g., I was abducted by Greys; I saw elves; we've got our own poltergeist - whereby the aim is to provoke a discussion, then it would be good to dedicate space to the discussion in a later issue.
The discussion could be led by people from different walks of life such as those mentioned in my other posting to which I've inserted the above link. But another idea would be to have one of the editors talk about it along the lines of: "So, here we have this article; what speaks for its veractiy; what are the signs to look for in a fabricated account?"
If we as a Fortean kind of community aren't prepared to attempt this sort of analysis then - as I say - great! I'll get writing straight away.
Just on the subject of not taking any sort of a stance, I do think that the FT editors should at least say how much of a given story has been substantiated. In the case of the fairies for example, which I commented on here:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14346
There is nothing at all to suggest that this hasn't just been produced to order, so to speak. Let's say the editors receive a hundred articles of this type in a month; how do they select those worthy of publication?
I think it's perfectly reasonable for us to ask why a particular article was published, especially when it seems highly unlikely.
Surely the Fortean answer cannot be; "We received it in the post so we published it". If that's the case then give me a day and a half and I'll send you three articles of that calibre.
All I'm saying is that we need to know the magazine editorship's position with regard to a given article. Even if the answer is simply "We saw this and thought you'd like it - unverified story".
Maybe they would say "Dunno about the fairies but we do know that the author was on Aran at the time - partially substantiated story".
If an unsubstantiated article is published let's say as a particularly well written example of a common type of claim e.g., I was abducted by Greys; I saw elves; we've got our own poltergeist - whereby the aim is to provoke a discussion, then it would be good to dedicate space to the discussion in a later issue.
The discussion could be led by people from different walks of life such as those mentioned in my other posting to which I've inserted the above link. But another idea would be to have one of the editors talk about it along the lines of: "So, here we have this article; what speaks for its veractiy; what are the signs to look for in a fabricated account?"
If we as a Fortean kind of community aren't prepared to attempt this sort of analysis then - as I say - great! I'll get writing straight away.
I sometimes wonder if the articles submitted to the mag during the pioneering years would fit in with the material being published today. A may be nostalgia, but I recall it being much better written, better argued, deeper, and better referenced.
I guess it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy - the closer the mag grows to the 'mysteries & conspiracies' mainstream, the less likely anyone is to hazard their research in its pages. As the mag can only publish what it has in hand...
The solution, I guess, is for thoughtful Fortean types to resume submitting. Create an avalanche of good, well thought out material.
Problem is how to bring that about...
I guess it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy - the closer the mag grows to the 'mysteries & conspiracies' mainstream, the less likely anyone is to hazard their research in its pages. As the mag can only publish what it has in hand...
The solution, I guess, is for thoughtful Fortean types to resume submitting. Create an avalanche of good, well thought out material.
Problem is how to bring that about...
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Alexius said:
My strategy has been to hassle people who I see are looking into interesting topics (although if I haven't hassled you and you are also looking into fascinating subject areas don't feel offended - anyone who wants hassling should PM me). The FTMBers could easily produce at least one or two high quality articles a month for the mag.
It has been suggested that we also setup a little writers workshop where people can get advice, input, proofreading, etc. and I'm sure there are other things that we can do.
True enough - if the board is knocking out 2 or 3 articles a month, problem alleviated.
A writers pool to proof read and encourage is a fine idea.
And its not like the board is lacking in topics for investigation and development...
A writers pool to proof read and encourage is a fine idea.
And its not like the board is lacking in topics for investigation and development...
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Re: Bunch of fairies
Surely, it is up to the reader to make his/her mind up? Such editorialising would be rather patronising.
FT makes its stance very clear - every month the magazine states "Besides being a journal of record, FT is also a forum for the discussion of observations and ideas, however absurd or unpopular, and maintains a position of benevolent scepticism towards both the orthodox and the unorthdox. FT toes no party line."
Any comment on the Fairy and Eris Andys type articles would purely repeat the above.
Leave the reader to use their judgment...or even suspend judgement and just enjoy the ride...but if FT were to stop publishing the more left-field articles (or publish them with editorial caveats) it would fail in its stated mission.
Steve Jefferson said:
Surely, it is up to the reader to make his/her mind up? Such editorialising would be rather patronising.
FT makes its stance very clear - every month the magazine states "Besides being a journal of record, FT is also a forum for the discussion of observations and ideas, however absurd or unpopular, and maintains a position of benevolent scepticism towards both the orthodox and the unorthdox. FT toes no party line."
Any comment on the Fairy and Eris Andys type articles would purely repeat the above.
Leave the reader to use their judgment...or even suspend judgement and just enjoy the ride...but if FT were to stop publishing the more left-field articles (or publish them with editorial caveats) it would fail in its stated mission.
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Emperor said:
YES!
Do it, please!
Then I might get off my arse and write the various articles that I've had ideas for. I'm sure plenty of us here could come up with something.
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SB: OK - while most of the important bit is realising that your idea is good enough to go in the mag (and other people should feel free to hassle people with good ideas too) there is also plenty of technical issues that can be addressed from the specific (dealing with the mag, formats, etc.) to the more general (structure, pace, etc.) and there are plenty of people here, including people who have already been publsihed in FT and some of the FT team as well as pro writers, teachers, etc. to help out with whatever is needed.
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Best of FTMB
Emps et al. What you were saying up there ^ about doing a 'best of' this place- I think that's a great idea. Might get some more long time readers of the mag to join the board.
Emps et al. What you were saying up there ^ about doing a 'best of' this place- I think that's a great idea. Might get some more long time readers of the mag to join the board.
Bilderburger - absolutly, can't agree more! I don't think we need an editorial viewpoint on each article published, we can each make up our own minds on degrees of looniness. I honestly think there should be more analysis of articles with the FT's pages - we have both this message board and the letters page currently. I would like to see the mag open up the Forum column as a . . . errrrrr . . . forum, for such thought. (Does the contributors guide still state that this section is for 'invitation only!'). It would be an area for comment, discussion on previous articles, issues raised, personal experienced and fortean thought in general. To do this FT needs articles to be submitted by its readers, make use of the mags special corespondents and build up a network of doctors, clergy, academics, military and other 'professionals' willing to write a few hundred words for the magazine every now and again.
Special Correspondents - Could more use be made of these folk, I assume there a handy pool of knowledgable people that the FT can can call on from time to time, other than that what do they do? What do they correspond on? What about a few "From Our Own Correspondent" columns (500 words or so), telling of events, happenings and general tales of weirdness in their location. Most exciting would be the views from overseas, Greece, Thailand, New Zealand, etc and may in time attract new overseas readers if they sea their part of the world included.
The nostalgia thing always worries me, yes life was great when we all had space hoppers, free milk in school and hot long summers that lasted eleven months a year. Many of us have grown up with FT and it challenged us during our informative years, should we have expected the mag to grow up with us? To keep up the challenge as our knowledge and worldview become more and more sophisticated. How challenging is the FT's content for a fourteen or fifteen year old today, the age I was when I first came across its eclectic pages. Should the magazine be speaking to this generation and keep them reading for the next twenty or so years!!! FT has a duty not only to present, but to challenge both my generation and the next - a compromise that I agree will be a hard one to find.
So
Be brave FT, the 'Ideas' thing worked (although forteana is I think more Jungian than Freudian) and the 'Sender Theory' bombed, we should however, all look forward to the next bouncer bowled. (Or a curve-ball for you Americans out there).
Special Correspondents - Could more use be made of these folk, I assume there a handy pool of knowledgable people that the FT can can call on from time to time, other than that what do they do? What do they correspond on? What about a few "From Our Own Correspondent" columns (500 words or so), telling of events, happenings and general tales of weirdness in their location. Most exciting would be the views from overseas, Greece, Thailand, New Zealand, etc and may in time attract new overseas readers if they sea their part of the world included.
The nostalgia thing always worries me, yes life was great when we all had space hoppers, free milk in school and hot long summers that lasted eleven months a year. Many of us have grown up with FT and it challenged us during our informative years, should we have expected the mag to grow up with us? To keep up the challenge as our knowledge and worldview become more and more sophisticated. How challenging is the FT's content for a fourteen or fifteen year old today, the age I was when I first came across its eclectic pages. Should the magazine be speaking to this generation and keep them reading for the next twenty or so years!!! FT has a duty not only to present, but to challenge both my generation and the next - a compromise that I agree will be a hard one to find.
So
Be brave FT, the 'Ideas' thing worked (although forteana is I think more Jungian than Freudian) and the 'Sender Theory' bombed, we should however, all look forward to the next bouncer bowled. (Or a curve-ball for you Americans out there).
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- Aug 18, 2002
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Re: Best of FTMB
Righto I've started the "FT Writers Workshop" here:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17525
That was what I was thinking - in fact there is no reason not to have a little box every month with a couple of recommended threads. I really think the IHTM section in letters has helped and this might be another good idea.
Righto I've started the "FT Writers Workshop" here:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17525
Keyser Soze said:Emps et al. What you were saying up there ^ about doing a 'best of' this place- I think that's a great idea. Might get some more long time readers of the mag to join the board.
That was what I was thinking - in fact there is no reason not to have a little box every month with a couple of recommended threads. I really think the IHTM section in letters has helped and this might be another good idea.