Blog posts on DDI should be free

[carmachu]

I'm amazed at the criticism you're receiving for flipping through a magazine at a bookstore. It's so, innocuous, the vitriol thrown your way just kinda stuns me.

If one is flipping through to see the content, its not a problem. One needsto see if its worth the cover price by scanning whats in the issue.

If he's READING it in the book store and then putting it back, I think its warranted.

 

[billd91]

For the later, I would recommend you go to your local library. Good libraries get a wide range of magazines, and it's intended you read them there. That's to appropriate place to read an entire magazine without paying for it - not the bookstore.

There's a reason the publishing industry lobby doesn't like libraries and it's for exactly the same reason that Mournblade94's under fire here.

Of course, we can't even do this with Dragon any more. I used to read it at my local library. They had a subscription right up until the magazine ceased print publication. I ended up going out to the game store to buy about 1/3 of the issues I read so I could have the articles in my own collection.

WotC decided to go digital for certain advantages they perceived (like bypassing overseas delivery issues), but in doing so, they had to give up other ones like certain kinds of marketing that browsability in bookstores and libraries allow. Whether that pays off for them or not, I don't much care. I suspect it wouldn't if it were not for the 4e tools available with the DDI which I suspect is a bigger part of the attraction than the online magazines.

 

[Mark]

WotC decided to go digital for certain advantages they perceived (like bypassing overseas delivery issues), but in doing so, they had to give up other ones like certain kinds of marketing that browsability in bookstores and libraries allow. Whether that pays off for them or not, I don't much care. I suspect it wouldn't if it were not for the 4e tools available with the DDI which I suspect is a bigger part of the attraction than the online magazines.

The truth of it is that the magazines no longer exist. What they have now is dedicated online content (and more of it) available for a fee that has partically replaced the online content they used to have completely for free. Magazines are physical objects. eZines are not virtual magazines. As someone who does some ePublishing, I know this. Some people might accept the alternative but that doesn't make it an actual replacement.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Leech.



"Every one does it" is not a good excuse for leeching from a publisher. Leech.

Backpeddle moar.

Wow, I've gotten thread banned without warning for less than calling someone a leech. You get a warning, and then continue to antagonize? Reporting the second post to the mods. I hoped you'd just drop out of the thread on your own. Wishful thinking, I guess.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

And for the record, I also commit the horric crime of browsing magazines and books at book stores before buying them. None of the stores have minded yet.

I can't believe people are accusing Mournblade of wanting everything in DDI free, when multiple times s/he has stated that a lot of the content should be pay-only, but thought that this certain thing should be viewable by all. I could directly quote examples from the first page of the thread, but if people didn't read it the first time, why would they now?

 

[Dire Bare]

My 2 cents: it's the same as WotC' decision to move product pitches (like Slavicsek's otherwise frankly useless "Ampersand" column, or even most editorials) and previously free content like map and art galleries of their products (another free preview opportunity missed, to echo James Jacobs' observation) behind the DDI pay wall.

These decisions have absolutely nothing to do with inciting people to subscribe. Non-4e-ists, or non-DDI 4E DMs like myself, are at best mildly interested in that material and won't start to subscribe to DDI just to get access to it. No, what this expresses is WotC' attempt to artificially bloat the material accessible for extant subscribers. There's a significant shortage of content, let alone good content, in the e-magazines already. It's not rare these months to look at a magazine's TOC and see, "oh geez, so Rob Schwalb wrote again a whole volume of Dungeon" and "Ari Marmell wrote another entire volume of Dragon". It's filler, and a lot of it strikes me as trite from casual perusal.

Seriously, if WotC had plenty of quality material to put into their e-magazines we wouldn't have the debates on why this or that isn't actually free. Seriously, getting DDI subscribers to pay for product pitches, how lame can it get?

Wow. I so disagree I don't know where to start.

These are not debates, but just lame attempts at covert edition wars. Now, if there was a lot of debate amongst 4e players and DDI subscribes as to the quality, then you might have a point. But considering that polls taken here show a 95% (or something along those lines) of DDI users being satisfied (or better) with what they get for their chomp change, then this "debate" just seems to boil down to:
1)I like WotC - I do not like WotC
or
2) I like 4e - I do not like 4e.

Okay, this is a good place to start. I agree Jack99, most of the DDI criticism seems to come from folks who don't care for WotC and don't care for 4e. Not all of it mind you, but a great deal of it. It also seems to come from folks who are consistently negative about things in general, IMO.

I think that the material put out now for Dragon and Dungeon doesn't quite rival the best years under Paizo's management, but it is certainly comparable with the "middle" years that characterize most of the print magazines history.

I'd personally love more articles and adventures, longer articles and adventures, "better" articles and adventures . . . . but I'm quite satisfied with what my $6 per month gets me. I like WotC, I like 4e, and I like DDI!

Ultimately, I blame Paizo for DDI discontent!!! If they hadn't done such an amazing job with the print magazine, WotC wouldn't have such a hard act to follow!!!

 

[Scribble]

I suspect it wouldn't if it were not for the 4e tools available with the DDI which I suspect is a bigger part of the attraction than the online magazines.

I don't think you can really separate it though, just like you can't really separate the ability to read a physical magazine on the can from its list of "added functionality."

 

[Dire Bare]

The truth of it is that the magazines no longer exist. What they have now is dedicated online content (and more of it) available for a fee that has partically replaced the online content they used to have completely for free. Magazines are physical objects. eZines are not virtual magazines. As someone who does some ePublishing, I know this. Some people might accept the alternative but that doesn't make it an actual replacement.

No. Is an e-book no longer a book? Is an online newsite no longer a newspaper? Is an online magazine no longer a magazine? Only if you hold to such rigid and strict requirements of a physical product made mostly of paper. Which very few people actually do.

Electronic print media has its advantages over hard copy, and its disadvantages. It is an adaptation of form, but still holds the same basic function, purpose, and method.

What you find inside an ebook is little different than what you find inside a print book. What you find inside an online magazine is little different from what you find inside a paper magazine. Online Dragon and Dungeon has moved to shorter articles, but only after more traditionally sized articles started the service. We have less artwork, less background color/art on pages, no advertising, and the shorter articles . . . but none of these minor adjustments change the "magazineness" of what DDI delivers.

The only thing I really miss about the paper format is the actual physicality of it, that I could easily take it anywhere in the house and read it (yes, in the bathroom). I could also easily take it with me when I traveled.

I miss that, but I'll have it back soon enough as e-readers and tablets continue to become more practical and inexpensive.

 

[Windjammer]

Wow. I so disagree I don't know where to start.

Okay, this is a good place to start. I agree Jack99, most of the DDI criticism seems to come from folks who don't care for WotC and don't care for 4e. Not all of it mind you, but a great deal of it. It also seems to come from folks who are consistently negative about things in general, IMO.. (...)

Ultimately, I blame Paizo for DDI discontent!!! If they hadn't done such an amazing job with the print magazine, WotC wouldn't have such a hard act to follow!!!

How about we keep the attributions of motives and intent out of the thread and focus on what's said?

Speaking of which, here's one thing I didn't say: 'DDI is poor value for your money.' Here's one thing I did say (roughly): 'Using columns for the mere sake of uninspired product pitches is a rather lame idea when it comes to content you charge people money for.'

Expanding a bit on the latter - I was a fervent listener to WotC' D&D podcasts during the 3.5 era. A lot of it contained brilliant design insights as to why certain things were written up in Complete Mage or Magic Item Compendium the way they did. Listen to a podcast these days, be it the Christmas podcast (interviewing 5 personell on the question "So which 4E product would you get your kids") or the 2009 retrospect podcast ("So which products were really great in 2009?"). That's salesmen talk. They aren't even doing a good job, which makes it even harder to endure.

I'm not saying they aren't doing any good podcasts anymore (I think both the podcasts for the Eberron CG and the MM 2 were good podcasts in 2009). But the line as a whole has taken a steep turn for the worse. And it's exactly the same vibe I get from the e-magazines. I'm happy to hear or read from a WotC employee how much they enjoy this or that product, how this or that set of dungeon tiles really helped to make up this really cool encounter where x, y, or z. But no. It's really bland. It's also quite blatant in how directives from above prompt the podcasts interviewees to engage on these topics in that vein, how Mearls has to steer the conversation into the salesmen area again and again. So it's neither inspiring nor comes across as natural. But what aggravates me most is that insightful reflections on their design is mostly gone. The educational value of listening to their talks, which often sold a product to me, that's gone.

So there. That's just one element in a larger mosaic which I find dissatisfying about the current magazines. I also tried to show you where I see similar things I dislike in WotC' offerings, like their podcasts. To illustrate what I mean. I could it illustrate it further by what WotC currently think is a good way to pitch their novels, but even linking that borders on the downright painful:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZeJz2iPgX4[/ame]

I also think there are good things in the magazines. I liked the monster ecologies a great deal.

But the things I referenced in my earlier posts - Ampersand's lackluster sale pitches, moving previously free content (preview material) behind the DDI walls - just doesn't strike me as very positive. If you assess it differently, please say so and explain to me why. But don't engage in this "oooh he's only saying that because he ... mmm.... dislikes 4E! ... or, dislikes the company! ... or, no, wait, ... it's because he likes Paizo!".

 

[Ourph]

Okay, this is a good place to start. I agree Jack99, most of the DDI criticism seems to come from folks who don't care for WotC and don't care for 4e. Not all of it mind you, but a great deal of it. It also seems to come from folks who are consistently negative about things in general, IMO.

I think that the material put out now for Dragon and Dungeon doesn't quite rival the best years under Paizo's management, but it is certainly comparable with the "middle" years that characterize most of the print magazines history.

I am a big fan of 4e and (I hope) not more generally negative than the next guy, but I'm afraid I agree with Windjammer's assessment of the 4e versions of Dungeon and Dragon. I love the DDI for the Compendium, CB and EB. I also like most of the editorial-style columns in the e-zines. It's well worth my money just for those things. But a lot of the actual gaming content in the e-zines is, IMO, overblown and repetitive. Windjammer uses the word "filler" and I have to admit I've used the same word regarding the e-zines before. Which is disappointing, because I find the content that actually makes it into the rulebooks and sourcebooks to be top-notch.

Of course, one man's filler could very well be another person's game-saving inspiration. So as long as SOMEONE is happy with the content, I'm not complaining too hard.