So...did Dragon wow you?

[Scribble]

One thing that the current Dragon proves is that they seriously need a professional publisher/editor. An online only dragon should have its own website with dynamic content. A daily blog/news section, a daily letters to the editors/reply section, articles with built-in article commentary, and tools to use the content and help promote it to your base: e-mail it to a friend, article recommendation, PDF archives of the last year of Dragon etc.

They have the archives and the pdfs already... It's one of the things I think the new format will really be good for. Way more organized and usable then a sometimes published index of articles.

The e-mail toa friend thing wouldn't work, as the magazine is subscription based... Who would subscribe if their friend can just send them the article? Actually scratch that... they have that option.

The tools will probably develop once the rest of the D&D insider thing gets up and running... Ways to import it to game table and such.

Wizards seriously needs a Director of Online Publishing or a Publisher who has worked in publishing to manage their editorial team. It would be best if they found someone outside of their industry who could bring something new to the table.

Didn't they do that? I thought thats what that whole hiring push they did a while back was.

 

[Belen]

Didn't they do that? I thought thats what that whole hiring push they did a while back was.

If they did, then they hired a moron.

 

[Belen]

The e-mail toa friend thing wouldn't work, as the magazine is subscription based... Who would subscribe if their friend can just send them the article?

A short abstract or free paragraph that catches your attention and a link to the full article. This is how your subscribers make more subscribers.

They should also have a pay-per-view option where non-subs can get the article for .99, although I cannot imagine anyone paying for Dragon with what they are currently offering.

 

[SteveC]

One thing that the current Dragon proves is that they seriously need a professional publisher/editor. An online only dragon should have its own website with dynamic content. A daily blog/news section, a daily letters to the editors/reply section, articles with built-in article commentary, and tools to use the content and help promote it to your base: e-mail it to a friend, article recommendation, PDF archives of the last year of Dragon etc.

Instead, they are offering articles that serve as web enhancements and calling it Dragon magazine. They have known for a year or more that Dragon was going to be canceled, so they had the time to offer something good right out of the gate; however, like most print publishers, they do not understand online publishing. They like to talk about Web 2.0 etc, but they are starting out having to play catch up. It is a horrible position for them to place themselves in and they only further alienate the existing magazine fanbase proving that they cannot replace Paizo.

Wizards seriously needs a Director of Online Publishing or a Publisher who has worked in publishing to manage their editorial team. It would be best if they found someone outside of their industry who could bring something new to the table.

Hell, it is what I do for a living, so I see how much of a joke their efforts are when I look at my own publications.

I can't agree with this enough. Running an online magazine is an enormous undertaking, far and away more involved with a print publication. WotC needs to hire a staff for this project, and they also need to get some experienced managers involved who have worked with the online medium.

What we're talking about is a serious investment of time, money and people. It's certainly doable, but they're going to need a lot of help to get there.

--Steve

 

[Odhanan]

Ptolus, ARcana Unearthed, Evolved ..heck throw in Iron Heroes, didn't have any ...any preview material 8 months before its release.

You are joking, right? Ptolus.com, Delver's Guild website, excerpts of Arcana Evolved, Line of Sights, Design columns, same thing from Mike Mearls with Iron Heroes... not any previews 8 months before release?

It sounds like what you want is more 4e material and what you're getting is what can intelligently be given while they are working on the material.

"Intelligently"? Thanks for the back-handed comment on my intelligence. Putting you on my ignore list now, before it gets out of hand.

 

[DonTadow]

You are joking, right? Ptolus.com, Delver's Guild website, excerpts of Arcana Evolved, Line of Sights, Design columns, same thing from Mike Mearls with Iron Heroes... not any previews 8 months before release?



"Intelligently"? Thanks for the back-handed comment on my intelligence. Putting you on my ignore list now, before it gets out of hand.

Wow you are sensative. By intelligent, I meant from their perspective. It is not smart business to give away your whole prized pie before it's done. But giving a piece here and there is smarter. Heck, I'm even betting that in a fewof months, you're going to get an annoucement of an editor for their web content.

Maybe we were on two different planes at the time, but I don't remember seeing anything from those products before before six months of the product date. Design blogs and delver's guild website included. Wishful thinking often makes timelines a bit blurry. The oone thing you don't want to do is release fantastic stuff about your product months before its released because you risk fizzling the enthusiasm.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

You are joking, right? Ptolus.com, Delver's Guild website, excerpts of Arcana Evolved, Line of Sights, Design columns, same thing from Mike Mearls with Iron Heroes... not any previews 8 months before release?

You know what, I'd totally forgotten about Ptolus' build up to it's release and an all of the previews and teases up til that point. I remember not being to impressed by the announcement but being won over, over a period of time. It's still one of the best RPG books that I own.

Compared to Malhavoc and Paizo, WOTC is pretty much kinda lame when it comes to this sort of thing. And the fact that they're the 800-lb gorilla in the room, makes me think that they can afford to be...

Also when the licenses were pulled from Paizo, right upon that announcement they had Pathfinder to throw at us to get our appetite whetted. They also did a great job of teasing us with material until the 1st book was released.

 

[Scribble]

A short abstract or free paragraph that catches your attention and a link to the full article. This is how your subscribers make more subscribers.

They should also have a pay-per-view option where non-subs can get the article for .99, although I cannot imagine anyone paying for Dragon with what they are currently offering.

If you read the edit I made, they do have an email it to a friend option.

In fact they pretty much have everything you mentioned, plus more... Maybe it's time to stop the petty insults (calling the webmaster a moron) and look at what they're actually offering?

 

[Arnwyn]

Maybe we were on two different planes at the time, but I don't remember seeing anything from those products before before six months of the product date. Design blogs and delver's guild website included.

I guess you were, since there was. Looks like your memory is faulty.

Wishful thinking often makes timelines a bit blurry.

You can say that again.

 

[Belen]

If you read the edit I made, they do have an email it to a friend option.

In fact they pretty much have everything you mentioned, plus more... Maybe it's time to stop the petty insults (calling the webmaster a moron) and look at what they're actually offering?

I have looked at what they are offering and it is no where near up to par. If all they have is a webmaster running the show, then they have problems. As for insults, when they provide a good product, then I will not have anything to say; however, they released something that is no where close to the standard we're used to having.