[eZine][ARPGM] Your Opinion Needed

[Ellie]

We have two eZines. They aren't updated very regularly. Not as regularly as I'd like.

I think maybe it's confusing that we have two. Who'd read one, what's the point, when there's the other? What is each trying to achieve in competing against one another? Does Advanced RPG Maker really promote HBGames.org, when it's a global community magazine? (Not that that's a bad thing).

There are essentially five things we can do:

1. Continue as we are

Keep producing both HBGames.org the eZine and Advanced RPG Maker as separate things.

2. Combine both magazines together and produce "HBGames.org Presents Advanced RPG Maker"

The difference for ARPGM would be the addition of HBGames community things, and non-RPG Maker stuff.

3. Just do HBGames.org the eZine

Scrap Advanced RPG Maker.


4. Just do Advanced RPG Maker

Scrap HBGames.org the eZine.


5. Do neither






Please note the poll is for reference only and decisions won't be based solely on it. Real comments and feedback are much appreciated.

 

[Injury]

Scale back. Focus on quality content in one monthly issue. Add an advanced section. Make the zine a little longer. Feature advanced concepts, basic programming tips for a maker (ie JS or Ruby).

Also...

Just thinking of something weird: eZine webpage and you can add interactive sections to the eZine to get the readers opinion on pieces as they read. Or other things...

Interactive news. Yum.

Also, maybe you can get some community members to donate resources you can tag along with the eZine each month.

 

[Ellie]

Hmm. Maybe an easier way - just add hyperlinks to the PDF files...

 

[ZenVirZan]

I really like HBGames.org: the eZine, but I think that as a creator, it would be the most rewarding for you if you focused all efforts into ARPGM.

 

[Ellie]

To be honest the eZine has become so scaled down and contentless that if you removed anything that couldn't also go in ARPGM, you'd be left with enough to fill maybe three full sized pages... Take issue 25 (should be 24, development error) for example, once you remove the RPG Maker tutorials, the game releases, inspiration and junk pages, you're left with the spotlight, page of games announcement, and completed games announcement. When done at 800x1000 these would easily fit in, well, one page... Which could easily be shoved into ARPGM. After all, it features similar updates from other sites anyway.

Reduced the header a bit if we used it.

 

[BizarreMonkey]

I voted for ARPGM for a couple reasons.

A.) It's a much more recognizable title.
B.) What the hell is HBgames??
C.) Content exclusive to eZine isn't exactly very... well-- CONTENTEY! (You just described this in your post above but better.)

 

[Ellie]

I just hope that with the increase in HBGames related content in ARPGM, people don't think it's a huge marketing exercise.

 

[BizarreMonkey]

I just hope that with the increase in HBGames related content in ARPGM, people don't think it's a huge marketing exercise.

You can't afford to worry about that, mang.
You're literally writing a magazine. People will make assumptions, they always do, just go nuts IMHO.