Something to thank Hi-Fi World... ideas here please!

[Mike]

What Russell Brand show?

His arse?

[The Grand Wazoo]

Okey dokey, if you've been following the recent thread in Blank Canvas you'll know that Hi-Fi World magazine (namely David Price) has kindly run an article on The Art of Sound forum...........

............As this will undoubtedly be of huge advantage to the forum, we would like to reciprocate Hi-Fi World's kindness in some way, but how? What can we do that will be truly beneficial to Hi-Fi World?

Please correct me if I'm barking up the wrong tree, or being a boring old fart or worse but this forum is stuffed full of discussions about how the press can or can't be influenced in reviews by the advertising budgets of the companies who's gear is being reviewed.

A magazine is going to publish an article about this forum & people are discussing how the forum might do something that "will be truly beneficial to Hi-Fi World" - Isn't that exactly the same thing as a practice (existing or not) that has been thoroughly derided on this site?

[Marco]

TG, 'magazines will be magazines', I guess. This is specifically about the kind gesture of Hi-fi World in terms of helping us promote AOS, which as I'm sure you'll agree is of great benefit to the forum and an excellent endorsement of our achievements

It proves that we're going in the right direction. Could you see any of the other main UK audio forums being featured in a magazine in this way where 'bun fights' and endless repetitive arguments occur with monotonous regularity?

Any other issues apart from the thread topic are for another time and place.

Marco.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Undoubtedly it will be of great benefit to the forum, but how will it look if the magazine is seen to be benefiting from having published some nice words about you?

I can't see how it differs from the discussions about advertising.

[Filterlab]

Undoubtedly it will be of great benefit to the forum, but how will it look if the magazine is seen to be benefiting from having published some nice words about you?

It'll look like enthusiasts thanking other enthusiasts for helping to spread the name of The Art of Sound. As we're not selling anything this is not a 'backhander' or anything as sinister as that, it's simply a way of saying thanks to Hi-Fi World for featuring us in their publication - it's truly beneficial for us so we should do something truly beneficial for them.

I can't see how it differs from the discussions about advertising.

It differs in that we're not selling anything or benefitting financially from anything Hi-Fi World publish, nor are Hi-Fi World benefitting financially from publishing information about our forum (i.e. we're not paying them). Sheesh, must politics follow every single thing including saying 'thanks' intangibly?

[The Grand Wazoo]

What on earth is wrong with doing that - just saying thanks?

That way, the magazine can never be accused of improprietry.

[Marco]

TG,

I see where you're coming from, but trust me that won't be an issue. We're the first UK audio forum that's been featured in a national, well-established, hi-fi magazine. Whatever benefits come from that in terms of exposing AOS to a wider audience is all we're interested in; if we can add some value to HFW in some way as a gesture of our appreciation then all good and well

We're looking at having a clickable banner on the forum homepage advertising HFW, and perhaps doing a regular monthly feature on specific topics and/or interesting reviews of equipment featured in the magazine.

What suggestions do you have of how to give something back to HFW? I'd be interested in your thoughts. Let's keep this positive!

Marco.

[StanleyB]

Please correct me if I'm barking up the wrong tree, or being a boring old fart or worse but this forum is stuffed full of discussions about how the press can or can't be influenced in reviews by the advertising budgets of the companies who's gear is being reviewed.

Very soon Technics is going to bring out a 1200 similar to the one from Marco, and Denon is going to release a nude version of their DL103. And those are just two of the items this forum is stuffed full of that manufacturers have been influenced by after reading all about it in AoS.

Stan

[Marco]

Are they really, Stan - where did you get that information from?

Or is it just wishful thinking?

Marco.

[Filterlab]

What on earth is wrong with doing that - just saying thanks?

That way, the magazine can never be accused of improprietry.

Why would they be accused of impropriety? This 'thank you' is very different from say a manufacturer paying for absurd levels of advertising space in exchange for a favourable review (which would be improper - but hell, that's business for some).