Hello All: Since it’s inception, How much Impact has the forum had on how you do your Job??? Also, How has it changed your viewpoint of your reader’s & subscriber’s?? Last but not least, Has it given you a wealth of topic’s to write about?? Please be honest People. Kind Regards Steve
Hi Steve,
We use the forum as a tool to gauge readers’ interest in different topics. Basically, the forum tells us “what’s hot” and “what’s not.”
Since the majority of CTT readers are not forum participants, we have to balance what we learn from the forum with information from paper and email surveys, letters, and direct contact with readers (at shows or on the telephone). Mixing all of that together helps us decide what to put into each issue.
We have learned that the forum participants are among the most enthusiastic of our readers, and they can be among the most emotional when it comes to MTH vs. Lionel discussions. To be honest, when these discussions get overheated (some people even create fake log-ins to bash each other under assumed names), we spend more time than we should being “forum policemen.”
Many of the topics posted are in reaction to stories in magazines, comments on other forums, critiques of recent purchases, or discussions concerning train shows and the hobby business. There have been some story ideas and some layout photos that have caught our attention, and some of the locomotive critiques have helped us with our published reviews.
Thanks for asking.
Sincerely,
Neil Besougloff
editor