What will YOU do concerning the 'new' Ripperologist?

[admin tim]

Alea iacta est - the die is cast.

The editorial staff of Ripperologist magazine will either prove to be geniuses or fools - there seems to be no middle ground. What is your reaction concerning their impending switch to e-magazine format? :confused:

[Howard Brown]

If Ripperologist....like Ripper Notes...came out on the back of cereal boxes, I'd buy it.

I understand the concern that people have and they are reasonable concerns.

I also disagree with the comments that this new format of Ripperologist will be "behind" the pace or behind the normal flow of information that we get from Casebook or anywhere else.

Much of what is written in Ripperologist,as well as Rip Notes, are carefully constructed bodies of work, not snippets,like say,my dumb ass posts or spontaneous point-counter point debates/arguments.

There's no way that an article like Adam Wood's recent book-in-article-form on Baxter can be found on Casebook...or here...or anywhere else...without concentration or focus without distractions occurring like Casebook or any other site has to offer.

The bulk of posts that one finds at Casebook on topics usually deviate unintentionally into other areas OR due to the open forum style there or here even...they simply "end"....Few people have been able to maintain long individual threads other than A.P. and surprisingly me [ ! ] on the RDS threads,without the content dissolving...

In any event, the fact that articles will be available on a monthly basis may increase the volume of other otherwise undiscussed,unpublished,and unseen material that many would not know about.

One fact that needs to always be remembered is that it should be a goal to attract peripheral or previously uninterested,but capable researchers. I still think that there are people "out there" who can help researchers and offer good "leads" and whatnot that have not been seen before. Regardless of what WE want,as magazine aficinados...there is the need to recruit or attract younger and newer people simply because the original target audience has been reached...and it may have been at a loss to the magazine's editors financially.

Furthermore,many of the people involved in Ripperology are on fixed incomes and believe it or not,some well known Ripperologists don't subscribe to the magazines,more than likely for this reason.

I'm a little worried that the current Ripperologist subscriber will bail out before giving this medium a chance to succeed . That would be a shame....

Furthermore, Ripper Notes needs competition,just as Ripperologist does. By competition, I refer to the magazine [s] itself trying to be better than the previous issue it produced. Likewise,a little one-upsmanship isn't bad either.

I love them both. I like the thematic structure of Ripper Notes. Dan and Co, have done an extraordinary job with the magazine....

And I also love the variety found in Ripperologist....As mentioned, Adam Wood's recent article would have been a book of approximately 110 pages or so,ahd it been made into a book.

Keeping my fingers crossed for the success of Ripperologist in the new format.

[Dan Norder]

If Ripperologist....like Ripper Notes...came out on the back of cereal boxes, I'd buy it.

Damn you Howard, I suddenly have an intense craving for a big bowl of toasted Ripper-Os, but my local grocery store doesn't have that brand.

Maybe I should look into that... If that works out we could make BTK Berry Crunch, Green River Killer Crispies, Honey Bundys of Oats, and a whole cereal killer line.

[Howard Brown]

Dan:

Sorry bro'....your cereal list is a good one, but I'm kookoo for Cocoa Gulls !

;)

Fruitt Druitts ain't bad either..........

[A.P. Wolf]

How, your sentiments here are well understood, but I think the essential difference between contributing to a magazine - in whatever format - and then to an immediate discussion on a site like casebook is simply speed.
The magazine format is ponderous, and years may pass before a lively reader might respond with a salient fact that might tilt the balance of that magazine article towards disaster or success, but we can do that in five minutes with this new medium.
Using the old formats of books, magazines and conferences one could be a fool or a saviour in a year.
Here it can take thirty seconds.
I want to be a fool or a saviour. I don’t want to sit around for the next twenty years watching paint dry on some old Ripposaurs paint brush while he hasn’t even started on the canvas yet.
Although, as you say, the magazine medium may be more demanding in its exactness, and political correctness, it is no match for the swift and often deadly world of the internet where fools are crucified in seconds rather than years.
And, very important, a person becomes tried and tested on the internet in real time instead of the clogged and deadly exclusive world of the ’writer’ - where the ‘writer’ retires into his private cocoon and only comes out when he hears the rustle of fifty pound notes - and here in the real time one can build up a fellowship of friends, who will carry the tradition into the future.
Actually I feel nothing but sorrow for these ‘writers’ who have glued themselves to the ground, for when they are gone they will be forgotten.
For you see, they were never really there.

[Howard Brown]

A.P.

As per usual,I defer to you and your long time status as a Ripperologist and knowledge of the mechanism that drives Ripperology. In addition,you are probably correct regardless of how long you have been involved with it.

The magazines appeal to "collectors" or hobbyists within Ripperology,which is cool with me. There's nothing that,as you correctly stated, can compete with the Internet and websites such as Casebook and its satellites.

In chat the other day,as I was gearing up for the Tuesday night trivia...some non-participant came into the room and started in on Ripperologist,complaining about Mr.Begg raking in the limitless shekels...how hard it was for him to print out the pages....etc.. I was left with the distinct impression that what bothered this person, [ and there were 4 or 5 witnesses to our testy repartee,before Lyn's better half gave him the boot ], was that the "hobbyist" collector side of him/her was more offended than the research side.

I am with you about the Internet,in that I prefer seeing the rapid fire repartee on whatever being hashed out right then in almost real time...



On the other hand....and this is from another "side" of me,as I can only speak for myself here...

In a magazine format,just like the Individual Forums idea we came up with for this satellite of Casebook [ and ain't they all ?]....some people use the magazine to express themselves with articles with a sense of control that they may not feel on a site. I can think of several people who are not posters for whatever reason on this site or Casebook,but still come out with interesting articles.

Therefore,while I agree with you on the pace or instant availability of a post on a site...the magazines serve a purpose as well.

Thank you for the post,A.P. ;)