[Online] Autosport Online (merged again)

[Francesca]

well I know which side of the fence I'm on and I'll be interested to see what happens to the website in the future. I just don't agree that websites should charge money, advertisers...yes but the general internet users should not have to pay. Magazines have a right to charge but does anyone have a collection of Autosport web pages on their bookshelf?

[Kicking-back]

But writing content for a website still costs money.

Unlike the "make-your-own" sites that stick up press releases.

[John McIlroy]

Francesca, I'm afraid you have a slightly rose-tinted view of how much advertising revenue is actually available on the web, particularly when set against the costs of sending journalists to international motorsport events etc. If you're not paying for your own content (i.e. using free material, just using press releases and scalping other sites' stories and then collating it properly) it is possible for a website to be viable on not much advertising revenue. But providing fresh q&as, features, archive access and breaking news moves the goalposts on your revenue somewhat.

Needless to say, the first website to break news of Williams and Toyota facing disqualification in Montreal last night was ours - because we had guys on the ground in Canada. But as I've said before, the bottom line with a paid content website is that if the content isn't good enough and people don't feel they're getting value for money, they'll simply go elsewhere.

Obviously I'd like people to sub for a month at £2.50 and give autosport.com a chance, but I realise that some will always settle for less, providing it's free. <shrug>

I should also stress, of course, that the entire website remains free to magazine subscribers.

Always interested to hear comments.

Regards,

John

[JAG]

Theres no doubt, IMO, that Autosport is the best all round motorsport info source.

But motorsport fans tend to favour a particular formaula, only having a passing interest in other formulas.

Myself, I am a big sportscar fan and so am quite happy to subscribe to DSC, getting 100% sportscar news. If I subsribed to Autosport I would only read the sportscar and WRC news regulalry, leaving a large amount of contenet unread.

I would guess it would be the same for BTCC, F1, IRL etc. fans.

Maybe if Autosport made its back catalougue available online that would persuade people to subscribe.

How about making the online content available on CD-Rom for a fee, in monthly/6 monthly periods, to store for future reference?

[John McIlroy]

An interesting idea. Of course, FirstView already allows readers to 'download' the issue the day before it's on the newsstands and keep it for viewing. But we could look at a longer-term idea for the website. It would probably be the news content, since the archive is an integral part of what we're offering to subscribers, of course.

I'll ask the men in the posh suits and respond in due course.

John

[John McIlroy]

Plus JAG, as the archive of features and back issue reports develops (something that subscribers are being actively encouraged to provide suggestions for content for) there should eventually be enough material there to make a sub worthwhile for you anyway, even if you're just after WRC and sportscar news and the occasional longer read.....

John

[JAG]

As I say, the back issue stuff would really interest me, as I really only have Autosports from the early 90s.

If Autosport produced a CD-Rom, even if it only contained news, and maybe a few tracks tests/features, that would be great.

[foreversideways]

Simple ! Dont pay it. Buy the mag on Thursday as normal and it will all become a dream. Just trying it on in my opinion. Anyway do you really need to know that Ralf Montoya might possibly replace David Webber at BMW Minardi if its raining on wednesday. They are only driving for them when you see them in the overalls.

[Kicking-back]

If you buy the mag each Thursday, get a subscription - it's cheaper! Then you can see the website for free.

[manwell]

Ok, seeing the Autosport website is now useless for getting any good information, anyone want to throw around the names of any other good sites similar to the old autosport website?

Another site that i quite like is the ESPN site.... http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/

its more American orientated though and doesnt cover as much european racing, just mainly F1.

[paulzinho]

Its all well and good making the site free for subscribers but what about those of us who buy the magazine each week?

I know a subscriptions cheaper but I switch between adresses several times a year and cant be bother with the hassle of changing adresses and the like. Not to mention the fact that subscriptions cost alot up front which seriously affects cash flow and therefore available beer money.

[Wrighty05]

Will not go to the site any more.

Can't afford the subscription.

[Peter Mallett]

Working overseas I can't get the mag so a subscription is unnavailable. (Economically). The news it provides isn't that important to me. In fact when it was free I rarely headed that way first.

[SNH]

national & club racing on www.thegrid.co.uk send news and reports to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk . Support 'grass roots'!

[Kicking-back]

There's a big thread about this on the F1 forum, where Autosport's editor has convincingly justified the decision.

[Kicking-back]

Time will tell as to whether it's the right decision - but reading some of the extra content already available, I think it's great.

[foreversideways]

Subscriptions, registrations, Supermarket club card etc are all about getting information about you. Building up a profile of your patterns of living. This information provides the database for all the spam email and junk mail you receive in the post. Dont let them have it if you want to keep your privacy. YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IT WILL BE USED FOR NEXT.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
There's a big thread about this on the F1 forum, where Autosport's editor has convincingly justified the decision.

That is a very subjective point of view KB.

[Kicking-back]

There is a box you can tick which guarantees your information won't be passed on - and another you can tick for them not to send you any junk mail.

[RTH]

I have bought every issue of Autosport since 1967 and I have never been more dissatisfied with it than now. There is far too much, waffle, full colour pages wasted on such meaningful images as drivers foreheads and sky, writers too timid to say anything in anyway critical of anyone or anything. Talking everything up all the time when its clear to everyone the interest & spectacle is fast disappearing, for so many reasons from high spectator and competitor fees to "one make " overkill, and the contemptuous treatment of the paying public by the clubs and the circuit owners, its dying the death of a thousand cuts - and one by one the tracks will become housing estates, despite all the assurances Brands will I am sure go under the bulldozer .

Autosport should be a campaigning magazine , not sleepwalking the motorsport enthusiast in to oblivion as it does now.

Towing the ITV & FIA ,FOM line all the time.
In Nick Britten's "Private Ear " days the magazine was independent and fearless, now its propaganda. Just who is it aimed at - looks like 12 yr old boys , but do they have £2.80 every week in enough numbers ? There is far too much F1 - we have all endured 4 hours of tedious coverage over the weekend on events so dull they are best fogotten , - the last thing needed is 25 pages of going all over it again.

National, club and historic racing in contrast gets scant coverage, compressed in to minimal space at the back with a couldn't care less attitude, one tiny picture and a handful of lines to cover a whole days club racing.

Dozens of wasted pages - yet the small ads are obscenely expensive - something which people used to buy the magazine for alone - and healthy vibrant 'buy & sell' columns promoted club racing .

I think it needs a whole new philosophy, its core values should be a weekly news magazine , I like many others are losing patience with it.

[Kicking-back]

True!

[Peter Mallett]

"Have lost" patience.

The one good thing I found by dint of this forum was the "from the archives" pic of Derek Bell in his Batmobile, leading John Fitzpatrick in the Cologne Capri. The caption underneath said "The BTCC has called off its British GP race so here are some proper tin tops at Silverstone.............".

The sub who wrote that got it right.

Sorry folks slightly off topic but it demonstrates what the mag used to be.

[Francesca]

Kicking back - Get some shares then man!

Richard - well put.

[PaulSands]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
One thing with free news sites on the net though - many of them are run by enthusiasts who don't have the same level of accuracy as the professionals.

except of course for cluff1600
as accurate and in-depth reports as you could wish for

[coxmattycox]

noticed on autosport lately that to see certains stories you have to pay

little annoyed as one of them is about honda
o well have to go look in the book