Launch of online MJ Magazine

[Gus]

First of all I would like to thank all those who contributes to the "Reporting the darker ..... " thread. The team working with me to develop the new e-mag had differing views as to the policy the Mag should take with regards traditional journalistic type reporting. My original intend was to focusing on presenting the real world to the general masses. From the reaction recieved at this point, that policy has been reversed. The four stories we were investigating have been put on ice, maybe to be resurrected at a later date, maybe not.

So .... whats it all about? Well, below is the press release that has gone to the main organsiations and mailists for distribution.

Monday 3rd April saw the launch of the First online Magazine for the Modern Jive (MJ) Community. On8 is an independent magazine looking to bring informed opinions, advice, news and fun to the grass roots dancer. Using the latest blogging software, the site (On8.co.uk) is searchable to allow both current and past articles to be located and either read online or easily printed off.


The main content will be;

• ‘Guru' articles – contributions from experienced and respected member of the MJ community
• News – breaking trends, changes with organisations
• DJ – playlists, advice on technique and kit
• Place in Time – memories of events and incidents from the past
• Interviews – introducing you to the well known and the not-so well known characters on the scene
• Fashion – photos of what being worn on the dance floors, advice on shoes etc.
• Reference – background on MJ and related dances, links to moves and event sites
• Fun – debasing the latest wild rumours, non-dance links

The Theme of the opening edition is ‘West Coast Swing and Modern Jive’. For May the theme will be ‘Weekenders’. In future editions we are looking to cover; Competitions, Blues Dancing and DJing. Lead articles and interviews are updated on a monthly basis. Other sections will be added to throughout the month as material becomes available. Readers can be advised of what comntent has been added twice a month by signing up to the mail list at UK-Jive.co.uk for On8.not yet live

The April issue is a prototype. We recognise that it will take time to grow the magazine by a gradual process of increasing the number of contributors and articles. Over the next six months or so we will be refining the format and content. As this is very much a community magazine we are looking for dancers over the UK to contact us to becoming roving reporters, letting us know of the latest news, fashion and music across the UK.

I hope you enjoy it. I would like to that all the people who have offered to contribute and a special thanks to Franck for kindly allowing me this one off opportuntity to promote the magazine. The rest is up to you, the general public. If the interest is there, the magazine will gror in readership, articles and value ... if not in 6 months time it will go the same way as many great ideas that were ahead of its time ... like the C5

[under par]

Originally Posted by Gus

I hope you enjoy it. I would like to that all the people who have offered to contribute and a special thanks to Franck for kindly allowing me this one off opportuntity to promote the magazine. The rest is up to you, the general public.

Good luck with the venture Gus.

[Minnie M]

Originally Posted by under par

Good luck with the venture Gus.

There's a link from my web page

[killingtime]

Subscribed to the RSS feed and I look forward to reading more. You have the RSS feed set to full article which is nice for me (as I don't actually need to, if I don't want to, move out of the RSS reader) but if you were thinking of any advertising then you'd want to change this.

[Dizzy]

Good luck with the magazine Gus

I shall certainly read with interest

[tsh]

Is the intention that people discuss the articles on the blog? If so, it's not obvious how to generate a login - otherwise the 'comment' stuff is a little spurious.

[Chicklet]

couldn't figure out how to put a message on the site but please please, may we have a photo of the memory of the 1999 champs bringing "ears to your eyes"????????

[Andreas]

Originally Posted by under par

Good luck with the venture Gus.

[Jive Brummie]

I like it. Most informative and offering articles that make one think a bit!

Keep up the good work mate, it can only get better the longer it goes on.



JB & FC x x

[Andreas]

Just read through the articles. Nice one, Gus. Good work.

[latinlover]

best of luck with this Gus!

[Gadget]

Now why didn't someone think on this before ?
Forum newsletter
Forum Articals

Good luck on the venture - just needed someone to get off their butts and do it.

Anyone a good cartoonist? Any magazine worth it's salt has to have at least one cartoon in it.

[Gus]

Originally Posted by tsh

Is the intention that people discuss the articles on the blog? If so, it's not obvious how to generate a login - otherwise the 'comment' stuff is a little spurious.

Jury stil out on this one. Given the structure, if too many viewewrs commented i think it might distarct from the original article. Still getting to grips with the software itslef. Looks like you need to set-up a blogg of your nown to get an account then get me to allocate you comments right seems far too complex.

I think what I imagine happening is that if someone sees an article or comment that they want to comment on they would probably post it on the Forum and the debate to take place there ... would seem that a symbiotic relationship is the bets way forward, each concept playing to its own strenghts. Does that sound like a good or bad idea? If is sounds like that could fly then when I get round to wriring the 'How to Use' section I will suggest that as a way forward.
That should increase the traffic to both sites one would hope.

[Gus]

Originally Posted by killingtime

Subscribed to the RSS feed and I look forward to reading more. You have the RSS feed set to full article which is nice for me (as I don't actually need to, if I don't want to, move out of the RSS reader) but if you were thinking of any advertising then you'd want to change this.

RSS Sorry but I'm new to this concept. Wordpress was recommended as the most complete blogging software, but my techo-geek is not yet on board so we are still in the developmental state. We decided to live with a Beta site as we expect the site to develop in response to feedback over the first 4 or 5 months. One we think we have the core site licked we will either invets serious time in fully exploiting the Wordpress software or we will get a professional web site build to spec.

To be honest, its been a bit of a struggle to meet our target launch date. My sub-editor has been tied up with 'real world' work for the last 2 weeks, and after 6 months after a new conract, suddenly landed a major contract in Liverpool so have 3 weeks to get all the work I was doing with the family business finished as well as running 2 dance workshops by the end of the month Thats my excuse for the Pink Martini review still being only 70% finished. I hope to get my finger out and publish that this weekend and get some of the reference postings published (hope springs eternal).

At this piont there is no intention to host advertising, though we will add a links page in adiditon to the key links on the front page. If you could PM me with recoomendation to develop the RSS capabilty, that would be very much appreciated.

[Gus]

Originally Posted by Chicklet

couldn't figure out how to put a message on the site but please please, may we have a photo of the memory of the 1999 champs bringing "ears to your eyes"????????

Hey ... it wouldn't be a Gus Enterprises venture with the occasional typo

[Gus]

Originally Posted by Andreas

Just read through the articles. Nice one, Gus. Good work.

Ahhh ... true respect to the excellent bunch of contributors. More is to follow ... if I can prise the copy out of their clutching palms!!

[senorita]

GOOD LUCK!!

[Gadget]

Originally Posted by Gus

I think what I imagine happening is that if someone sees an article or comment that they want to comment on they would probably post it on the Forum and the debate to take place there ... would seem that a symbiotic relationship is the bets way forward, each concept playing to its own strenghts. Does that sound like a good or bad idea?

That was the one main thing I thought on: there is no opportunity to discuss the articals; and if you inserted one, then it's not really that much different from this forum.

I also noticed (or failed to notice) the inclusion of a link from that page to here.

I know that the "Blog" style is to have stuff ontop of stuff ontop of stuff. Personally I prefer to see a tree system; a good navigation with the ends of each branch (ie an artical) having a page devoted to them.

I also found the text to only be of interest if you were interested in the text - no pictures, no formatting to highlight areas or break it up a bit,... just a chunk of text. For a magazine (on-line or not) I would expect the layout of text would be nicer.

Are you not also contributing an "editorial"?

[killingtime]

Originally Posted by Gadget

I also found the text to only be of interest if you were interested in the text - no pictures, no formatting to highlight areas or break it up a bit,... just a chunk of text. For a magazine (on-line or not) I would expect the layout of text would be nicer.

Agreed. I didn't comment on this as it looks like they are just getting started and are using the default Wordpress layout at the moment. Some images (even if they aren't entirely relevant to the text) are good for breaking things up. Having a summary of the article on the main page and a link to the full article is nice too (especially where the articles tend to be longer than what a blog generally has).

Just of the top of my head I've liked A List Apart's layout (it uses blog software though not Wordpress). It has nothing to do with dancing though.

[Donna]

Originally Posted by senorita

GOOD LUCK!!

This is a great idea! Good luck!