New Herp magazine

[silverback]

looks great but not the dedicated herp magazine that was expected.

why would you expect anything other than what was delivered? the sampler e-magazine on the web-site makes it abundantly clear that what was produced is what was offered. you are making it sound like somehow you have been deceived into buying something that was being portrayed as something else.

it never was promoted as a dedicated herp magazine with no ads and no other natural history content, so your expectations were misguided.

anyway, neil has offered your money back, which is a satisfaction guarantee no other magazine provides.

any constructive criticism will be assessed, but the format of the magazine will remain as presented in issue 1. we understand that the magazine is not for everyone, and we are glad that most people who have received it, have a completely different opinion to deb, doug, kris and anthony.

jan

 

[abnrmal91]

For all the people saying they didn't like the mag. What mag would you recommend that is better.

 

[AUSGECKO]

Sorry if this question has already been answered, but is the magazine available from newsagents?

 

[abnrmal91]

No only by subscription

 

[Deb64]

I support all REPTILE magazines that are produced in Australia.... I have every edition of the past magazine Reptiles Australia.... I have every issue of the Scales and Tails magazine and will continue to subscribe and I would have wholeheartedly supported this magazine too if it was delivering what we have come to expect from any brilliant Herp mag...... My only complaint (if you would like to call it that) is that there was way too much totally non herp related pics in there which could very easily have been replaced with so many more of our amazing reptiles... There are so many photography mags out there for people to buy, but at the moment Scales and Tales is the only 100% genuine REPTILE mag Australia has..... That's just my thoughts .....

For all the people saying they didn't like the mag. What mag would you recommend that is better.

Btw..... I have not once said that I didn't like the magazine... I did state that I LOVED the reptile photography and articles.... All I did was give a personal opinion on the magazine as a whole...... Water rats outburst was totally non professional and unnecessary and is the type of childish reply that draws bad feedback to this forum...

 

[Pythoninfinite]

I've pointed out earlier that the magazine aims to increase the knowledge of, and broaden the focus of reptiles by giving them a CONTEXT that many of the other publications do not. One of the problems I see, as a very long-term reptile keeper, is that new keepers who buy their multi-generational captive-bred reptiles from breeders or pet shops have very little idea of biology or habitat or any of the many other things that make them so fascinating. They are in effect missing out on some of the most interesting attributes of the animals in their care.

RA will continue to produce a magazine which reflects the current format - and it's even conceivable that we may, (heaven forbid!), even have an article or two that don't have a mjor focus on reptiles or amphibians, if we believe it will add to the knowlege base of our readers, and help with our aim to put reptiles in CONTEXT with the rest of the natural world.

I guess the old adage applies very well in a magazine context - "you can please SOME of the people SOME of the time, but not ALL of the people ALL of the time..." I think if we recognise that from the outset, we won't go too far wrong. As Neil has stated, if the first issue doesn't meet your expectations (and I wonder where those expectations have come from - we have not put out any info that could mislead anyone into believing that RA will be a narrow-focus publication), there is no compulsion to subscribe.

Even as a commercial decision, narrow focus = narrow readership, broad focus = broader readership.

Jamie

 

[Waterrat]

Yes, I didn't mince my words, sorry if it offended you. I am much calmer this morning, so let me rephrase my "outburst". The magazine was not meant to be dedicated purely and solely to herpetology and to cover only reptile topics - no such statement was ever made. The sub-title reads "Journal of Herpetology, Photography and Adventure" and the web site clearly explains the intended contents.
Deb4's expectations were obviously different to the rest of the readers because he/she misunderstood what was clearly stated. We all have different expectations and we choose literature that fits our expectations. Reptiles Australasia will not cover topics such as "how to look after my pet Bluetongue lizard" (I bloody hope not), so should the publishers expect complaints from all Bluetongue keepers?

 

[ssssmithy]

Neil no need to get your back up champ,as stated, i think it has excellent photographs with some eye catching articles as well. but hey,all good reptile magazines get good and bad feed back,its up to you as how you take them. either way who cares.
Jamie i couldn't agree more about the new keepers not knowing about the biology or habitat or any of the many other things that make them so fascinating.
Almost a year ago, hearing what was supposed to be going into it i was excited and still am. I just think instead of some of the photographs maybe could have filled by even another article....or two.
Scales and tails for months actively asked for what people wanted to see and what they didn't and changed things accordingly. This is why the mag is in almost its third year running and is doing so well! Hopefully Neil and his team are able to fill this magazine with quality articles and photography on time every issue,god knows everyone wants to see this magazine do its best and not go the way of other magazines in the past.

all the best, smithy.

 

[FAY]

Surely, you have all been on this planet long enough to realise that no matter what is available for purchase that not 100% of people will think that it is the best thing that they have ever bought. That is just life. Everyone has different expectations. It is just NOT going to appeal to 100% of every reptile lover.No different from Herpetofauna.Just doesn't appeal to everyone out there. Doesn't mean that it isn't a top notch publication.

 

[mysnakesau]

I like the magazine. I haven't read it all yet, but have read the GTP story and flicked through the rest. I think its great reading. While I supported Reptiles Australia, and still support Scales and Tails, both those magazines were very similar to each other featuring similar sounding stories. Always fantastic reading, but now we have another magazine with quite a different subject line which makes it that much more interesting. Now I can buy a magazine where even my photos are sometimes worthy of getting published, and a magazine that is more professional-orientated coming from ppl who dedicate their lives to our creatures. I love the stories of research people do on the wildlife as well as personal stories of keepers and their specialty. Now we have the best of both worlds. Well done. I love it.

One of the problems I see, as a very long-term reptile keeper, is that new keepers who buy their multi-generational captive-bred reptiles from breeders or pet shops have very little idea of biology or habitat or any of the many other things that make them so fascinating. They are in effect missing out on some of the most interesting attributes of the animals in their care.

I agree with what Jamie has said here. I am only a 4yr old in the reptile-keeping world but biology and evolution were always my favourite subjects at school. I love reading, specially sitting out in the sun on less windy days. I have bought books on how to look after my snakes and I've bought books about the Natural biology of snakes. Very interesting reading, it really is. Gives you information on why a snake is long with no legs, how they became what they are, and with my small collection of different morelia pythons I am always looking for background history of where they have come from. I have just acquired a darwin python from a lovely man in QLD. The little python was bred by SXR and is het albino. Now I am looking into getting onto SXR to find out how my little guy is related to the original blondie that was wild caught in NT.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Neil no need to get your back up champ,as stated, i think it has excellent photographs with some eye catching articles as well. but hey,all good reptile magazines get good and bad feed back,its up to you as how you take them. either way who cares.
Jamie i couldn't agree more about the new keepers not knowing about the biology or habitat or any of the many other things that make them so fascinating.
Almost a year ago, hearing what was supposed to be going into it i was excited and still am. I just think instead of some of the photographs maybe could have filled by even another article....or two.
Scales and tails for months actively asked for what people wanted to see and what they didn't and changed things accordingly. This is why the mag is in almost its third year running and is doing so well! Hopefully Neil and his team are able to fill this magazine with quality articles and photography on time every issue,god knows everyone wants to see this magazine do its best and not go the way of other magazines in the past.

all the best, smithy.

I won't be drawn into a debate about the merits of what Reptiles Australasia does vs the merits of what Scales & Tails does - I have been intimately involved with both, and see them as separate entities which will occupy different places in the market, but... S&T has, at different times, had articles on Wombats, Cassowaries, Dugongs and included photos of animals other than reptiles and amphibians (indeed, the current issue of each publication has a photo of a Tiger!) and this has not been seen (from any comments I observed) to detract from that publication. Neither should it - anything that adds to our collective body of knowledge, and our understanding of the world around us and the plight of particular species, is valid for inclusion in these and related publications.

We welcome all feedback, and, as far as suggesting that Neil may defensively have his "back up" is concerned, I can just say that we are so far totally delighted with the feedback we've received, both on the forums and from non-forum sources as well. Next week should be interesting though - we have sent nearly 1000 copies by express courier to various leading herpers in the USA and Europe - we keenly await their comments!

We already have a large inventory of superb material (enough for several future issues), and these will be put together at the appropriate time, and allow for the inclusion of articles which are current or "hot" at the time of publication. Change from the current format, with which we and most of our valued critics are extremely pleased with, is highly unlikely.

Jamie

 

[ssssmithy]

Its not a comparison as to which magazine has better merits that's for sure! It was an example of what to do with the constructive criticism the magazine has received instead of sitting here and pm'ing people with a rebuttal to it. which seemed to be,to me, the act of someone with their 'back up'. As i said, not that the photographs didn't relate to articles and werent good,i would of liked to of seen more herp related stuff, ie: another article or so on.
I am by no means entering into a debate,just a herper with an opinion and an interest in what this magazine can offer.
smithy

 

[abnrmal91]

I find it a little odd that everyone that is offering "constructive criticism" are all actually friend with eachother on APS. Seem odd to anyone else?

 

[Deb64]

I find it a little odd that everyone that is offering "constructive criticism" are all actually friend with eachother on APS. Seem odd to anyone else?

Lol too funny...... Have you noticed that EVERYONE who is overpraising the mag beyond the normal (great job) are either tied up with the mag or personal friends of the mag owner .... Weird or what?????

 

[Waterrat]

Slightly off the subject, I think we are missing on a good quality natural history magazine like Nature Australia used to be. It's such a shame that the AM board of directors decided to close it down ....... not surprising though, academics and bureaucrats couldn't run a business to save their lives.

Reptiles Australasia is a huge step forward and I hope it will inspire someone to consider publishing Nature Australasia - wouldn't that be great!

 

[Deb64]

I totally agree Michael.... That would be great

 

[ssssmithy]

abnrmal91 is that 'abnormal' to you? that i have 65friends on here..and wouldn't know most from a bar of soap. I've given my thoughts on how what i think may be more beneficial to the mag and readers alike. You have given nothing but some childish nonsense. as everyone else has said i hope the mag does well and is around for a while. id love to see more on biology taxonomy and genetics too, rather then some photos of mammal's but hey,that's me.
smithy

 

[Pythoninfinite]

It hasn't gone unnoticed abnrmal91, we just need to keep the comments focussed - there's no quicker way to get a thread closed than to be drawn into combat, and that ain't going to happen here.

"id love to see more on biology taxonomy and genetics too, rather then some photos of mammal's but hey,that's me."

My only comment on this has to be - Issue 1 only came out this week! We have heaps of what you're suggesting you want to see ready now for future issues... patience is a virtue!

Jamie

 

[viridis]

I have not seen the mag yet so I can not comment on the content or quality of it, however I did like the look of the preview I saw before I went overseas.

Although I still think Australia needs a dedicated 'reptile only' mag, if Reptiles Australasia' is of the same quality as National Geo, than I cannot see how it will not be a massive hit? Some people (including myself) thought that Scales & Tails went off track a bit with some of the recent editions however I really liked the latest S & T edition and now they have room to grow even better.

With two dedicated Reptile mags in production, I feel that we as readers have plenty of good reading ahead of us over the next few years.



It may not suit everyone's tastes, however for a hundred odd dollars a year, a wildlife mag with spectacular photographs and (hopefully) informative articles sounds great, I will subscribe to it.

Cheers,
Nick Stock

 

[mysnakesau]

I love the content. Need to get my full subscription now.


DONE!! Just wait to hear the hubby scream now...hahaha...