Wow, thank you for the responses all - both the constructive (and vitriolic) feedback.
To those of you who love and understand what we do with this magazine, all I can say is that I continue to pour blood, sweat, tears and bug spray into every page of this thing. And I want it to be better each issue, which is why we're asking for your help.
I want to thank you again for your points RE the survey's weak points. We're rebuilding this today, taking on board all of your advice, and the wisdom of hindsight. I hope it is better when it returns later. Some of you suggested a focus group, and I have to thank you for your time and consideration in actually letting me know what issues you found. It is important to me to find out more about who you are, what you want and what you don't want. This isn't a 'cheap mailing list'. I can talk to you all for free here. It is simply a way to engage with our readers in a meaningful way. I hope that I haven't offended anyone by leaving out their 4WD of choice, or implying that you only travel with the wife or kids. Frankly, the software puts into place some default settings and we weren't aware of those limitations.
As for the comments on the magazine that have bubbled up thus far - We aren't competing with the other magazines on the stand. Competing with 4WD Action would require such a drop in our standards that none of you would bother writing back to this post. 4WD Touring Australia is, essentially, one man's quest to find Australia. So if it seems like we're short-staffed, we aren't, we have a few dedicated people who are passionate about this. We are not a corporation designed to strip you of your hard-earned dollars in exchange for cobbled-together, thinly-veiled product endorsements. We are a small family business trying to create a 4WD magazine that isn't just broad in its coverage of the country, but deep. I want to create deep histories of the places I visit. I want there to be inner maps hidden in the pieces, not just physical ones.
Keith, you took the time to write a detailed and heartfelt response. I'd like to take the time to get back to your points individually, not in this post. But, one thing which seemed to bother you was the book/ record reviews page. On the surface, I can see why that would seem superfluous. I guess I'm guilty of assuming that all 4WDers are seekers, and all seekers look for truth wherever they can find it. I find it in the last dying moments of a sunset, and in a book written by a fellow traveller who has found his own truths. I find it fishing for barramundi in places I can only get to with a well-equipped 4WD, but I also find it in the lyrics and sounds of Pink Floyd, Roy Harper or T Rex.
We'll always travel deeper with 4WD Touring Australia. Without that inner journey, why would the mag exist? Simply to steal a few readers from Overlander? There is a philosophy behind what we do here, and some will fall into it, as I fell into the books and records that shaped who I am. We'll never be 'commercial sell-outs'. Take a closer look at who advertises, and who doesn't, in 4WD Touring Australia. There has never been, and there will never be, a manufacturer advertised in this mag that I don't personally respect and admire.
We're doing things differently than they've ever been done in this industry. That is going to cost me some readers, I know. But it won't cost me my self-respect, and that's ultimately what drives this magazine to be what it is, not just a clone of those 30-year-old corporate dinosaurs.
Carlisle
