# We need your help



## TT Owners Club (Mar 5, 2006)

Issue 35 of absoluTTe has just hit the doormats but the work doesn't stop , we're already preparing articles for issue 36. The delay in 35 was because we hadn't been sent enough articles , we don't need anything fancy just a few word about your local meet or a couple of pages about talking your TT half way across Europe everything helps. We also need proof readers the current ones are very helpful but you can never have too much help .


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## Lollypop86 (Oct 26, 2013)

I don't mind volunteering as a proof reader

J
Xx


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## burns (Jun 2, 2009)

Nicely volunteered, Jess, thank you 8)


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## Lollypop86 (Oct 26, 2013)

Am I in trouble? I only ever get called that when I'm in trouble lol

J
Xx


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## jamman (May 6, 2002)

I will proof read if it helps and will do an article about the RR day @ MRC in April.


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## burns (Jun 2, 2009)

Lollypop86 said:



> Am I in trouble? I only ever get called that when I'm in trouble lol
> 
> J
> Xx


Edited it for ya :wink:

Cheers Jamman - the more the merrier 8)


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## Lollypop86 (Oct 26, 2013)

Ha ha thanks

J
Xx


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

Am happy to help in anyway. Just say.

Anything, but not proof reading :wink:

Let's do something positive


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## Lollypop86 (Oct 26, 2013)

Positive like? Making up a ttoc dance for YouTube? Lol

J
Xx


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## peter-ss (Sep 3, 2008)

I've recently added supplementary earth wires to my Mk2's rear lights, to cure what is another common Mk2 issue, and can do a write up about that, if it's not already been in AbsoluTTe?

The article would broadly be based on a tt-froum write up by TT-driver, who's already given me permission to use it.


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

Lollypop86 said:


> Positive like? Making up a ttoc dance for YouTube? Lol
> 
> J
> Xx


Why not


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## Lollypop86 (Oct 26, 2013)

do it! with the song "riding dirty" lol

J
xx


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## Mrs Wallsendmag (Dec 13, 2005)

If I help much more I'll need another hour in the day


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## Bartsimpsonhead (Aug 14, 2011)

Having read the mag I would say, considering how late it was (and the extra time available to proof and correct what was already there (given only one or two articles were holding it up)) the amount of mistakes in it is very poor. And given some of the proof readers have said their corrections weren't carried out too.

Prior to working for a printing company this last year I worked 17 years in a publishing company in London designing weekly, fortnightly and monthly magazines, books and journals which were on sale to the general public and subscribers. So not hitting publishing dates was the ultimate sin and carried big consequences!

Those 17 years taught me some things:

*A magazine needs a pro-active Editor.*
Someone who has ideas for the magazines content that they will commission writers to write, photographers to shoot, and designers to design. Sitting back and waiting for writers (or its members, in the Club's case) to submit extra articles is ok, but if they don't turn up, are late, or are of really poor quality they can't be included then that's not acceptable.

Obviously this is a Club magazine and it will rely on members contributions to an extent, but people can be apathetic to tasks like writing stuff they're not getting paid for, so its a risky game basing all of the content of people's submissions. As we've just seen.

An Editor should have a clear plan of what's in the mag, and make sure its filled. If its running short its their responsibility to get creative, write something and finish it themselves without it being late (drafting in whatever writers to help as they can).

In A35 the Editors 'Editorial' was laughable considering the grammatical and spelling mistakes. And the rest was patchy in places. (Page nine's Stanford Hall title, AitP text and Haigh Hall photo mash-up was laughable - Ok, they were desperate to fill space, but what was the Editor/Designer thinking???)

*The Designer:* needs to be creative, and sometimes make a 'silk purse out of a sow's ear' with supplied material, which the mags designer has done pretty well. Though they should also be the first to question the Editor if they think something is wrong.
As an example, in Jorge's Nürburgring article (nb. the umlaut in Nürburgring): on page 26, picture 6 it's described in page 27's text as "Picture 6 Finally we take route to Barcelona..." As this is the same pic as is used over pages 24-25 and clearly shows Austrian flags it clearly isn't Barcelona (or mentions any Austrian town in the text.) I would have queried things like this with the writer/Editor/whoever.

*Proofreaders*: need to be given sufficient time to read and correct text, and if the Editor feels the correction is necessary it should be included. Doesn't matter if its The Times, The Daily Star or Razzle - the buck stops at the Editor.

*The Committee:* Remember the old saying: a camel is a horse designed by committee! Ideally they shouldn't be involved at all, but given its a club magazine will be, so lets hope they don't interfere too much and let things get done quickly.

These are just my thoughts from a professional viewpoint of many years designing magazines.
Hopefully A36 will improve on the improvements set by A35.


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## Callum-TT (Jun 3, 2013)

I would happily proof read or if I can find a subject I would happily write an article.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

Bart,
Given your 17 years in the business and the title of this topic, I think its great your offering to help out. Nice one.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

Bartsimpsonhead said:


> Having read the mag I would say, considering how late it was (and the extra time available to proof and correct what was already there (given only one or two articles were holding it up)) the amount of mistakes in it is very poor. And given some of the proof readers have said their corrections weren't carried out too.
> 
> Prior to working for a printing company this last year I worked 17 years in a publishing company in London designing weekly, fortnightly and monthly magazines, books and journals which were on sale to the general public and subscribers. So not hitting publishing dates was the ultimate sin and carried big consequences!


You've clearly spent quite some time examining the magazine in detail and offering some useful and, to an extent, warranted criticism. However direct comparison against commercial standards of editing and journalism are in my view a little unfair.

Have you considered offering the benefit of your time and experience to the production phase of the magazine where it would have a much more useful impact than if, as now, that same experience is directed at the magazine after delivery?

I've been proof reading articles for absoluTTe for some time and after A35 was published I questioned how the process was organised and managed. As a result the process will be changed for forthcoming issues of absoluTTe.


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## Bartsimpsonhead (Aug 14, 2011)

Well, helping out is the plan - the company I work for's pitched to print AbsoluTTe, so if we get it in good time before its printed (usually two weeks from getting pdfs to sending it to Walsendmag) I'll definitely be checking the PDFs and getting back to the Editor/designer with queries, comments or any corrections I find. Then hopefully there'll be some time to correct stuff before its printed.

I don't know why its production values should be any lower than commercial magazines - members pay a chunk of money on top of web membership for it, and it's supposed to be 'award winning' after all. Unless people want to settle for an 'average' magazine?


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

Sorry, are you saying if you get the job/paid, then you will help out, or are you offering to help out free of charge? Or you will only help if your work gets the job?

Or are you like I thought offering to help out anyway because your a pro at it and you want to contribute?


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## Bartsimpsonhead (Aug 14, 2011)

If the company proceeds to print the mag then I'd check it as a matter of course, as we do with every job that comes in (though obviously not experts in all our clients subjects (and so might not be too hot on facts 'n' figures of their subjects), we do spell check and read everything for obvious mistakes).
As I'm a designer I don't want to step on the mag's designers toes and suggest he redesign stuff - it's his 'vision', not mine, so I'm likely just to check stuff's spelt correctly, reads OK, the pics fit with the articles and have the right captions, and the PDFs will print OK.

If we don't get the mag then I'm happy to read and check the PDFs - IF there's time between the mag design and PDFs being finished and it going to print. I know there was only about a week between Nem saying it had gone to the printers and it needing to be sent out before Christmas - which would have left no time or reading, re-writing, corrections being made and new PDFs produced. Had that been done then the mag might not have been sent out till the New Year.
(Remember - some printing companies (like ours) close down at Christmas too, so for the mag to be printed by us it would've had to be sent to us two-to-three weeks before Christmas)


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

Nice one Bart.


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## paulc1 (Oct 10, 2011)

I've got an article in mind for the next mag which I've discussed with burns about car body repairs and how to save panels and repair panels and bumpers which will include pictures before during and after and all looking nice when painted and refitted


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## peter-ss (Sep 3, 2008)

peter-ss said:


> I've recently added supplementary earth wires to my Mk2's rear lights, to cure what is another common Mk2 issue, and can do a write up about that, if it's not already been in AbsoluTTe?
> 
> The article would broadly be based on a tt-froum write up by TT-driver, who's already given me permission to use it.


I've just got the finishing touches to add to the article and should have it completed within the next few days.


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## Nem (Feb 14, 2005)

Fantastic!


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## peter-ss (Sep 3, 2008)

Article submitted.


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## paulc1 (Oct 10, 2011)

My article is now all done and submitted to countess burns for her viewing pleasure


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