The Magazine Collector -- An Alternative to Recycling

Glenn Shoup (aka “The PR Snoop”) previews a new online community for historical aviation magazine aficionados. This website preview was originally published on Site Review (http://sitereview.org).

Admin (The Magazine Collector)

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Previewing a website just before it launches is akin to critiquing a restaurant meal or hotel experience on the day before the place opens. That said, The Magazine Collector website shows promise for its targeted aviation magazine collectors’ audience, as well as perhaps for those of us who are not collectors, but do have an interest in aviation.

I fall into the latter category by happenstance. I happen to live in what Los Angelenos call “The Valley.” As such, it’s not unusual for me to be lounging at poolside (my office) and see a P-51 roar overhead. Or a formation of T-6s, a B-25, B-24, Bearcat, Ford Tri-Motor, the Goodyear blimp, pass overhead at low altitude. And the list goes on and on. The oft underrated “Valley” happens to be steeped in aviation history. Wiley Post, Will Rogers, and Amelia Earhart flew out of local airports that are still operational, for example. Therefore, my review of this new aviation website may not be as objective if I were writing it from Missoula, Montana.

The Magazine Collector website, itself, is a communal effort as an online social community. Its web pages show a conscious effort to anticipate a target audience well beyond scarce or rare aviation magazine collectors. The Gallery page, for example, is open for posting photos of most anything with wings, from models (flying or static), to homebuilts, historical photos, etc. The same broad brushstroke holds true for the Resources page, where postings can range from sources such as magazine dealers, to information about aviation museums and libraries.

I personally am focusing on the members-only Buy/Sell page. I have a pile of my father’s old aviation magazines somewhere in the attic. As an alternative to recycling, I’m going to list those on the Buy/Sell page to see if any collector wants to purchase any or all of what I have. I’ve been meaning to do this for some time, but my opinion is that using eBay is too complicated and not always very profitable. I figure that placing these possibly-collectable magazines where collectors hang out online should produce better seller outcomes for me. At The Magazine Collector, there are no fees (even membership is free, and there are no hidden “upgrade” fees). No display advertising is allowed, but I’m sure that Google will do the usual thing with this site as one of its blogspots.

I’m anxious to see how the website’s Forum page will evolve. I have been exposed to some of the aviation chat on Yahoo! Groups, and have come away underwhelmed at times, but not always.

A thumbs up to The Magazine Collector’s “open-mic” approach to its blog-page content. Any member can post a blog, and those postings are available to the public. Actually, most all the content is accessible to non-members and the general public, except for the Buy/Sell and Forum pages.

I got a sneak peak at the Member User Manual, and was impressed. With over 40 pages, it walks a new member through every step (replete with screen shots) of how to use the website. This is obviously targeted to online newbies.

In summary, all the elements of a viable social network are in place at The Magazine Collector (http://themagazinecollector.blogspot.com/). Since I am writing about a brand new site just before its first day live, I’ll look forward to seeing more content, as new members – and even non-members – contribute to the information displayed on this site.

As an online social platform, I see a future for this website beyond its meme as “a community for aviation magazine collectors.”

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