Miata Mailing List: April 1998, Message #4590

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Something New under the Sun

Starting in June of this year, Kevin and I will be producing what we
believe is the first and only national newsletter for the Miata community. 
The first issue will be mailed on or before June 1, 1998 and then continue
as a bi-monthly publication.

Content will be primarily in the following areas:

Technical – Articles on how and why to do various maintenance tasks,
upgrades, modifications, and repairs.  Articles on the theory behind
various systems so you can understand and thus make better decisions when
evaluating various objectives.  Many articles will have their roots in
'List' discussions but with effort and care taken to expand where
appropriate and cut out the sidebars and distractions.  Issues/topics will
be revisited from time to time when new or fresh views come up but they
will NOT be repeated just to fill space.  Emphasis will be put on making
sure that the reader will be able to make some use of the articles'
content.

Motorsport – We will feature articles written by, for, and about those who
push their Miatas to the limit on the track and autocross course.  We will
feature content to help you identify what it takes to become a better
driver and evaluate what it will take to set up your car for its best
performance on the track.  

Places To Go and Things To Do – We all hear about great places to go for a
drive but the information is sketchy and often only superficial as far as
our being able to use it to plan a trip or excursion of our own.  We plan
on providing some articles that will not only tell you about some great
places or drives and why you might want to go there but also provide the
information you need to plan the adventure.

Upcoming Events – Not only the regional and national conventions but also
the driving schools, track opportunities, and various other events you
usually only find out about AFTER they've taken place or after they're
booked up.

Human Interest – Interviews with people who made the Miata what it is or
have been instrumental in the Miata community.  Possibly some pure
entertainment pieces if appropriate. Discussions relevant to the Miata
experience.

Of this mix, we intend that Technical and Motorsport will predominate with
every effort to keep it between 80-90%.  Content will be constantly
fine-tuned based on feedback from the readers.  The majority of the
material will not be dated in nature. (Those type items are best left to
local club newsletters and national magazines.)

The newsletter/journal will initially be 16 pages in length (WITHOUT
advertising).  As the subscriber base grows (and bringswith it  economy of
scale to printing costs) and/or advertisers are found to support the costs,
it will be expanded in size to 24 or 30 pages.  While we are not soliciting
advertisers at this point, we would like to have a large enough circulation
one day that our publication will be an attractive medium for
national-level advertisers.

The newsletter will be mailed in a 6x9 envelope so the limited newsletter
space can be used for content rather than mailing address information as
well as enabling it to survive mailing to all corners of the world. 
Initially it will be posted first class mail but as quantities permit, the
method will shift to bulk mail and the resources diverted to things that
improve content.

COST:  The newsletter will cost $16 / year (six issues).  Samples will be
available for $3 (which may be applied to a subscription).  The numbers
have been set up so that we will not be dependant upon a minimum subscriber
base (subscriber growth will allow expansion instead), nor will we be
dependant upon advertising (again, it WOULD permit expansion).  This price
was set as low as practical while still guaranteeing that our production
costs will be covered.  We are doing this for the love of it, but hope that
one day it will provide some funds for toys for our Miatas.

The newsletter is intended to supplement, not compete with, the existing
resources available to the Miata community and HAS been discussed with the
principle of Miata Magazine with their (seemingly) enthusiastic
encouragement.  We have not asked for their endorsement nor will we, until
we show them the goods.

For details on how to subscribe or order a sample as well as any questions,
email Ric,  ric@miataclubs.com  or Kevin,  kevin@miataclubs.com and
respond.  For those outside the US, all rates will be adjusted strictly per
the difference in mailing costs and any banking (highway robbers!) fees. 
We will have a web-based form set up for subscription information and
questions as soon as possible.  And no, sorry, we won't be able to take
credit cards.

Surprise, we're also looking for articles and ideas for articles.  We will
be working on a plan to compensate those who contribute with writing
efforts, however the specifics have not been ironed out.  (That will come
long before any toys for us and will be retroactive.)  We will be
approaching you, our fellow enthusiasts and friends, to help us by writing
articles about your areas of Miata-expertise and interest.   We're open to
suggestions and want to hear what you think… as long as it's constructive. 
The whole thing is about sharing the knowledge.

Kevin Morrison		kevin@miataclubs.com		kevin@sunriders.com
Ric Allan		ric@miataclubs.com		ric@interpretations.com

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