[Jewelry making - Article 00582] - Re: [Orchid] Article: Minimal Metalsmithing

[Luck, David J]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

    I would like to express my sympathy and support for Nanz Aaland who
    was terminated by Art Jewelry magazine for expressing her opinions
    here on this forum. 

    However, it is my opinion that many of the popular, commercial,
    special interest magazines here in the U. S. are what I call
    advertiser driven. These are the popular magazines that feature
    products like cameras, automobiles, boats, fishing, firearms,
    computers, etc. and now jewelry. The list is endless. Most of these
    magazines do not rely on their subscribers or membership base for
    much income, rather they rely mostly on their advertisers for most of
    their income. 

    I find that many of the articles in this type of magazine are meant
    to feature, to review, to highlight and to direct the reader to the
    products advertised within that particular magazine. Often the
    product being reviewed or featured in an article has an advertisement
    placed adjacent to the article. Little or no mention will be made in
    the article for other products not advertised in the magazine. These
    articles are never critical of the products advertised within the
    magazine. 

    This point was illustrated to me by a friend who writes an
    automobile review column for our local newspaper. His job has great
    perks because he is given the free use of a brand new car by the
    manufacturer in exchange for writing a review about it. He always has
    a different new car to drive, often an expensive model. I asked him
    once what would happen if he wrote a critical review of a particular
    automobile. He told me that he had done that, once, when he first
    started the column. He said that the reaction was not from the auto
    manufacturer but from the local dealership that threatened to pull
    their ads from the newspaper. His editor made it clear to him that he
    was to write positive reviews in the future. My friend says that he
    can still point out deficiencies in the automobiles that he is
    reviewing but he has to be very careful about the way he words it.
    For example, he may point out lack of performance by listing
    statistics or comparing performance with another model. Never a
    direct statement that could catch the attention of the advertisers.
    Well, so much for independent journalism. 

    I subscribe to Art Jewelry and several other special interest
    magazines. I enjoy the interesting and informational articles that
    they contain. However, it is my opinion that the main goals in many
    of these articles are not to give me information to increase my
    knowledge for my sake, but as a way to expose me to the advertisers,
    acquaint me with their products and to encourage me to purchase and
    to use these products. 

    I am not surprised with Art Jewelry's reaction to Ms Aaland's
    statements. I am just surprised that Art Jewelry reacted to
    statements made on an independent forum like Orchid where divers
    information and opinions should be encouraged and protected, not
    punished. A better way to handle the situation would have been to
    counter and correct Ms Aaland's statements on Orchid. 

David Luck
www.davidluckjewelry.com

 
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________