SteveMM 60 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 I was looking through my father's old Boy Scouts "Handbook for Boys" the other day. It's from the 1949 printing, and I figure he got the book not long after that, as he turned 10 in 1950. I was very surprised to see that there were advertisements in it! I saw ads from Goodyear, more than one shoe/boot manufacturer, a knife company, Coca-Cola, and others. I've attached a few pics. I personally wouldn't mind seeing ads in the modern Scout book, as long as they were relevant to the outdoors or the program and not for video games. Thoughts? 2 Link to post Share on other sites
The Latin Scot 961 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Check out Boys' Life and Scouting Magazine. Sometimes I feel like those publications are nothing but ads. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites
SteveMM 60 Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 16 minutes ago, The Latin Scot said: Check out Boys' Life and Scouting Magazine. Sometimes I feel like those publications are nothing but ads. True that. Link to post Share on other sites
yknot 1338 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 I feel like I get nine copies of Boy's Life and Scouting at least twice a month. One per household would be just fine. I can only assume they are inflating the circulation figures to maintain ad rates. Link to post Share on other sites
MikeS72 436 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 29 minutes ago, The Latin Scot said: Check out Boys' Life and Scouting Magazine. Sometimes I feel like those publications are nothing but ads. Yes, but without those ads, I am sure that Boy's Life would cost Scouts far more than the $12 annual rate they now pay, and Scouting would definitely not be going out to every registered Scouter. Link to post Share on other sites
yknot 1338 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 It should cost zero and be an online publication. There's no need to use so much paper and spend so much money on printing and postage. Or do it as a fold over newsletter. Link to post Share on other sites
mrkstvns 486 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 (edited) 18 hours ago, yknot said: It should cost zero and be an online publication. There's no need to use so much paper and spend so much money on printing and postage. Or do it as a fold over newsletter. Uh, yeah, sure.... And I'd like free donuts for life and hot swimsuit models to entertain me for free and a free Ferrari to get around town in. There's an old adage that "you get what you pay for<' and as the world has discovered, when information is available for no cost, it also tends to have no value (or even a negative value). I would prefer BSA pay professional writers to actually research their material, and to write it professionally using good communication skills that they paid real money to develop in real universities. I would prefer BSA to pay real fact checkers and editors, just like a professional publisher or a professional news organization does. I would like to think that BSA provides information that reflects all fhe quality standards that every competent publisher has known for centuries. Things like accuracy, completeness, relevance, readability, and so forth. Publications that have those qualities aren't free because professionals need to be paid. If scouting publications "cost zero and are online publications" then they become as worthless as "news" published on social media and they become easy targets for manipulation and abuse (as any human being who has paid attention already knows). I'd rather pay a few bucks for GOOD info than get trash for free...social media already fills that niche. Edited October 1, 2019 by mrkstvns 2 Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 3661 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 18 minutes ago, mrkstvns said: Uh, yeah, sure.... And I'd like free donuts for life and hot swimsuit models to entertain me for free and a free Ferrari to get around town in. There's an old adage that "you get what you pay for<' and as the world has discovered, when information is available for no cost, it also tends to have no value (or even a negative value). I would prefer BSA pay professional writers to actually research their material, and to write it professionally using good communication skills that they paid real money to develop in real universities. I would prefer BSA to pay real fact checkers and editors, just like a professional publisher or a professional news organization does. I would like to think that BSA provides information that reflects all fhe quality standards that every competent publisher has known for centuries. Things like accuracy, completeness, relevance, readability, and so forth. Publications that have those qualities aren't free because professionals need to be paid. If scouting publications "cost zero and are online publications" then they become as worthless as "news" published on social media and they become easy targets for manipulation and abuse (as any human being who has paid attention already knows). I'd rather pay a few bucks for GOOD info than get trash for free...social media already fills that niche. Well now...feel free to pay a subscription to scouter.com if it makes you value the postings here more. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
mrkstvns 486 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 (edited) 30 minutes ago, RememberSchiff said: Well now...feel free to pay a subscription to scouter.com if it makes you value the postings here more. Now hold on just one second there! I said I wanted QUALITY content, so any cash raised has to go to those who check their facts and write like professionals! The way I see it, y'all owe ME a whole heapin' pile of Benjamins... Please make the check payable to "mrkstvns". Edited October 1, 2019 by mrkstvns 3 Link to post Share on other sites
yknot 1338 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 Boys' Life is not US News or The Economist. It's a marketing vehicle. Many articles review products in an effort to sell ads and others thump marketing themes related to membership and recruitment. It's fine if you like it but at least understand what your scouts are reading. And it may very well be migrating online. There's a big ad this issue for the Boys' Life phone app. Most publications today cannot sustain a print version. Link to post Share on other sites
mrkstvns 486 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 46 minutes ago, yknot said: ...It's a marketing vehicle. Many articles review products in an effort to sell ads and others thump marketing themes related to membership and recruitment. It's fine if you like it but at least understand what your scouts are reading. ... Well, my friend, if you think the magazines have too many ads now, just wait until you get them online "for free"... Or haven't you noticed that the "free" apps and web services are the ones that bombard you CONSTANTLY with irrelevant ads and that require you to sign onerous terms of service and that collect your personal data (often illegally) in an effort to not only get you to buy stuff, but to sell your info to anybody in the world who wants it and can pay a price (any price). Haven't noticed that stuff, eh? Well, in the real world, quality of anything costs money. You may feel like only Economist readers deserve well written, factual, professionally edited and produced materials, but in my house, I'd like my kids to start seeing quality content as early in life as possible. Sorry to hear that you would happily settle for less. Link to post Share on other sites
desertrat77 1144 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 Do scouts even read BL any more? The youth are the intended audience but I don't hear the scouts speak of it. Ever. My Venturer would never look at it, and she's a certified bookworm and outdoorsy type. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
mrkstvns 486 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 10 minutes ago, desertrat77 said: Do scouts even read BL any more? My kid looks at the comics page. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Hawkwin 299 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 21 minutes ago, desertrat77 said: Do scouts even read BL any more? The youth are the intended audience but I don't hear the scouts speak of it. Ever. My Venturer would never look at it, and she's a certified bookworm and outdoorsy type. Oddly enough, I think my daughter read my son's BL more when she wasn't a scout - but then, we don't get the magazine any more I think. Link to post Share on other sites
MikeS72 436 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 27 minutes ago, desertrat77 said: Do scouts even read BL any more? The youth are the intended audience but I don't hear the scouts speak of it. Ever. My Venturer would never look at it, and she's a certified bookworm and outdoorsy type. Mine does, and so do a number of others in our troop. Link to post Share on other sites
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