Educating the Public? Real Science Through Print and Multi-Media

Print media is a tough business to be in these days, naturalextraction. Setting aside all other considerations, what is there about your business model that will make this "work"?

Primarily my experience and track record even looking back at the past three years. Placement in the right stores, being at special related events (physically handing them out does well), even schools and universities have accepted the publications after some scrutinizing by the proper heads. These are lead in's to develop a list of subscribers. It does take some work, but I'm used to this and have support to do it.

Distribution is key. We've also promoted the paper in other publications or at trade shows etc. I've found it wasn't really all that necessary to promote outside it's own reach. But content is really the primary element of it's success. Thus my posting this thread. I don't feel I have a real handle on that part of it just yet. Setting up a good content format with substance is primary.

These are free by the way. That is also a small factor for people picking them up. With four color printing much more affordable on a better grade paper, contributes to the feel and look of the paper. People, even in this electronic age, still like to pick up things to read and still like the visual and feel. A web site is a place, in these cases, where you can actually pick up subscribers. Reaching a large number of people is easier than it seems. Reaching 500k people is a good base and with a good product escalates in growth fairly quickly. Word of mouth is also a benefit when the product is good as well and has been proven to work well with these publications. It's also recognized as a "marketing and communication too" for those in the industry. More educated business owners and consumers recognize those elements providing distribution is decent.The advertisers like the ideas of "informational advertisement" for their business product or services if their local. We provide a professional look and editing of their information. We also have learned to not candor to people or business that are not professional or have products that we find do not fall under typical regulated systems or products. We've always have had professionals (like certified doctors when doing Health and Fitness) that would help us determine the validity of contributors statements or products advertised through "information articles".

As with most all introduction of a product of this type I will develop a prototype if you will that will have content information and format we feel will have the right appeal, have it critiqued then purse to printing. Also establishing an immediate support of advertising will be implemented. Our track record also helps in that area. Advertisers must feel and eventually realize some return on money spent or just like to support the idea behind the concept of the venture. That has been proven for years as well.

With the paper now being 100% recycled and using recycled paper for the printing, for me, is a large relief.

Your ideas are well noted Chris, and I like your response. All my publications of the past were in part directed towards or had departments for the youth in mind. "Real Wheels" and "Street Scene" were publications dedicated to the youth (15 to 25) on many levels (especially my health and fitness mag, don't even get me started on the health and fitness of our youth!) in tech and age oriented to even pre drivers. We included seminars, workshops etc. We were even quite political in providing support for subjects that effected our teen or young drivers on a state or national level. Also the language of the text is about what you see primarily here on CR4. Plus we have the ability to edit. For the idea in this thread, after talking with Moose, ideas were discussed so that we may have a more pro-active web site as well.

This will include the sciences for sure. Our testing of any product will include using students from UNM and possibly some facilities of Sandia Labs along with our own facilities to test what we decide is worthy of testing. Testing methodology is extremely important in determining accuracy, importance of noting and control of variable etc. All input is recognized and adhered to teach that which process proves what works. Reproducible indeed!

I find adults can obviously be as mis-guided or uneducated just the same. If this medium captures their interest because it may affect their pocket book, life style, and the other means of reaching their self interested motivations, then hopefully they will read the publications contents and learn something of real value because we are careful to put credible and reliable information.

Absolutely - keep it real. Science is not about a bunch of 'facts'. It is about a way of thinking, and the process for testing and refining those thoughts.

I think the most important insight here is that pitching your mag towards children is likely to be the most effective (assuming that your goal is to promote science, not necessarily to make a pile of money). By the time someone reaches adulthood (or even Jr. High), those who have developed an interest in science will continue to seek out and enjoy science, but those who have not will have developed a resistance to it. Like the oyster, they will have begun to develop a protective layer around the intruding foreign (science) object. They will tend to buy into the popular image of scientists as being detached from the 'real world', as people full of useless and questionable ideas, unable to properly dress and feed themselves. This way they can excuse their own lack of scientific understanding, and even wear it as a badge of honor.

If you can involve the parents as facilitators to help the child put together the materials and tools needed to perform and experiment this will be even better, but it pre-supposes that the parent has the background to answer the child's questions in a timely manner. If the parent fails in this, their own feelings of frustration will be quite clearly communicated to the child, possibly wrecking the whole exercise.

As was mentioned earlier in this thread, right now is a scarry time to launch a print publication, but I wish you the best of luck. Check out Edmund Scientific's catalog for ideas on low-cost high-yeild experiments and projects.

Hello

I 100% agree with Chris. I wish you good results in your venture Naturalextraction.

I would like to add few things:

Print media is one, which people believe because it is PRINTED. Keep your eyes on accuracy of the science. Please use maximum resources to assure about the accuracy, and not spreading the misconceptions. Now a days, (at least i see in India) that scientist once widely known, starts thinking he is master in every branch of science. Then he starts commenting in all field of science, and misleads common man, who believes in him.

Hope in your country, picture is something different.

keep distinction between Science fictions and science. Let people see the clear difference between two and do not let them confuse between two.

Obviously, be on frontiers of science and new discoveries.

Wish I get the copies of your publication.

Regards,

Gsuhas and johnftl, agreed with all that both of you have, although our market audience is 13 on up or so. Trust me, its hard to make "gobs" of any money with these types of ventures and it takes many years. As long as it makes a sufficient profit to cover the expenses growth can continue. Normally I get paid as staff usually layout, design or marketing. As that is what I like to do although some of those tasks will be shared. I think any venture should make money. Why do it if you are not. I personally don't like to work for free. If ventures make a great profit there are always ways to further the venture to better improve it's initial ideas. When other publications did well we sank extra funding into coop educational groups, seminars etc., that better reached maybe other audiences we didn't reach. Not to mention other electronic means of communication. Ultimately it is about communication and communicating the concerns brought forth by those thus far. Important concerns including yours. First and foremost it is to get any venture to just be successful financially, which comes when your product does what you hope it will do and maintain the success of it's intentions. I really don't need the money, my goals are a function of progress in communicating the goals set forth with the concerns initially identified. This is just another medium which I'm familiar with and have found to have some measurable amount of success when pursed appropriately. They do however require a pretty good amount of work! Ain't easy!

I hope you develop a good product, and I hope it makes money for you. Since we fancy ourselves as an advanced technological civilization, I think a widespread understanding of the scientific process is vital. Especially since from my perspective there are enormously powerful forces pushing us in the other direction.

Science versus psuedo-science is a problematic question that you should resolve up front. If you use the definition of scientific method and scientific approach used in some core sciences like Physics, you would exclude some fields of education such as environmental/ecological biology (which is the majority of biologists), psychology, archeology, phrenology, sociology, etc.. All of these other fields are dependant upon the word science in and of itself most times to validate their research and findings, and they definitely will not want to fall from the public perception of being a hard science. In addition, some theories in some fields that are considered scientific fact do not meet the scientific test for validation, many times the are more of a connect the dots experiment over millions of years without the necessary mathematical proof of the mechanism underlying the theory. You definitely do not want the firestorm a discussion over evolution or the inequality of sexes would cause, (churches, atheist, and womens groups are problematic even if the evidence is sufficient and supports an argument).

While researching some interests of my own, I came across this website, which is basically online book training for Hydraulics and Pneumatics.. very well done.. maybe you could contract for license with them for reprinting in your magazine. It is not written in kid speak.. and that might be where you come in.. but the pictures are pretty good.

Chris

Two publications come to mind...

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN for DUMMIES

Scientific American is a great magazine, but they go too deep into the articles they publish. While I might be a whiz at DSP (Digital Signal Processing), even though I might be interested in molecular biology, they over run me with the details which I don't understand. Occasionally I find some gold though.

POPULAR REAL SCIENCE

Explaining why you cannot run a car by powering a generator powered by the car to power the car. or getting free energy by adding water to your gas etc. And of course NOT accepting such advertisements.

Actually, a solution might be in between the above.

Bill

I agree. Finding the appropriate balance in communication in regards to the level of technical information being discussed is a key factor. Also moderating what is pseudo science or what might just be off information is where our research or having credible sources come in to play.

Thanks for the comments!