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Saturday, June 26, 2004 11:27:00 AM EDT Chess Life My views on Chess Life tend to overlap those already written by
current USCF Executive Board member Tim Hanke.
Specifically my perspective is in the following five areas stated below: Eliminate
time-value material Because the
magazine arrives in people’s mailboxes months after event reported on occurs,
we should move all time-value material to the website or to a separate
Tournament Life magazine/newsletter. If the website or separate Tournament
Life magazine/newsletter were properly used, Chess Life would no longer publish interviews with players who
win the Under-1600 section, photos of children standing next to trophies
bigger than they are, or information on local events. Chess Life would
develop more enduring features than Jerry Hanken
style tournament reports. All this stuff would be in a place where all such
items of passing interest belong. Content must
be of lasting value The magazine
should only contain material
that will be of value to Americans today, one year from now, and ten
years from now. We should make the
magazine visually beautiful. The layout and design need radical
overhaul to make Chess Life a
timeless, classic, beautiful publication. However, a more attractive layout
with enhanced graphics as well as powerful photos without improved content is
like dressing a pig on a farm in a silk dress. Most will not be fooled. No
matter how you dress it, everyone knows a pig still smells like a pig. Thus
the focus must be on superior content, features, and columns that can only
come from world renowned Grandmasters and chess champions, rather than USCF
insiders. If Chess Life was a
quality magazine with quality content we may be able to attract quality
advertisers. In this regard, New in Chess sets a standard in presentation and
content that Chess Life may wish to emulate. Spread the
good news The USCF is a nonprofit
social welfare organization. It is supposed to accomplish its mission by
impacting the lives of others in a way that furthers the common good and general welfare of the people of the
community. As a house organ Chess Life need not try
to have material that would be of specific interest to subgroups of hard core
players but needs some human betterment materials that can be of value to all
chess players and those who want to help chess become a greater part of
American recreation and society. Chess life can tell the story to USCF
members as well as to newsstand readers about what it has done that is
beneficial with the members dues money and why it is meaningful to support
the organization. In this way Chess Life can differentiate itself from its competition.
Publications that cater to various chess specialties should be encouraged and
referenced rather than duplicated. Decouple
from regular membership benefits Hard core
players may only want Tournament Life information and the more casual player may
not care for such information. Therefore let USCF members pay a lower fee for
membership if they choose not to receive Tournament Life information and
consider letting USCF members pay a lower fee for membership if they choose
not to receive Chess Life magazine. The USCF should move to online electronic
membership voting to properly decouple Chess Life. If the dues drop by the
cost to produce Chess Life itself any revenue loss would offset
by the cost. Let’s say basic regular membership is $25-$30, Chess
Life could be an additional $20-$25, and Tournament Life is an
additional $10-$15. If we use a Junior/Scholastic membership without voting
rights the basic membership could be around $25-$30 with a built in School
Mates subscription. If the publications are no longer part of the regular
membership benefit this would be applied to all associated classes of
membership. Survey the
readership Two key concepts underlying
Six Sigma are a focus on the customer and a fact based management style.
Accordingly, the best way to discover what the readership values most is to
ask them. Too often board members or the publications director unilaterally
decides what is best for the USCF readership. This lack of market analysis
makes about as much sense in the non-profit world as it does in the
for-profit world. If one's primary focus is on the readership than you ask or
confirm with that readership what you should do on their behalf. The greatest
defect is failing to deliver what the readership wants. Ultimately to be successful
Chess Life must align itself to the wishes of its readers and owners – the
dues paying membership. |