CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

[Lloyd Lombard]

1. First, although I don't want to be negative (there's far too much negativity in this world as it is), I would like to see the CFC executive come up with a different proposal than getting rid of our paper magazine. In my opinion, getting rid of the paper magazine has the potential for being the death-nail to the CFC. I say that for the following reasons:
- The magazine is the "face" and "voice" of the CFC;
- Not everyone can afford the internet. One of the attractions for parents to get their child involved in chess is undoubedly that chess is not only intellectual but affordable (all you need is a chess set and someone to play with).
- The magazine provides (or in this case, "should provide") information on how to be involved in chess and how to join the CFC. In my case, I first joined in 1990 after someone gave me a CFC magazine which had information on the membership dues. On that same note, I attended a charity event this past weekend put on by our executive ("which was very well organized"). It was a one day event with all proceeds benefitting the Alzheimer's Society. Before going, I was going to photocopy the page in the magazine explaining the dues structure so that we could pass them out to interested parents, kids, adults, etc.. I looked back through my last four issues and much to my surprise (actually, it was more amazement), I found that there was no information on how the join the CFC, only a referrence on how to access the CFC website. This, of course pre-supposes that everyone has access to the internet. I suggest that this does not take into account the many who reside not only in cities but more particularly those in rural areas without internet access.
- The magazine is one of the reasons why I personally pay my membership. I enjoy receiving and reading it.
- Undoubtedly, the primary argument is that the magazine costs too much to publish. With all due respect to the executive, this train of thought must be reconsidered. Of course the magazine is expensive. It's printed on full size 8 1/2 x 11 glossy paper. The magazine which I received in the 1990's was a magazine on bond paper made with 8 1/2 x 11 pages folded in two. It was cheap to publish and the members loved it (or I should say at least I did). Bottom line is that you don't need a "glossy", high-end magazine to bring in membership. It's a great magazine, use if for what it should be used: a) to inform the membership of various issues surrounding chess; and b) to assist in attracting new members by letting them know that there is a national chess organization and how to join.

2. Not being a member of the organization's administration, I don't know what knowledge people have on how to market the organization. I would think that someone's parent, brother, sister (or other relative), friend, etc. has a good working knowledge on how to market an organization (it may even be possible that someone may volunteer their organization's assistance to develop a marketing plan for the CFC, or at least do it cost-effectively).. My suggestion is that before getting rid ot the paper magazine, make sure you have a good, stable, long-term marketing plan for the organization (I suspect the marketing plan would likely include some type of paper magazine).

3. It would think that it would be beneficial if the CFC to post (yes, on their website) a list of ideas which have been used and developed for promoting chess across the country. That way, various chess organizations wouldn't be forced to re-invent the wheel where they'd be able to tap into an idea network for chess promotion. For example, again, our organization teamed up with the Alzheimers' Society and put on one day five round non-rated event ($10 each participant with all the proceeds going the Alzheimer's Society). The media, including CBC, attended. It was in a great ara of one our the city's malls where the escalators went up on one side, down on the other side and everyone had a great view of the 27 participants. The executive put up three large displays and brochures which the executive had made up to pass out to the public. There are undoubtedly many more promotional ideas (I've read some in our paper magazine).

Bottom line is that I very strongly believe that getting rid of the paper magazine is a "collossal mistake" which will come back to haunt the CFC. I only hope the CFC reconsiders it's position on this point.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

The British Chess Magazine (vol 6, 1886, p. 435 http://books.google.ca/books?id=uYECAAAAYAAJ) had an announcement:

"The Dominion Chess-players have at last been stirred up to provide themselves with a periodical of their own; it is to be called the Canadian Chess Monthly, and will be under the competent management of the Chess editor of the Ottawa Citizen. It is proposed to publish the magazine at Ottawa on the 15th of each month, but as its issue will depend on the obtaining a sufficient number of subscribers at $1 50 per annum; we advise all well-wishers of Canadian Chess to send their name at once to Mr. W. J. Mason, 45 Elgin Street, Ottawa, with promises of support."

[Lucas Davies]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

I didn't read all of your post because it's long and I'm tired, but in this day and age, who DOESN'T have the internet? Like half a person maybe, and if they don't have the internet, why are they buying a CFC membership instead of getting it? The internet is EVERYTHING these days. You want information on the CFC and how to get involved in chess? Internet. You want to play chess? Internet. You want to do ANYTHING? Internet. INTERNET#@$#

[Lawrence Day]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

The history of chess is littered with great magazines that could not survive financially. Steinitz, Chigorin and Lasker all folded their publications; Lasker twice. He attempted to address the problem of too few players by putting the rules of the game in every issue. Even that didn't work. Chess just doesn't commodify well because the fun part is free.

Even without internet a city dweller can go to the public library and use a free connection to read a webzine. Printing out a particular article or even the whole thing is not a problem. Sparsely populated rural or frontier areas have unique problems but involve relatively few people. To disadvantage the many for the benefit of the few is not sustainable economically.

Paper magazines are at the mercy of the fluctuating commodity price of paper and the cost of postage. Aside from providing information, the chess federation has important functions in its original purpose as a sports governing body. That necessary part should not be sacrificed for what is a non-essential "frill". In tough economic times the frills go first; otherwise bankruptcy destroys the whole thing.

In its current state the CFC simply cannot afford a deluxe magazine. The game of chess is remarkably popular but tournament chess is only a small fraction of all the chess-playing going on. For example, with Alzheimer's avoidance, just playing the game, using the mental circuits as exercise to keep them functioning, that doesn't require tournament conditions. It is similar with kids raising their intelligence and developing civilized manners: just playing is the important thing, winning less so.

So promoting chess in general is not specifically related to promoting the type of tournament chess that attracts CFC members. Consider that chess.com has over five times the Canadian membership that the CFC does.
Everybody may not have internet but way more people get their chess fix in cyberspace than in over-the-board play.

Consider hockey. 40% of Canadians care about who wins at professional hockey. That's a lot of people. But they aren't hockey players. Their main involvement is as fans, sitting in front of the TV. Maybe they exercise their elbow? With a webzine devoted to Canadian chess maybe we can attract fans who look at chess as art or as a sport where one can hope for one's favourites. The webzine may lose one type of member and attract many more of a different type.

[Kerry Liles]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

...

Bottom line is that I very strongly believe that getting rid of the paper magazine is a "collossal mistake" which will come back to haunt the CFC. I only hope the CFC reconsiders it's position on this point.

I do not believe it is possible to reverse this particular decision...

Many of us felt that the magazine itself was pretty decent and worth the price of admission; sadly, as Lawrence Day points out later in this thread, time moves on.

[Ken Craft]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

It won't be reversed in the near future. The events that lead to the demise of the Magazine were sad to say the least.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

It won't be reversed in the near future. The events that lead to the demise of the Magazine were sad to say the least.

What's the current membership numbers? Are the renewals rolling in?

[Kerry Liles]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

What's the current membership numbers? Are the renewals rolling in?

"Rolling in" ... lol

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

"Rolling in" ... lol

I had a fast look at the CFC message board. Noticed the asking price for the Condo and that there is uncertainty of a fair value.

In Ontario there is market value assessment. The new assessments came out over the last few weeks. That should tell sellers what other properties like theirs are bringing.

Also, the tax bill from the previous year shows the market value assessment for that year.

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

If I'm not wrong tax value assessments are not something to go on, they can be well off, its not so much the actual figure for your property but the figure in comparison to all the other properties that are being taxed in the city.

Normally the real estate agent presents the client with resale information for other similar type of properties in the area, don't forget the old real estate adage -location, location, location- and then suggests to the client what they may be able to ask & its up to the client if they want to go higher or lower.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

If I'm not wrong tax value assessments are not something to go on, they can be well off, its not so much the actual figure for your property but the figure in comparison to all the other properties that are being taxed in the city.

Normally the real estate agent presents the client with resale information for other similar type of properties in the area, don't forget the old real estate adage -location, location, location- and then suggests to the client what they may be able to ask & its up to the client if they want to go higher or lower.

That's not what the people at MPAC told me a few years ago. Appearantly they can give the address of the comparable properties they used for comparison which are bringing the amount on the assessment. Check with them if you want.

Surely they aren't picking numbers out of thin air.

I always thought a realtor worked for the seller who hired him. The seller tells him the price he wants.

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

I'm familiar with the process, I've read about it in the newspapers often enough & I am a municipal employee. Considering that they don't even usually know what the condition of the properties are inside - they don't get to enter nor could they get around to entering & inspecting all the properties they have to evaluate - that's why you can appeal their evaluation. I have some clients with properties evaluated by them at a price that is what the clients paid 10 to 15 years ago.

For example, Revenue Canada does not even rely on MPAC, if you have to value a property for tax reasons without selling it, such as in the case of a deceased owner, then an assessment has to be done by a real estate appraiser.

The seller can tell a realtor the price they want but that doesn't mean the realtor has to agree to be the listing realtor if its out way out of line, part of the expertise the realtor is offering is the ability to do the initial evaluation - based on sales information they have access to & the fact they can actual review the actual condition of the building both inside & outside. There's no reason a realtor would want to list a property that's well overvalued & will never sell at that price.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

For example, Revenue Canada does not even rely on MPAC, if you have to value a property for tax reasons without selling it, such as in the case of a deceased owner, then an assessment has to be done by a real estate appraiser.

That's correct. You can then improve the property for sale after the valuation.

The seller can tell a realtor the price they want but that doesn't mean the realtor has to agree to be the listing realtor if its out way out of line, part of the expertise the realtor is offering is the ability to do the initial evaluation - based on sales information they have access to & the fact they can actual review the actual condition of the building both inside & outside. There's no reason a realtor would want to list a property that's well overvalued & will never sell at that price.

I never heard of anyone who couldn't get a property listed for the price they wanted to ask. I've heard of people who have listed for high prices and had to drop it a few times before it sold, or it didn't sell, but not anyone who couldn't get a property listed. I'm not talking wrecks here. I've heard of people who have sold their own property and saved the realty fee.

Why would a realtor refuse to list a property at the market value assessment price? I don't understand.

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: CFC Getting Rid of Paper Chess Magazine - Huge Mistake

Sure if you want to sell it at a lower price than its worth the realtor I'm sure could list it at the MPAC amount, but an honest realtor would give you their own appraisal based on actual amount sold for of properties sold in the area, also given these volatile times.