I got another mailing from FoxTalk yesterday. Thinking it was their weekly load of spam mail soliciting a subscription, I almost didn't open it, but it was in a bigger envelope, so I decided to chance it. Of course, inside was the usual subscription offer, but it also included the September 2006 issue of FoxTalk. There on the front cover was an article by me titled "Generate Web Page Components in VFP". I immediately saw red, not just because that's the magazine's theme color. I wrote that article a couple of years ago and it was published in the May 2004 issue. Essentially, editor Jonathan Rabson repackaged it to fit their new, goofy editorial guidelines (and introduced a typo -- my Web site is www.stonefieldquery.com, not stonefieldquire.com) and published it again. So now, in addition to the fact that most articles have nothing to do with VFP and are written by folks who aren't VFP developers at all let alone experts and that the Kit Box column is a shadow of the excellence written by Andy and Marcia each month, we have to put up with recycled articles!
It is truly sad to see the incredibly fast decline in a once great magazine (and as a charter subscriber who still has the very first issue, I thought it was great long before I started writing for it).
Should I be asking for my subscription money back?
ReplyDeleteRecycled articles, no copies at all from them, and when I log into their online website, I get logged in where it shows someone else's name who doesn't have access to FoxTalk PDFs at all. I have not bothered to check to see what this other guy has rights to access.
I am thinking they have totally self-destructed by this time. They suck out loud.
<< It is truly sad to see the incredibly fast decline in a once great magazine >>
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. I just console myself with thinking of the large amount of money I'll save by not renewing my subscription.
Hey Doug,
ReplyDeleteEven scarier is that you are still listed as a Contributing Editor (inside the back cover). So, there is a chance (although tiny) that people may see you as being complicit in all this - ie not only is the magazine degrading fast, but it may be tarnishing your reputation in the process. I agree with you: truly sad.
Cheers,
Craig