<nettime> Fwd: Re: Tired of Wired

[Thomas Claburn <tom@wired.com>]

[by way of markjr@privateworld.com]    
  
I got a couple of responses from Wired staff on "Tired of Wired" posted
last week. I'm bouncing this one to the list with permission because I
figured a few might be interested. -mark

>>I wrote the blurb below about 2 weeks ago, immediately after I gave up
>>reading the December issue of Wired. At the time I thought I'd send it out
>>to one or two of the mailing lists I'm on, then sat on it instead. I
>>thought maybe I was just being grumpy. A couple people here at work read
>>it and today one of them forwards me the URL for Upside's "43 Reasons
>>Wired Sucks" <http://www.upside.com/texis/mvm/opinion/story?id=367541820>
>>and reading it concluded that there are a few people thinking along the
>>same lines.

Mark,

Your letter was forwarded to me so if you weren't anticipating a 
response, pardon the intrusion. I would like, however, to address two of 
your complaints about Wired. As Wired's production coordinator, I have 
been involved with the magazine's space allocation since issue 3.6. In 
those three-and-a-half years, our ratio of edit to advertising has not 
changed substantially. We generally run an edit/ad ratio from 55/45 to 
50/50, producing 100-120 pages of editorial per issue and a like amount 
of ads. This changes seasonally - more during the holidays but it's 
typically quite consistent. If you've noticed an increase in ads, it's 
likely that you are seeing more 2 page spread ads and fewer singles. But 
the overall page count has not varied significantly over time.

With issue 7.01, I also took over as the editor of Rants & Raves and I 
assure you that I'm not interested in printing balm for Wired's ego. I 
look for letters that are well-written and cogent. Period.  The fact is 
that many of the negative letters we receive are poorly written and 
abusive. They are often rants and, ironically, not fit to print. When we 
get feedback articulate critics, I try to offer equal time. We received a 
number of accusations of bias regarding our '83 Reasons..." story. You 
should see a few of them in issue 7.03.

As for Wired Tools, it's a seasonal thing. A number of other magazine 
publish similar paens to commerce. It's also a very popular section with 
our readers. What can I say? Wired is a business. America's holy days are 
sales.

With regard to the rest of our articles, I hope you won't dismiss our 
publication and the people who breathe life into it by a few stories you 
don't like. I still think Wired is one of the best magazines on the 
newsstand. Of course, Wired pays my bills, so I have to say that, right?

Should you have specific criticisms, feel free to send them to me at 
rants@wired.com. But please try to address why you dislike our content.  
You contend that, "The most prevalent theme for a few issues now being 
fluff jobs about how much money so-and-so has made at doing this or 
that." That's too vague a charge. That could be said of every mainstream 
magazine out there.

Regardless, thanks for being interested enough to offer feedback.

Cheers,
Thomas Claburn
Wired Magazine
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