A Great War Forum publication?

[Chris_Baker]

To be honest, Keith, if we don't set it to make a profit that would feed into GWF funds then I don't see the point of the effort.

[John_Hartley]

if we don't set it to make a profit that would feed into GWF funds then I don't see the point of the effort.

This is a potentially good idea, although I see it is probably going to be very difficult to get off the ground and maintain.

Certainly agree with Chris' comment, otherwise the very many will enjoy the fruits of the labours of the very few. Or, at least, the very many will simply delete their digital magazine after spending five minutes skimming through it. In this, we might ask ourselves how many current "members" of the forum have a general interest in the Great War, as opposed to having a more narrow family history interest.

[Ron da Valli]

I for one would definitely buy a copy, although as a relative newcomer my contributions may be few and far between and possibly of a basic standard. making a profit for the Forum seems a good idea too, win win situation as they say.

[Martin Bennitt]

I'd be prepared to do copy editing, something which occupied most of my working life, of papers and threads.

Cheers Martin B

[centurion]

To be honest, Keith, if we don't set it to make a profit that would feed into GWF funds then I don't see the point of the effort.

Other than encouraging serious discussions, longer more in depth material in a more formal presentation (its worth doing footnotes for example on a page size article) and generally increasing the sum of knowledge

[trajan]

With so many people, each with their own area of interest, there should be plenty of material. Even if the majority don't know how to write a paper, it ought to keep going for ages. Thinking about that stumbling block, perhaps given that this isn't an academic community, writing guides could be offered? Knowing what the editor(s) are hoping for and the 'house' style might tempt a few more to have a go.

Would there be the equivalent of peer review and a facility to allow corrections/expansions by other people? 'Letters th the Editor' might not be a bad idea.

Keith

Much naturally depends on what community you are aiming at! But yes, any serious publication needs peer-review. Even the US of A Archaeology Magazine, writ mainly by journalists, asks those in the appropriate field to peer review the contributions. I would suspect that the similar publications in the UK do the same.

Other than encouraging serious discussions, longer more in depth material in a more formal presentation (its worth doing footnotes for example on a page size article) and generally increasing the sum of knowledge

Footnotes or whatever, sources are essential to any published article! My bane when it comes to contributions on the arms thread here (if specifically the bayonets bit!) is that whenever someone gets into detailed debate on an issue, so much of what is offered in reply is hearsay. I admit, I don't always 'footnote' my own contributions in such debates, but when I don't, I am always happy to supply the relevant source for information that I use or quote if this is requested. Most of the time it is not necessary, as the physical evidence is there on the GWG, in the form of photographs of bayonet markings, etc. But when it is not around...Well...???

Trajan

PS: In the event of something more formal emerging from this discussion I would be happy to comment on any articles related to German, Austro-Hungarian and Osmanli bayonets. I am by no means a self-declared and certainly not a recognised expert on these, but I have seen a few and I do have a reasonable knowledge of these subjects!

[slick63]

I like the idea of a quarterly journal but.... I`m not a great fan of digital magazines.

It could be age or just being a cheapskate, if I`m paying for something then I like it to physically exist rather than being an electronic file. Once I`ve read an ebook I generally discard it (always free as I`ve never purchased one), whilst my modest bookshelves still have publications on them which I bought over thirty years ago which I would never think of getting rid of.

A digest size, 100 page, black and white publication can be produced on somewhere like Lulu for around £2.60, or an A4 size for around £3.60, which leaves room for potential profit.

Just my personal thoughts though....

[Kate Wills]

I think it's a great idea; though as ever, it will require work and teamwork.

Committing to a quarterly journal is a tall order though. If we do persue this, I would vote in the first instance for a one-off special, perhaps for publication in August 2014.

[Chris_Baker]

Do we have any good advertising buyers or sellers amongst the GWF members? I could imagine a number of booksellers, tour companies, etc being interested.

[centurion]

I think it's a great idea; though as ever, it will require work and teamwork.

Committing to a quarterly journal is a tall order though. If we do persue this, I would vote in the first instance for a one-off special, perhaps for publication in August 2014.

One of the things that could be done with a regular publication would be to establish some themes and a series of articles - not really credible with a one off.

[4thGordons]

Sounds like a good idea to me. I would be happy to pick up some role/contribute to the organization if I could be of assistance. Given my location it would have to be handled online most of the time.

Chris

[yoshi1912]

Sounds like an excellent idea. In the time I have been reading this forum (about 9 years), I have noticed there are many people here with a natural flair for writing and also there are those with a huge amount of knowledge. This sounds like something I would be happy to subscribe to and support.