Resurrection? – A New Periodical

[DensleyBlair]

Hello to you all,

About two months ago, it occurred to me that I may be in a position to resurrect that old AARland institution: the periodical. Back then, I was just going into a month of exam preparation, followed by a month of exams. The idea only got so far off the ground – but stayed firmly in mind.

Now, I only have three exams left – and then a long summer beckons. Therefore, I have a certain degree of time on my hands, and the opportunity for a new AARland periodical is there.

Would anyone be interested in the project? Not necessarily in contributing (though, naturally, we'd need a decent number of contributors to get off the ground and keep it sustainable) but just generally in reading and offering support. My focus in many case would be on ensuring that the content would be as interactive as possible. I think one of the problems with the format of the last AARlander (and this isn't to diminish it at all) is that it was somewhat passive: a select few contributors offered their various thoughts and, aside from the much-valued feedback thread, that would more often than not be that.

To give you all an idea of what I mean by this rambling, here are some initial thoughts about possible features I had back in April:

The ExaminAAR(?)*

A periodical for the enquiring AARlander.

Some sort of serial?
Guess the AuthAAR? (With coz's blessing, of course – though I think this could be a good way to revive two things at once.)
Letters to the editor
Debate on pertinent questions
News roundups (including awAARds)
Tutorials, etc.
Some form of showcase?
Interviews
Guest contributors
Reviews
etc. etc.

*Name subject to change, but it's my personal preference at the moment; I quite like the 'active' connotations it brings.

The focus, therefore, would not just be on getting half a dozen articles ready for publication each month, but rather collating content and activities that serves as a sort of catalyst for reader participation.

Obviously, not all of those ideas are feasible. Not all of them are even that good – but that's what this thread is for. Therefore, if you're at all interested in a revival, please do share your thoughts. After all, if this thing is going to be at all rooted in the community, it's probably best that the community help to craft it.

DB​

 

[LordTempest]

I still prefer The GuAARadian personally, and the connotations that brings (the periodical and its readers being the guardians of AARland sounds a lot cooler then them simply examining things, but as you say that's just a personal preference.)

Regarding activity, as I said when the "idea" was first mooted during Derahan's tenure, AARland preidoicals (or the two AARlanders at least) have always been interactive, in the sense that readers were encouraged both to offer feedback and to contribute content on a regular basis almost from day one. Derahan will confirm that 99% of his job as editor was spent on just getting people to be interactive and write content or at least comment. If a "lack of interactivity" has been a fatal flaw of either periodical in the past, then it was a flaw which did not stem from the people at the top, to say the very least.

I also notice that there's no mention of a continuation of your AARland History in the list of suggested features. This should be remedied post-haste.

 

[Dr.Livingstone]

I'd love to help out with such a project! Now that summers begun and my exams are over, I should have plenty of time to invest with!

 

[DKM]

I'd be interested.

 

[DensleyBlair]

Regarding activity, as I said when the "idea" was first mooted during Derahan's tenure, AARland preidoicals (or the two AARlanders at least) have always been interactive, in the sense that readers were encouraged both to offer feedback and to contribute content on a regular basis almost from day one. Derahan will confirm that 99% of his job as editor was spent on just getting people to be interactive and write content or at least comment. If a "lack of interactivity" has been a fatal flaw of either periodical in the past, then it was a flaw which did not stem from the people at the top, to say the very least.

Good points. Derahan did an excellent job in his efforts to get people involved and interacting – and, naturally, I don't mean to belittle these efforts at all. The point of writing anything, after all, is to elicit a response of some kind. But I do think the argument can be made that interactivity could be 'diversified' (and I'm trying my best not to talk like a BBC executive here) by offering more that readers can engage with. If it is indeed a problem stemming not from those 'at the top', then – then it's probably worth at least experimenting with different methods of encouraging people to engage. The effectiveness of just asking people to contribute has, after all, been found somewhat lacking up to now.

I also notice that there's no mention of a continuation of your AARland History in the list of suggested features. This should be remedied post-haste.

Well, the list was by no means exhaustive.


Thanks as well to everyone else who has expressed interest. It's reassuring to see that there's a desire to press ahead outside of the old AARlander alumni's club!

 

[Asantahene]

I think that this is a great idea-we have a great and active AAR community and this would certainly be a way of getting us writers and readers even more engaged-count me in!

 

[Tommy4ever]

I miss the AARlander.

I'll be having my last long empty summer this year, so count me in for summer time contributions, but I can guarantee I will never realistically be able to play much of a role from Septmenber onwards.

The AARland history chapters have to return. My favourite ever AARland magazine articles.

 

[LordTempest]

I miss the AARlander.

I'll be having my last long empty summer this year, so count me in for summer time contributions, but I can guarantee I will never realistically be able to play much of a role from Septmenber onwards.

Huzzah! We might finally get round to seeing that article you promised us almost two years ago!

The AARland history chapters have to return. My favourite ever AARland magazine articles.

This. So much this.

 

[RossN]

I'd be interested.

 

[coz1]

I have and always will support any continuation of the AARland periodical, regardless of what name it runs under. It might be a consideration, though certainly not a recommendation, to continue with the previous name to if nothing else utilize the awareness that comes with the long history of such but perhaps a new name and new focus will help revitalize the effort. Good luck in whatever you do and I will certainly help in any way I am able.

 

[Attalus]

That seems like an interesting project although I don't know what I could do to help. Anyway you have my support !

 

[loup99]

I'm interested as I stated previously, and I too would prefer The GuAARadian although none of those names are especially neutral in their nature. Also, as I previously mentioned, I personally think it would be interesting to look at linking other forum projects or have something that could attract people that do not usually read AAR:s.

 

[LordTempest]

Oops, The GuAARdian I mean...

Generally speaking, the best way to help a periodical like this is to contribute something - this usually means writing an article, which could be a review of a specific AAR, a general piece on AAR writing or AARs in general, or an interview of a specific AAR author. If English happens to be your second language, don't worry, you're not alone! We've had contributors in the past who spoke English as a third or fourth language, and they managed fine. If you're unsure about your written English, don't worry: your fellow contributors will often be willing to help you out a bit.

 

[99KingHigh]

Sounds interesting. My only concern is that the last thing we want to do is name it after that horrible leftist Guardian.

 

[Dr.Livingstone]

If one allows for a stretching of the spelling, then we could use such names as the Paradox HAAReld, the Paradox MessengAAR, and the Paradox InquirAAR.

 

[LordTempest]

Sounds interesting. My only concern is that the last thing we want to do is name it after that horrible leftist Guardian.

The Morning StAAR it is!

 

[loup99]

Sounds interesting. My only concern is that the last thing we want to do is name it after that horrible leftist Guardian.

Concerning the political stance of that newspaper, I would say it is at best centre-left/liberal. The Morning Star could be classed as leftist though, so that I would not deny that being highly biased. In my opinion, the GuAARdian would probably be one of the most neutral picks amongst those present.

 

[LordTempest]

Concerning the political stance of that newspaper, I would say it is at best centre-left/liberal. The Morning Star could be classed as leftist though, so that I would deny being highly biased.

I'm not really worried about the political stance of a paper IRL or whatnot, I just really like the name.

 

[loup99]

I'm not really worried about the political stance of a paper IRL or whatnot, I just really like the name.

I'm not concerned about that either, otherwise I would never have supported the GuAARdian. I was just, using his point of view, arguing why the GuAARdian would be more fitting.

 

[DKM]

The Morning StAAR it is!

Wasn't that a Vicky 2 AAR? I remember seeing one like that a long time ago.