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Last post Author Topic: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets  (Read 54306 times)

tomos

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #50 on: July 26, 2008, 01:38 AM »
Did anyone look at the attachment in my last post, above?  It is a couple of paragraphs clipped directly from the most recent issue of WS and states that ALL of Gizmo's "premium" content - stuff that was formerly only available to premium (read: paying) subscribers to Support Alert - will always be available free in Windows Secrets

I started to reply to that yesterday but got distracted :)
That's good :up:

# Will the Tech Support Alert Website Have Premium Content?
No, all content on Tech Support Alert will now be free and that's the way it will stay. Current premium subscribers to Support Alert Newsletter will have full access to their premium content from the Windows Secrets Web site.
-
So, it sounds like new (paid) stuff will only be available via Windows secrets website ...
Tom

40hz

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #51 on: July 26, 2008, 02:12 AM »
Man, I thought I could out-whine everyone, but some are putting me to shame here!   ;D ;D

Jim

Some whine. Others mourn. ;)
« Last Edit: July 26, 2008, 02:15 AM by 40hz »

J-Mac

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #52 on: July 26, 2008, 02:30 AM »
I still don't understand.  I can't see where anything was "lost", but some premium content is gained.

  • Gizmo has converted all material on the TechSupportAlert.com wiki to free content
  • All past published Support Alert free articles and formerly paid-only articles is available for free at the Windows Secrets site
  • All premium TechSupportAlert articles from now on will be in the premium portion of the Windows Secret newsletter -- which is available to anyone who has a premium subscription to TechSupportAlert
At least that is how I'm reading it.  It appears that the previous "paid-only" TSA content is now freely available at the WS site.

Jim

Carol Haynes

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #53 on: July 26, 2008, 04:25 AM »
OK I an a moaner - it just seems like there is little new content being produced. It's great that the archives of Langa's newsletter etc. are still there online but that isn't nearly as interesting to me as the old newsletters the day they came out. They have an ever growing number of writers for WS but less and less new or interesting material appears in the newsletter ... plus I hate wading through the morass of advertising.

cranioscopical

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #54 on: July 26, 2008, 06:45 AM »
Some whine. Others mourn.

Good mourning!


40hz

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #55 on: July 26, 2008, 09:53 AM »
OK I an a moaner - it just seems like there is little new content being produced. It's great that the archives of Langa's newsletter etc. are still there online but that isn't nearly as interesting to me as the old newsletters the day they came out. They have an ever growing number of writers for WS but less and less new or interesting material appears in the newsletter ... plus I hate wading through the morass of advertising.
-Carol Haynes (July 26, 2008, 04:25 AM)

(Yo Carol! Go Girl!)

I agree. For those who don't:

1. Go to the TSA archive of newsletters.
2. Print out a few editions. Say six or so, selected at random. 
3. Read them.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for Windows Secrets.
5. Then compare them side by side.

If you really can't see a significant difference in the quality and quantity of the content, then please feel free to call those who do a bunch of whiners and moaners. For our part we'll just have to agree to disagree, and let it go at that.

On a related note, making archives of technical information available, while laudable, isn't that big a concession. Technical information gets "stale." I have copies of Byte going all the way back to Julius Caesar. They're interesting to read (i.e. the Macintosh intro) and good for an occasional laugh (Prolog programming) - but they're not all that useful on a day to day basis. So after about 6 months, much of what is in the TSA archive will only be of historic interest. I believe its truest value will lie in providing a model for how to write a superb newsletter.

« Last Edit: July 26, 2008, 02:54 PM by 40hz »

Redrik

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #56 on: August 13, 2008, 07:39 AM »
Now that some time has passed and there's something to form a preliminary opinion on I have a couple of comments:
1. The Livingstone style is nausiating.
2. Gizmo is still a good and useful read.
3. I'm paid up with Gizmo until May 2009 so will have plenty of time to decide.
4. I got enough laughs out of this thread to offset the negatives of the merger.
5. Numeracy is one of those things I can't count on.
6. I'm literally challenged but need a spell, now.


 :-\

iphigenie

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #57 on: December 09, 2008, 04:33 AM »
I am the kind to not complain, just shut up and unsubscribe, but since I am getting all the sales pitch for renewal... (I thought i had till may but no, doesnt seem like it anymore, date has changed to december. guess they need money to pay the christmas bills)

I haven't had any value out of that newsletter since it changed, frankly, and I have sent them an email telling them I won't renew.

Here are the differences to me (they overlap a bit, but i wont spend the time to make it clean list)

- support alerts used to cover lesser known software, tricks, with a very diy approach.  Windows secret covers only mainstream topic, you don't figure things yourself you BUY SOMETHING (usually with commission link attached)

- support alert used to cover all sorts of topic.  Windows secrets doesnt stray far from the coverage of something like Cnet/zdnet - well if i need to find content about the things that have promotional budgets, I can get it there.

- support alert created his own content - windows secret rehashes old news you have already gotten from (free) sites

- support alert used to have *a lot* of content, dozens of headings in a typical newsletter, some about freeware, some about software categories, some responses to users or user suggested content, . Windows secrets usually has 4-5 with 8 advert breaks and some filler. Out of these, 3 will be rehash of news already broadcast around about service packs or bugs, one will be a review of some kind of software, listing -if lucky- 2 different ones and quoting entire paragraphs word for word from the publisher's blurb, and one might be a slightly technical/practical thing. Their latest subscriber value? "free excerpts" from ebooks complete with sales pitch (=advertising) (you can get those for your site too, there are whole sites dealing with this. nice commission income, but not "exclusive value")

- support alert used to have a candid direct conversational tone - windows secrets  does it in a tone that is marketing fluff speak and seo keyword dropping.

- support alert used to dare be critical of kinds of software - windows secrets will do whole analysis on how you need everything from $70 parental filters to $20 memory managers (that's the one that really drove it home this was almost all subsidised content) and $40 tweak programs.

- support alert used to have interaction with its readers, things sent in, responses - windows secrets has a broadcast-media approach.

To me the "secret" is that this is the newsletter equivalent of those free, advertorial magazines. This is not at all the same product, and just not worth supporting. I'm sure it pays the bills better, but it's not worth my time.

My best guess is that they bought "support alert" for the SEO value of the software list pages - because they sure haven't bothered to keep any of the other things of value in there.
« Last Edit: December 09, 2008, 04:38 AM by iphigenie »

justice

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #58 on: December 09, 2008, 06:16 AM »
Shame :(

CWuestefeld

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #59 on: December 09, 2008, 08:33 AM »
I haven't had any value out of that newsletter since it changed
Agreed. Not that it's bad, but it certainly doesn't carry the quality of Gizmo's own newsletter. I can't see that the paid version is worth investing in.

iphigenie

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #60 on: December 09, 2008, 10:33 AM »
I think the target public of the newsletter is different, and perhaps it can grow to the quality of your typical glossy pc magazine, minus the pointless reviews. I am far too interested and far too involved/advanced as a user for this to have value for me. Especially when several of the articles really taste of rehash from feeds I read, and others smell of sponsored content (perhaps they are not, i am naturally suspicious having worked in b2c and b2b publishing long enough).

But i wouldnt have posted here except i got 2 emails today to make me renew - that kind of annoyed me enough to come and see what others were saying, and say something too.

Curt

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #61 on: December 18, 2008, 07:02 AM »
For new subscribers only, and for merely 3 months:

In celebration of the holiday season, we're letting you send all of your friends the paid version of the Windows Secrets Newsletter absolutely free for the next three full months.
Here's how our holiday giveaway works:

    * Step 1. Send the following URL in the text of an e-mail message to everyone you'd like to give, as a free gift, the paid version of the newsletter:

      http://WindowsSecrets.com/holidaygift

      You can include any text you like that will explain to your friends that they can get the paid version of this newsletter absolutely free as a gift. Please don't spam a bunch of strangers — just send your message to your friends, people who regularly receive e-mail from you.

    * Step 2. The holiday gift is only for people who've never had a subscription before.

    * Step 3. People who visit the link and enter a valid e-mail address by Dec. 31, 2008, will receive a confirmation message. They must click a link in that message to verify their address and begin their subscription
-Windows Secrets Newsletter

40hz

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Re: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Newsletter Merges with Windows Secrets
« Reply #62 on: December 18, 2008, 11:12 AM »
Thanks Curt. :) I wonder if anybody will send me an invite? I also wonder if I'll respond should I get one.

Observation:

Why does Windows Secrets have to make getting something for free such a project? Step 1, step 2, step 3...so much for instant gratification.

Why not just do up a special issue or two, and provide a link to them on their website?

Things like this keep hammering home to me just how different Windows Secrets' mindset is from the old TSA.