Topic: Grow Your Own Magazine Free Seed Issue

[gunnerbee]

What a cheek!!! Id ring back and complain to her superior.

[smartie]

Yes I am a newbie but I'd like to think my opinion still counts. I haven't read the magazine yet, but I just thought that the tirade against the editor seemed like a bit of an overreaction. I'm not sure that the editor would even be the right person to contact for an enquiry like that so to see her helping out and getting slagged off for it was disappointing to me (I work in customer service and know all too well that sometimes whatever you say will be wrong!)

.....and yes I'm trying lots of different sources to find helpful info, thanks for the tip-off of somewhere good to look!  :)

[gunnerbee]

i like kitchen garden, but i only brought it for a year as i felt that for the money it cost i could put towards a good gardening book instead, (or lots of gardening books if you scan the jumble sales and car boots!!)

[p_eacock]

I find it odd, westsussexlotte, that you can make such a comment. I am totally baffled that people can say such things. Well I suppose we live in a democracy.

If you are inferring anything,westsussexlotte, about the sudden appearance of people willing to defend tGrow your Own, then perhaps you had better accept the fact that people actually like it. What they do not like though, is being bullied. Having it inferred that the only mag for allotment holders is Kitchen Garden.

Who would have thought that a bit of competition n a market place would cause such a fuss - I am totally bemused.

[Justy]

I think the trouble with a lot of these magazines about a niche subject is that they eventually run out of new things to show.  My mum gave me a huge pile of old gardeners world magazines and once you have read 12 - 18 months worth then the stuff starts getting repeated in slightly different format.  This is absolutely correct because new people are getting interested all the time but for anyone who subscribes to a magazine for a long period may start to feel that it is not as good as it used to be.  I will do 12 months of GYO and then try something else - not come across Kitchen Garden but will try and track it down as seems very popular.

This probably has no relevance at all anything but when the fingers get typing just can't stop em!  :)

[Merry Tiller]

Blimey, high horses all round then, I think a few people should chill, especially if you feel bullied by someone on a message board, get a sense of perspective maybe? Old hands (which I'm not) on here like to pass on information and opinions to each other after all information is power

 If you like it buy it, personally I thought it was a load of toilet paper, if you are new to veg growing you'll gain more knowledge from The Kitchen Garden I feel but that's just my opinion for what it's worth :P

[Roy Bham UK]

;D Westy you are a shrewd observer and maybe right :o we'll see ;)
Never read either mag but thought GYO Ed was way out of place killed it for me ;D If I were her Boss she'd be out the door in a flash >:(

[wardy]

Hello WSL  :) Beware of frost this evening  ;D ;D ;D

Wardy

[westsussexlottie]

Hiya Wardy...

not frosted yet... must be a very resistant variety....  ;D

[MarthaMad]

The editor definitely has a way with words....   :o

I told my other half about her response and he was baffled by her tone. He's in PR and thought that she might be able to save a bit of face on the board.

He emailed her to let her know about the unsavoury PR that was happening about her magazine...  He got this response:

From:     "Georgina Wroe" <georgina.wroe@aceville.co.uk>
   
Reply-To:     "Georgina Wroe" <georgina.wroe@aceville.co.uk>
   
Subject:     Re: Grow Your Own
   
Date:     Fri 27 May 2005 08:11 AM

   
aren't they horrible? I think that's what happens when you spend too much time on an allotment. Thanks for pointing it out though

    ----- Original Message -----
    To: georgina.wroe@aceville.co.uk
    Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 2:46 PM
    Subject: Grow Your Own

    Looks like you magazine is getting some rather unsavoury PR...

    http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,9813.0.html

[sarahr]

I'm sorry but she has a point. You are all being horrible to her. Why you must all persist in posting private emails on a public forum? Complaining about someone in this manner without giving them a chance to defend themselves is tantamount to bullying in my opinion - it was a private matter between you and her, instead you have dragged the entire forum into it, with poor little me look who evil this person is. If you don't like her tone with you then email her and tell her  or her boss and don't buy the magazine. Post that you bought the magazine and she gave you what you considered to be a rude email response, there is no need to post the correspondance between you and her. I have to say I am disappointed by some of the members of this forum.

[MarthaMad]

I thought that the point of message boards were to share experiences, ideas, and seek to connect like minded people.

Being a member of this board I am an alotmenteer like most other members, I was just sharing my experiences, an experience that other people like myself would benefit from.

My partners email was sent to her in the hopes that she could save the face of her magazine with the community here. I actually like the magazine (see previous posts). Not knowing him from Adam or Joe she proceeded to dish another slided comment. 

I was not trying to start anything, just wanting to share.

[micsmum]

 ;D Think I'll stick with Amateur Gardener! 8)
Helen

[Meg]

Bless. I go with the people who scour second hand book shops.I have found several bargains in my searches full of info. I had Kitchen Garden for a year and enjoyed and have seen a copy of GYO I liked the recipes in there. But Hey sun is shining happy gardening everyone ;)

[Justy]

hmm prepared for benefit of the doubt on first email but 2nd one is a bit much. They are obviously selling so many copies that a bit of bad publicity does not bother them.

Think this thread is now done and dusted and enough been said (written?).

[smartie]

I agree, I doubt this is benefitting anyone, why not let's just get on with the important business!
(Although, to be fair to her, in her 2nd personal email she was hardly likely to say "oh really, how jolly nice of them", was she?!)

[sarahr]

I thought that the point of message boards were to share experiences, ideas, and seek to connect like minded people.

My partners email was sent to her in the hopes that she could save the face of her magazine with the community here. I actually like the magazine (see previous posts). Not knowing him from Adam or Joe she proceeded to dish another slided comment. 

I was not trying to start anything, just wanting to share.

Sorry I didn't mean make my post sound so personal, but my point was there was no need for you or the OP to post personal emails. You could have just said how she replied to your partner. Similarly with the OP,  the sharing of the experience would have been enough to be getting on with.

In defence of her comment, when everyone is lashing out at you it is easy to make innappropriate comments in the heat of the moment. 

And what has she actually done that was so bad? She sent out some replacement seeds to the OP, and made the comment that perhaps the magazine wasn't the best one for her. What is so wrong with that? Perhaps the manner in which the comment was delivered caused offence but if that was the case why wasn't this taken up with her, instead of attacking her personally on a message board? Who knows how many emails she has got from people who have seen her address on this forum and decided to have a go at her.

To be really honest in customer service, it is highly unusual that an editor or manager takes the time to respond personally at the start - most if not all would just forward the email to someone else to deal with.

[David R]

I agree Sarahr with your main point, the fact that she mailed back after half hour is quite extraordinary. Free seeds sent through without a grumble, not bad really.

[Ceri]

I would guess with modern technology, that many magazines have a lot less staff than we assume - I wouldn't have thought a new mag in particular would necessarily have the funding for a PR manager/assistant ed/Customer Service rep etc.  Perhaps its like Radio 4 plays, where 4 actors play 26 parts!!  Perhaps its written in an allotment shed (with solar panels for charging the laptop!!!)

[Ceri]

while I'm on the subject, while I have absolutely nothing to say about the magazine, or really the issues being so hotly debated, personally if I was e-mailing someone about a matter that related to my professional responsibility, I would keep your 'professional' head on and never assume that your e-mail won't be forwarded. 

That is, in the days when I wore suits and an expression of competent and serious professionalism - now I just wear wellies and children's yoghurt stains (well, not just wellies and yoghurt stains, but you know what I mean)