If you had your choice btwn. an electronic version of Parachutist or the printed one, which would you choose?

I like getting my physical magazine every month, but I'd also love to have electronic back issues. I can't justify keeping more than a few months of old magazines around, and every once in a while there is an old article I want to look up.

Setup is the main cost and you have the assumption that setup is automatically split amongst all the members. So your assumption is the faulty bit of your article then.

If the set up fee is the cost, then that also should be split amongst those that elect to get the magazine, ditto for paying the contributors, and everything associated with the mag - not added to the cost of those that don't want it anymore. It should be an option so that many can reduce their annual dues which continue to climb. And doing both? Just to raise the dues for everyone to satisfy the needs of the few? That just makes the current topic even worse.

I used to have a newspaper delivered at home, the day began with coffee and all the news fit to print. I recall a sense of satisfaction completing the last of my coffee and the paper. A small victory of sorts to start the the day.
I was informed, I had up to date information and often some useless or interesting tid bit to share or laugh about during the work day.

I still have magazines delivered, some I keep after reading them but many hit the recycle bin. I get some satisfaction when I finish a magazine. I save the latest issue of Parachutist for reading with my coffee in the morning. I enjoy reading about or seeing pictures of people I have met or want to, reading about a DZ I have been to or haven't yet. Catching up on developments in skydiving, record breaking or unique jumps complete with pictures. Nice magazine to have on the end table. It doesn't cost extra, it's included in membership dues, as are other magazines I get virtue of belonging to a group. How much could a person save if they could opt out? Complain about quality or content, cost can not really be a factor.

"exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile"
'nother james

I'm in favor of an option to select electronic or paper. Personally, I don't want paper at all. It clutters up the house (until tossed somewhere else), and wastes postage, fuel and material to produce and deliver. I'm not even interested in saving money here. Paper or electronic, you can keep the dues the same as far as I'm concerned. I just don't want the paper.

Also, I don't buy the argument that for the same amount of money you can't put together an e-version of Parachutist (web-published, I assume) that is far more useful and effective than a stack of paper. You can do things with multi-dimensional, multi-media web documents greatly beyond what can be done with any number of sheets of pressed wood pulp, as I'm sure anyone who wanders the web knows well enough. And all this is possible without spending a dime on software.

The paper version is awesome. Very professional and high quality. Besides, it would be too hard to read an e-version of Parachutist while on the toilet. Keep up the good work!

I'd love to have access to back issues on-line.

I love the magazine, but I do think that there should be a discount for not receiving it. My fiance and I are both USPA members and we get two issues every month... we definitely don't need both!! Either that or offer a couple membership discount. In these economic times, anything that the USPA can do to help retain members would be helpful.

I just became a member about a year ago and love to find old copies laying around the dz. It would be awesome to have an e-version also, to be able to go back to the first issue and see all the cool pictures and articles.