NYLON, what are you doing?!

[skyblacker]

A few months ago, I got a free *print* subscription from NYLON via an offer through Urban Outfitters. Issues arrived in my mailbox on schedule.

Then this arrived in my inbox:

Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 02:37:49 +0000
Subject: Nylon Cares
From: ------ @nylonmag.com

You're receiving this email because you requested to receive a notification when the latest issue became available.

Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe Instantly.

NYLON, April 2009

NYLON cares about you and the environment!

Dear ,

We’re pleased to attach your April issue of NYLON Magazine – in digital format. Just as DVDs have it all over VHS tapes, we think you will come to agree that our digital edition of NYLON offers a number of advantages over the traditional print edition:

No more waiting for your new issues to come in the mail! We will email each new issue of NYLON to you the day our editors sign off on it! And yes, the digital edition has all the content of the paper version; plus you can easily click, save, and print out the photos -- or share them with friends online.

No more lost issues! Ever had a magazine misplaced by the post office? Chewed up by the dog? Borrowed by your BFF? No problem – each digital edition in your NYLON subscription is always available to you, on our website or your computer!

No more paper! Looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint? You have found one – enjoying NYLON Magazine on your screen instead of on paper! You’ll have less to throw out too.

Again, thank you for subscribing to NYLON. Wait ‘til you see what we have lined up in months ahead…

Sincerely,

Don Hellinger
President

P.S. If for some reason you would prefer to receive the print edition of NYLON instead of the digital edition, simply call 1-866-639-8133 between the hours of 8AM and 10 PM central time , and a Customer Service Representative will be pleased to assist you.




NYLON Holdings Inc. - New York - NY - United States - 10012 - 110 Greene Street - Suite 607 - 212-226-6454 -
----- @nylonmag.com - http://www.nylonmag.com

Has anyone else received this? Is NYLON folding?

BTW, the digital edition is horrid. It's a clunky imitation of print -- "flipping page" sound effects, long loading time for pages, etc. Sad presentation of nothing more than a PDF file. If this is a magazine's idea of going digital, no wonder "going digital" is synonymous with folding.

Update: I called, spoke to a very pleasant customer service rep, and he put me back on the print track. He also told me that NYLON is only doing this with subscriptions from Urban Outfitters. Many people have called requesting to get the magazine in print. However, the rep also had to extend my subscription by a month because I will not be getting the April issue -- they ran out of print copies. Apparently NYLON's experiment failed.

[limpstar]

I am planning on asking for the print edition. I really enjoy NYLON and like reading it in paper form.

[kfactor]

i agree

[shopgurl101]

Yeah, sounds like its folding to me. I lost that email. I want to find it cuz I really want to read the april issue

[lilmissobsessiv]

I was wondering why i did not receive the april issue and then i received the e-mail i also plan on calling and getting the print version.

[shopgurl101]

I was wondering why i did not receive the april issue and then i received the e-mail i also plan on calling and getting the print version.I just called and they said they didn't make a print version of the April one, cuz they were doing a trial, which disappoints me cuz I was really looking forward to LL's interview. But you can call to get a print version of May and the next months

[javaFlower]

With credit tight, there have been a few mags who have gone digital (many hoping only temporarily)
hoping to save money, retain readership as much as possible, and stay alive.

I suspect that we will see more and more mags trying to survive in these ways.

[GeminiiGirl]

:rolleyes: i never got an email. i called and talked to some biotchy lady. she wouldnt even extend my subscription for not getting the april issue.

[skyblacker]

I lost that email. I want to find it cuz I really want to read the april issue

This is the link that came in my email: http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=13625&p= (http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=13625&p=)

Not sure if it will work for you too, but that's what I got.

BTW, there's a toolbar above the image of the magazine pages, and you can click on "Contents" to go directly to various articles.

[limpstar]

I just called and they said they didn't make a print version of the April one, cuz they were doing a trial, which disappoints me cuz I was really looking forward to LL's interview. But you can call to get a print version of May and the next months

Exactly! Was really looking forward to it.

[shopgurl101]

This is the link that came in my email: http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=13625&p= (http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=13625&p=)

Not sure if it will work for you too, but that's what I got.

BTW, there's a toolbar above the image of the magazine pages, and you can click on "Contents" to go directly to various articles.Thank you it worked :) repped

[skyblacker]

Exactly! Was really looking forward to it.

I've yet to find a transcript of Lohan's interview in Nylon, but she did something similar for Interview a couple months ago:

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/lindsay-lohan/

Personally I'm debating whether to buy Nylon on the newstand this month. I was really beginning to enjoy that magazine, but reading the digital version is like driving a car with square wheels.

[ZeroSyztem]

With credit tight, there have been a few mags who have gone digital (many hoping only temporarily)
hoping to save money, retain readership as much as possible, and stay alive.

I suspect that we will see more and more mags trying to survive in these ways.

I think any company is or would be crazy to switch from Print to digital and hope to retain a sizeable readership while still charging a monthly or yearly fee. I don't know anyone who is excited about recent changes to digital, including me.

[skyblacker]

I think any company is or would be crazy to switch from Print to digital and hope to retain a sizeable readership while still charging a monthly or yearly fee. I don't know anyone who is excited about recent changes to digital, including me.

I partially agree with that. While switching from print to digital would reduce NYLON's readership, it would also sharply reduce their expenses. So if done intelligently, it might still be profitable. (of course, most of the periodicals we've seen "going digital" have done it as part of their death throes, often while in denial about issues that go deeper than the cost of printing and circulation.)

If NYLON were serious about "going digital," they would pay a programmer to add the magazine's full text and images to their (decent) website, perhaps in a subscriber-only area. If this VIP area allowed me to read the current issue and complete archives, I might pay the same $5 for that which NYLON is charging for their digital subscription. I mean, unlike the digital subscription, this VIP area would actually allow me to read.

[BudgetBeauty]

Ugh, this annoys me so much. I guess I'll head to the newstand in a few.

[falsexletters]

I just called and they said they didn't make a print version of the April one, cuz they were doing a trial, which disappoints me cuz I was really looking forward to LL's interview. But you can call to get a print version of May and the next months

I got the April print issue... but they also sent me something like that...

[CallistaSkye]

I don't mind the switch to digital, however ,their implementation of it is just really clunky and awkward. If they are going to do that, they need to make the pages load much much faster, the scrolling work better, and it not be so strange feeling. It's trying too hard to be the print copy instead of being the digital copy.

I plan on switching back to the paper issues though. They haven't perfected the digital enough to make it worth it to read online.

[skyblacker]

I got the April print issue... but they also sent me something like that...

Was your subscription sponsored by Urban Outfitters?

[winyen]

I got the Lindsay Lohan issue, and am sponsered by UO. I received an e-mail with the digital version. Will I have to contact cust. service?

[skyblacker]

I got the Lindsay Lohan issue, and am sponsered by UO. I received an e-mail with the digital version. Will I have to contact cust. service?

I would call it, just to be on the safe side. Anyway, it's not like their Customer Service keeps bank hours.

[skyblacker]

You're receiving this email because you requested to receive a notification when the latest issue became available.

Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe Instantly.

NYLON, May 2009

NYLON cares about you and the environment!

Dear ,

We’re pleased to attach your April issue of NYLON Magazine – in digital format. [...]

Despite the fact that it says "April issue," it links to May.

Goshdarnit, I called customer service about this last month. Did they not listen or do they simply not care?

The fact that the second line in this message is the option to unsubscribe (something usually at the bottom of mailing list emails) makes me think that this digital bait-and-switch is really just an attempt to cut circulation.

What truly bothers me isn't that they're dropping sponsored subscribers, because we paid nothing and have no right to complain. What I dislike is the underhanded manner in which they're doing it. NYLON might be saving money, but they're doing it at the cost of terrible PR.

Update: According to Customer Service, I'm still slated to receive this issue in print. In which case, the above email is causing unnecessary confusion.

[winyen]

I would call it, just to be on the safe side. Anyway, it's not like their Customer Service keeps bank hours.

Thanks for your advice, I called them (since I received an e-mail where they said something like, "If you wish to receive your subscription in print, please contact Customer Service"...), and got them to change my sub back to print. And I asked if I would be getting a free 1 issue extension and the lady added one on :woot:

[GREENtee]

I have to call them! I got the digital version also, but I want to hold the actual magazine in my hands. I love this magazine.

[blueviolent]

i just now got the march issue with the twilght girl on the cover (like on the 17th of April!) it was the first one of this sub i received. i honestly don't even recall signing up for the mag (but i know for sure it was not from UO, never been there!) my sub info online says the last mailed issue was may. what is up with that? i guess they skipped april on me too. wonder if i should call and make sure i'm signed up for print? i'm willing to wait to see if may's shows up first. i didn't get an email that i'm aware of. they do have my email though.

[amymonel]

magazine is not a magazine unless its on paper IMO

[anni77777]

i signed up for a free print nylon subscription last year but cant remember from who...its still still coming though. Man oh man do i hate digital magazines..The only thing thats better in digital is a text book because you dont have to haul it around lol..to me anyway

magazine is not a magazine unless its on paper IMO

thats exactly how i feel!!! :bounce:

[skyblacker]

Man oh man do i hate digital magazines..The only thing thats better in digital is a text book because you dont have to haul it around lol..to me anyway.

Actually print textbooks still have an advantage since they can be easily marked and highlighted. The only problem is that they're too big -- what class will actually go through a thousand pages in a semester? But lately you can find textbooks broken up into smaller volumes, so it's not so bad. Too-big textbooks are probably more of an issue in high school than college (where students have to buy textbooks and are therefore less likely to put up with it).

The only thing I prefer in digital is newspapers. I enjoy readers' comments and not having to flip to a page in the back of the section to finish the article. And while magazines are pretty and pleasurable to touch, you don't miss out on much when a newspaper isn't print -- cheap paper, ink that comes off on sweaty hands.

[bittersweetmess]

A few months ago, I got a free *print* subscription from NYLON via an offer through Urban Outfitters. Issues arrived in my mailbox on schedule.

Then this arrived in my inbox:



Has anyone else received this? Is NYLON folding?

BTW, the digital edition is horrid. It's a clunky imitation of print -- "flipping page" sound effects, long loading time for pages, etc. Sad presentation of nothing more than a PDF file. If this is a magazine's idea of going digital, no wonder "going digital" is synonymous with folding.

Update: I called, spoke to a very pleasant customer service rep, and he put me back on the print track. He also told me that NYLON is only doing this with subscriptions from Urban Outfitters. Many people have called requesting to get the magazine in print. However, the rep also had to extend my subscription by a month because I will not be getting the April issue -- they ran out of print copies. Apparently NYLON's experiment failed.

When I called it was so unprofessional. First the woman that answered told me she had to get to the computer...then she told me she had to restart her system and for me to call back because she didn't want me on hold since she didn't know how long that would take her. It was unlike any call I've ever been on. I didn't even call back because I didn't want to deal with it. I am calling again tomorrow.

[jennnn]

i just called now and i got a wonderful rep, she even added 3 extra months onto my subscription . (:

[BudgetBeauty]

So I just called because I had no idea that this digital edition thing was supposed to be permanent, and when I asked for the back issues I never got, the rep told me that the company is completely out of back issue because so many people have been requesting them. They added three months to my current subscription though. I guess I'll just head to the store for the May issue.

[kg1]

I emailed rather than called them, they switched my sub back to print and added a few extra issues for my trouble. I'm happy, I really like this mag and I really hate digital mags.

[henley0715]

Has anyone received May's issue? I tried to contact them through email and they don't accept emails anymore. I received mailer daemon..........

[smoaks]

Has anyone received May's issue? I tried to contact them through email and they don't accept emails anymore. I received mailer daemon..........

yeah i didn't get may either and tried to email them and got the same thing, i'll call now....

the dude said there is no reason i shouldn't be getting it, he said may's issue will be mailed next week, he said that urban outfitters wanted to switch to digital but now they have agreed to go back to print.

sounds like a bunch of caca but we'll see.

[GeminiiGirl]

:unsure: i havent gotten my may issue yet either. i have noticed i always get mine really late. never this late though.

[skyblacker]

I'm going to go on a slight tangent here, but I think NYLON's experiment with digital and our reactions to it say a lot about digital magazines in general.

Here's an article that mentions the difference between "designed for digital" magazines and "replicas of print" (and I think we can agree that NYLON is the latter):
http://www.foliomag.com/2009/why-europe-ahead-u-s-auditing-digital-magazines

I love this comment one reader left: "When publishers try to sell ads into digital replicas they almost always fail. Selling ads into a "designed for digital" publication can be lucrative."

[henley0715]

has anyone received may's issue?

[GeminiiGirl]

has anyone received may's issue?

May was digital. i havent gotten my June and called. i was told the June issue is a June/July issue and she told me it's not late until June 20somethingorother.

[toonzdiggler333]

does nylon have mens a issue?

[skyblacker]

The other day, I just recieved my first print issue of NYLON in months! Are other people finally getting it too?

[henley0715]

Yeah, I emailed them, they told me I would receive July's issue. I haven't received July's issue so I emailed them, then they tell me that it was a June/July issue and I won't be receiving my next issue until September. WTF dude? So where's my June/July issue and why won't I be receiving August issue? May was digital. i havent gotten my June and called. i was told the June issue is a June/July issue and she told me it's not late until June 20somethingorother.

[GeminiiGirl]

i still havent gotten my Nylon issues :rolleyes:

[winyen]

i haven't received an issue since April's, w/Lohan. I've called 3 times, and they all said i should be receiving them. I've gotten 2 issue extensions.

[onlvlyown]

I just got my august issue today, and my subscription says in only lasts til october '10... for those who got your subs extended, what date do you have?

=)

[rsx1285]

does nylon have mens a issue?


I have a subsciption for Nylon Mens and I have only received one issue and that was months ago, I am calling tomorrow to make them send me my next issue as well as extend my sub because I never got an email about going to digital

[GeminiiGirl]

i got my august issue today :whee: