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NEW: BRM Express monthly E-Newsletter


SteveCole
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Hi all,

 

We are pleased to announce the launch of a brand new Email Newsletter called 'BRM Express'. Edited by Phil Parker, this monthly E-Newsletter will be sent at midday on the last Friday of every month. Issue 1 will be dispatched TODAY (Feb 23rd).

 

We'll be developing it each month, but Issue 1 includes:

 

  • Phil's monthly Blog
  • First Look Video: Andy McVittie and Phil Parker take a look at Hatton's new P Class
  • BMRA Awards results
  • How to...model a cliff face
  • Handy Hints: storing paint
  • Howard's Picture of the Month
  • Reader Offers
  • Friday's Funny Video

 

It's a great read for a Friday afternoon! We'd also like to know what else you'd like to see in future editions.

 

BRM Express will be sent to everyone signed up to the World-of-Railways Email List. You can sign-up by clicking here.

 

Enjoy,

 

Steve

 

 

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Hmm, I await Issue No.1 with interest, and part of my interest is wondering what purpose it serves as it doesn't sound very 'express' at monthly intervals. (and why not 4 weekly intervals or does Phil need a bit of time off now and again ;) ? ).  I would have thought some occasional 'extra workings' to get truly express delivery of news might fit with the name - maybe you have that in mind anyway?

 

It will no doubt be considerably better than MRE Mag (sorry to damn with faint praise) and it will have the nice advantage of arriving almost unheralded in the email inbox (and hopefully not the spam receptacle) but I'm still wondering quite where it lies in market positioning or is just that you have more material than you can use in your existing printed and electronic outlets?

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Hmm, I await Issue No.1 with interest, and part of my interest is wondering what purpose it serves as it doesn't sound very 'express' at monthly intervals. (and why not 4 weekly intervals or does Phil need a bit of time off now and again ;) ? ).  I would have thought some occasional 'extra workings' to get truly express delivery of news might fit with the name - maybe you have that in mind anyway?

 

It will no doubt be considerably better than MRE Mag (sorry to damn with faint praise) and it will have the nice advantage of arriving almost unheralded in the email inbox (and hopefully not the spam receptacle) but I'm still wondering quite where it lies in market positioning or is just that you have more material than you can use in your existing printed and electronic outlets?

 

We'd love for it to go weekly and this is something we've already discussed. However, we'd be crazy to attempt this from Issue 1. Let's see how it goes first...

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Signing up not achieved as the ‘Find my account number’ gizmo would not work as it needed my account number!

 

Here's the reply from our IT whizz...

 

It looks like the customer attempted to register for the newsletter using the Find my Account function and you can only do this if you know your account number. It does state where you can find your account number in the explanation text.

 

If the customer already has a website account they do not need to sign up, they can change their newsletter preferences in the my account section after they login.

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Received it; read it; like it; bought the Pug! (currently similar price to those on Ebay!)

 

it echoes some of the 'heads up' emails I get from other publications; a bit of everything to brighten the day and some useful articles and offers.

 

Long may it continue!

 

 

David

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 (and why not 4 weekly intervals or does Phil need a bit of time off now and again ;) ? ). 

 

Well, I need some time to edit Garden Rail, and there are a few other projects in the pipeline. Don't worry, Steve's not letting me have holiday or anything daft like that...

It's that weird smile before he gets going which worries me the most.

 

Oh right. That's the most worrying thing? Only because people haven't seen the March issue yet Andy...

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Here's the reply from our IT whizz...

 

It looks like the customer attempted to register for the newsletter using the Find my Account function and you can only do this if you know your account number. It does state where you can find your account number in the explanation text.

 

If the customer already has a website account they do not need to sign up, they can change their newsletter preferences in the my account section after they login.

What setting/preferences to change please? Have account, no email yet :(

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My email arrived before I read this thread. I haven't had time to look at any of the links yet, but if this is the planned content then I expect to be a regular reader. Do I need to sign up to the newsletter to get it in future, or am I already signed up as I got the email?

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My email arrived before I read this thread. I haven't had time to look at any of the links yet, but if this is the planned content then I expect to be a regular reader. Do I need to sign up to the newsletter to get it in future, or am I already signed up as I got the email?

 

You're already signed up so you'll continue getting the emails. I hope you like them.

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Here's the reply from our IT whizz...

 

It looks like the customer attempted to register for the newsletter using the Find my Account function and you can only do this if you know your account number. It does state where you can find your account number in the explanation text.

 

If the customer already has a website account they do not need to sign up, they can change their newsletter preferences in the my account section after they login.

I found the page misleading as it gives the impression you can enter either the account number or Surname and Postcode. By entering my surname and Postcode I expected it to give me my account number. The link to that page gives that impression IMHO.post-2993-0-07078000-1519395812_thumb.jpeg
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That's it. Email me at brm@warnersgroup.co.uk and I'll forward you the email.

 

Hmmm ... episode #1 ... unboxing video ... .

 

Errm, yes ... errm, no - I don't think so.

 

Well, it looks like this could be interesting - especially if a future issue tells us how to book advance tickets to Warners model railway shows, without having to go through a 3rd party ticketing agency - and please don't get me started about plastic bags.

 

 

Joking aside, I'm sure you'll get loads of cliches like these over the next few weeks (which is why I've tried to pre-empt a few). Time will tell how good / relevant these emails turn out to be in the long run - but the first one looks promising.

 

 

Huw.

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Thinking forwards a little, and bearing in mind Phil's lack of holidays (sorry) or garden interest, I wonder if you could consider adding - gradually - the following.

 

1. Possible occasional 'prototype notes' - not sure how it would work but not full blown articles, just some sort of taster/interest raiser (or should that be rouser?).   As with item 2 below I see it as a starting point to take folk into a more comprehensive approach to a particular subject in an RMweb thread.

 

2.  Readers questions for information.   This would need to be tackled in an unusual way and it really depends on how you see the markets for various BRM linked 'products' interacting with each other.  Basically a reader would pose a question - modelling, prototype or whatever but apart from a possible brief response the main way of answering would be a link to an RMweb thread where the question would be repeated to kick-off the thread.  i do understand that would add workload and possibly a technical question mark plus time copying questions over and there would need to be some sort of editing in respect of which and how many questions are shown in each issue.  It also, obviously, depends to what extent subscribers are also already members of RMweb or whether it might attract additional membership to RMweb.

 

Incidentally I must come clean regarding the above suggestions because Brian Macdermott - if no one else - will probably recognise the base  I am coming from, sorry Brian.  I recognise too that it all depends on quite what the editorial team at Warners have in mind for the development of the newsletter and how they see it fitting into the Warners' family of model railway publications.

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Content suggestion-

upcoming shows, with lists of layouts attending.

 

Feedback from punters at South Notts show indicates many buy Railway Modeller just to find out whether the layouts at a fairly local show justify getting up and going....

 

Les

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Content suggestion-

upcoming shows, with lists of layouts attending.

 

Feedback from punters at South Notts show indicates many buy Railway Modeller just to find out whether the layouts at a fairly local show justify getting up and going....

 

Les

 

I find it faintly depressing that modellers won't support a local show unless it's in some way "good enough" for them. If you've got to travel a distance, then fair enough, but if it's in the same town, surely any exhibition has got to be worth a look. After all, there may be layouts on their first shows you won't have heard of that will be unexpected gems.

 

Anyway, yes, show diaries are something we are looking at for the future. Not sure it's practical* to send everyone a tailored guide based on their location in the e-mail, but we could link to the RMweb calendar each time. For the moment, I'd suggest this and the excellent UKModelshops guide.

 

*OK, it IS technically practical to do this sort of thing as long as we know the modellers address and the address of the shows and how far they are willing to travel and by what means (train/bus/car/penny farthing) and the sort of layouts they would like to see and the sort of layouts at the show along with the sort of sandwiches on offer. The whole thing is a can of worms though. We'll only get someone saying, "Why didn't you tell me about the lower Didsbury show? I know I said I'd only travel 17.3 miles from home  but if I'd known there were 2 Scottish pre-grouping N gauge layouts AND tuna sandwiches without mayonnaise on offer AND it was on a bus route with Leyland Atlantians, I would have stretched myself to 17.4 miles."

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