Interested In Advertising? | Contact Us Here
Warning!

 

Welcome to Clean It Up; the UK`s largest cleaning forum with over 34,000 members

 

Please login or register to post and reply to topics.      

 

Forgot your password? Click here

abacus

  • Posts: 229
Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #20 on: May 24, 2006, 11:42:46 pm »
Hi all
I have received some copies I was called also to see what I thought I was unhappy as I could not get a straight answer to wether Craig had an interest in the mag could not see why I could not get a straight answer I also thought it split the industry as it supports the new association and now you can get the mag free if you join the new association again started by craig and others now offering a trade card to show clients much the same as the fed. I would of thought it would of been better to unight behind just one  but that is just my opinion craig has some very good ideas but seems to want to control the whole industry !! I do actually use ott system mainly as local stockist is in brighton. not always happy with the service from ott / Ionics
A service you can count on
SAFEcontractor approved

Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #21 on: May 25, 2006, 07:42:34 am »
Was that sent out recently??? If it was i will contact head office immediately and get that sorted out. While some are working there socks off others are letting the side down >:(

Steve

Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #22 on: May 25, 2006, 07:53:43 am »
Compare this with Jan Window Talk, where even Andrew Lee says new WCers will need to us other methods than working at height.

Moderator David@stives

  • Posts: 8829
Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #23 on: May 25, 2006, 08:52:08 am »
Abacus

Half of your statement is untrue ,I have to go to work now but will try to explain later.

The APWC is a totally independent organisation with no involvement of any wfp companies at all.

The BWCA smart choice scheme is not an association , it is a scheme.

Dave

Philip Hanson

  • Posts: 652
Re: profesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #24 on: May 25, 2006, 10:59:37 am »
Hello,

Some interesting questions have been raised here, and I'll try to answer them.  For those who don't know me, my name is Philip Hanson, I am the Editor and founder of Professional Window Cleaner Magazine, and funnily enough I used to be a moderator on this forum, before Tosh and Ian Giles took up the mantle (and what a splendid and difficult job they do!)

The squeegee issue (or "Teaser" as I call it) has so far been produced for every issue of PWC and serves two very important purposes.  Firstly, as a relatively new magazine, it is important to me that as many window cleaners as possible see PWC magazine and hopefully they will enjoy the articles that can be read, and this will lead them to subscribe or purchase that issue from a distributor.  Secondly, because advertising space is sold in the magazine, it is necessary to have a high circulation, so that those advertisers can get value for their advert.  But also, window cleaners can have some articles to read without having to subscribe, so really its a win-win situation.  (I apologise if anyone is receiveing this teaser who does not want it, email me and I'll make sure it doesn't happen again)

But, as I'm sure you can imagine, producing the teaser issue is a very expensive process.  PWC is now more than a year old, and subscribed circulation is now approaching a very respectable level, so the teaser issue has been successful in its purpose and will soon be discontinued.  In fact, issue 7 might very well be the last issue for which a teaser is produced.

My intention in starting PWC was to provide window cleaners with a good-quality source of well researched information.  At the time of the first issue, the Work at Height regulations were about to become law, water-fed pole systems were just starting to become generally accepted and there were other important changes happening in the industry.  There was widespread confusion about all of these issues, and I'm sad to say that back then, the Fed was doing absolutley nothing to inform its members (of which I was one) or the industry generally about them.

I am very pleased to say that since then the magazine has been well received by window cleaners and the feedback I receive about it is mainly positive, though I am always willing to hear constructive criticism.  Due to a complicated set of reasons, a new magazine for window cleaners has definately not been welcomed by some in this industry, and I'm sure that you would be amazed to learn of some of the things that have transpired as a result.  Its clear that certain organizations, and even certain individuals have been profiting for a long time from the fact that window cleaners "don't know any better" and that there hasn't been anyone to question what what they were doing.

"Window Talk", the Federation's magazine has been criticised in the past, not least by me (before the days of PWC- see HERE).  One thing I have noticed in recent times, is that it seems to have been re-vamped, and if the presence of PWC has caused the Fed to raise their game in this respect, then that's good news.  While it now does look better, has the quality of the material improved?  That's up to you to decide, and window cleaners themselves are deciding what they want, and they can only do so because they now have a choice.

I would like to thank those who have expressed positive views about PWC here, and I will take time to think about those comments which were not so positive.  I genuinely want PWC to be a magazine that window cleaners enjoy reading.

If you like the magazine, have any opinions about articles etc, do let me know.  These days window cleaners have access to information like never before.  This very forum was, in my opinion, the beginning of a revolution in window cleaning.  I would probably not have started PWC magazine had it not been for CIU, and I think we owe a debt of gratitude to Mike Boxall who started it, and was prepared to devote a great deal of time and money to get it off the ground.  Having spoken with Mike on several occasions, I know that this forum was pioneering in its time, and is still the busiest of all the window cleaning forums, and I think his contribution is often overlooked.

-Philip
Editor, Professional Window Cleaner Magazine

"The irony of the information age is that it has given new respectability to uninformed opinion"
John Lawton

Londoner

Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #25 on: May 25, 2006, 11:30:13 am »
I think its great that we have a trade mag at last. I am still getting the freebie with the bits blanked out but I read it and then pass it on to a mate.
More power to them

mark dew

  • Posts: 2901
Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #26 on: May 25, 2006, 11:35:28 am »
I received my 1st issue and found the scissor lift article very interesting and informative.
I don't know if the previous magazines had similar articles but i would like to see more of the same in the future.


mark



abacus

  • Posts: 229
Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #27 on: May 25, 2006, 09:47:08 pm »
 Hi dave I understand that my choice of words may not have been correct and if I am wrong about anything I said I will stand corrected look forward to hearing from you but befor I get ear bashed to much perhaps philip Hanson would let me know why so cagey on who owns the mag I was flatly told to look it up as the person ringing would not tell me I said I did not want any more issues if they could not tell that but still recive the teaser I just ask for thing to be open and transparent thats all .
 regards grant
A service you can count on
SAFEcontractor approved

M4RK

Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #28 on: May 28, 2006, 09:29:05 am »
I for one enjoy the magazine and look forward to it.

Its an interesting read to look into the background of Phil's initial appeals to the Fed and their response to him. (See the thread of the link in his reply)

I'd say hats off to Phil.



Moderator David@stives

  • Posts: 8829
Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #29 on: May 28, 2006, 11:42:06 am »
Mark

Was the fed mag critisized before the idea of the pwc magazine was concieved or after ?.

Dave

M4RK

Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #30 on: May 28, 2006, 05:18:18 pm »
Dave

The letter Phil sent to the Fed was posted June 16th 2004. The first issue of PWC was released Feburary 2005.

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2859.0

Mark

matt

Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #31 on: May 28, 2006, 05:53:35 pm »
Mark

Was the fed mag critisized before the idea of the pwc magazine was concieved or after ?.

Dave

it runs a little deeper than that  ;) david, i am s.prised craig hasnt filled you in on the whole fed / pwc issue, i am sure you were around on these forums then


Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #32 on: May 29, 2006, 01:48:38 am »
Hi Everyone,

It’s been a while since I have posted; however, I am trying to make more time.

Abacus (Grant), I would have thought the answer to the ownership of the PWC Mag is more than apparent!!! I am sure it has been listed on this forum and others, proof provided via companies house, that yes, you guessed it, Craig is a director/ owner of the PWC Mag. Which no doubt explains why all the issues to date have Ionics adds/ pictures/ bwca courses etc etc.

I always find it amazing, that certain individuals don't give people straight answers and obviously as you can see by the above post from Philip, he was not going to answer the question either.

As for people receiving copies who have not asked for them, this information would have been supplied from mailing lists and also if you have bought anything from Ionics and or requested any info from Ionics you would probably find one in the post soon after.

I would be interested to know how many paid subscribers the PWC mag has now.

Hope the above answers your questions

Many Thanks

Andrew




abacus

  • Posts: 229
Re: proffesional window cleaner mag
« Reply #33 on: May 29, 2006, 10:04:55 pm »
Hi Andrew
 Thank you for your anwser I am new on here and have not heard that craig owned it however I had kind of come to that conclusion.I made the  point to the person who rang me from the mag that the imformation was in the public domain but could not get a straight answer  I was told to look it up if I wanted to know - no very open and yes I have checked back each night and noted that whilst being told I was wrong I was not told why I also noted that the ed did not volonteer the info either. In its first issue craig said how supprised he was to be asked to write a columm well why when its your mag to promote wfp systems and yours especially should you be supprised?????
Like I said I just like people to be open and I am not upset if people make money thats what I t we all want to do I dont clean windows because I cant think of anything else to do.
The fed is sometimes behind the times and is not always the most profesional but if more of us gave it some support it would help to move it forward
my point about the cards was that by joining that scheme you now get the new mag free is not exactly a new idea the feds been doing it for years and on a very small yearly sub
Im sure the new mag has good articles in too but blanking out articles to make buy a copy seems cheep to me if you want to promote it sell the first couple of issues at a discount or send out one free copy that you can read properly
regards grant
A service you can count on
SAFEcontractor approved