Sterling Gameing Acquires insidepool.com
- Thread starter newtopool
- Start date
newtopool said:
NewtoPool or maybe new to AZ Board
Thanks for the update on Inside Pool website and the magazine.
Jack
www.johnmaddencues.com
Anyone catch this part?
JR Calvert, owner of Spheragon Publishing and the publisher of InsidePOOL Magazine, created InsidePOOL.com in 2001. “After putting my heart into our magazine and then continuing with the creation of its o*nline component, it¹s a wonderful feeling to know that I can leverage this sale to take the magazine to the next level,” said JR. "With the proceeds of the sale, we will be able to drastically expand our circulation, which has been a large goal of ours since the beginning. The millions of pool players in the United States simply weren't being served by the pre-existing magazines."
At a moment in time when Inside Pool is failing to provide issues that subscribers have paid for and failing to deliver product that customers have purchased, Calvert has the nerve to suggest that pre-existing magazines weren't serving the pool consumer base.
This quote qualifies as somewhere between incredibly stupid and incredibly funny. Calvert's quote shows his lack of remorse for the disgraceful behavior of those at Inside Pool of late, and shows us what we can expect if tough times are ever encountered again at inside Pool.
To me, it sounds like the folks at inside Pool need an attitude transplant.
JR Calvert, owner of Spheragon Publishing and the publisher of InsidePOOL Magazine, created InsidePOOL.com in 2001. “After putting my heart into our magazine and then continuing with the creation of its o*nline component, it¹s a wonderful feeling to know that I can leverage this sale to take the magazine to the next level,” said JR. "With the proceeds of the sale, we will be able to drastically expand our circulation, which has been a large goal of ours since the beginning. The millions of pool players in the United States simply weren't being served by the pre-existing magazines."
At a moment in time when Inside Pool is failing to provide issues that subscribers have paid for and failing to deliver product that customers have purchased, Calvert has the nerve to suggest that pre-existing magazines weren't serving the pool consumer base.
This quote qualifies as somewhere between incredibly stupid and incredibly funny. Calvert's quote shows his lack of remorse for the disgraceful behavior of those at Inside Pool of late, and shows us what we can expect if tough times are ever encountered again at inside Pool.
To me, it sounds like the folks at inside Pool need an attitude transplant.
What is funny is that Inside Pool has been claiming for a while now that they have the largest circulation of any mag in the industry. Now the proceeds of the sale are going to allow them to 'drastically expand our circulation'?
That press release is just full of amusing little tidbits. I guess anything can be claimed in a press release though.
Mike
That press release is just full of amusing little tidbits. I guess anything can be claimed in a press release though.
Mike
sjm said:
AzHousePro said:
I can buy Inside Pool having the largest circulation before i can buy the following:
“InsidePOOL.com is the best-known and most-visited billiards site o*n the net,” said Scott. I would say AZB owns that title and i dont think anything else is close. MIke?
ScottTaylor
Registered
Do your research - numbers don't lie.
Folks,
1) InsidePOOL Magazine does have a higher circulation than the other "big two" magazines. Simply take a look at the federally-required circulation disclosures inside the magazines themselves (required for "periodical rate" postage). InsidePOOL's is highest.
2) Regarding online exposure, InsidePOOL.com is the 900lb. gorilla, with no one else even close. Take a look at this Alexa comparison between AZB and Inside Pool.
3) An influx of capital for a publisher can cause the circulation to grow leaps and bounds. Were you aware that newsstand magazine sales are generally a break-even at best for publishers? The unsold copies go to waste, and paper isn't cheap these days. In order to get large distribution of a periodical, you must provide the distributors with enough copies of the magazine to make it worth their while to distribute. InsidePOOL Magazine is the only magazine in the industry, as far as I know, to have been distributed on a limited basis through large retailers such as Barnes and Noble and Tower Records. To crank out the numbers of magazines required is quite pricy. Furthermore, note that IP has a higher editorial-to-advertising ratio than any of the other billiards magazines.
4) With, what, eighty million people who play pool regularly each year (I can't readily recall the SGMA report's numbers), don't you think that 15,000ish copies of a magazine per month is on the low side? The comment referred to the limited penetration of the magazines, not the reliability of delivery. Furthermore, I have received every published copy of InsidePOOL since the magazine began. Who claims to not have received theirs?
I am not meaning to create a debate here. I simply wish people posted with some basis in fact, and not conjecture.
Please let me know if you need any further clarification.
Best regards,
Scott Taylor
Nostroke said:
Folks,
1) InsidePOOL Magazine does have a higher circulation than the other "big two" magazines. Simply take a look at the federally-required circulation disclosures inside the magazines themselves (required for "periodical rate" postage). InsidePOOL's is highest.
2) Regarding online exposure, InsidePOOL.com is the 900lb. gorilla, with no one else even close. Take a look at this Alexa comparison between AZB and Inside Pool.
3) An influx of capital for a publisher can cause the circulation to grow leaps and bounds. Were you aware that newsstand magazine sales are generally a break-even at best for publishers? The unsold copies go to waste, and paper isn't cheap these days. In order to get large distribution of a periodical, you must provide the distributors with enough copies of the magazine to make it worth their while to distribute. InsidePOOL Magazine is the only magazine in the industry, as far as I know, to have been distributed on a limited basis through large retailers such as Barnes and Noble and Tower Records. To crank out the numbers of magazines required is quite pricy. Furthermore, note that IP has a higher editorial-to-advertising ratio than any of the other billiards magazines.
4) With, what, eighty million people who play pool regularly each year (I can't readily recall the SGMA report's numbers), don't you think that 15,000ish copies of a magazine per month is on the low side? The comment referred to the limited penetration of the magazines, not the reliability of delivery. Furthermore, I have received every published copy of InsidePOOL since the magazine began. Who claims to not have received theirs?
I am not meaning to create a debate here. I simply wish people posted with some basis in fact, and not conjecture.
Please let me know if you need any further clarification.
Best regards,
Scott Taylor
To say that your the top circulator in the billiard business is a little
hard to take right now. The facts ( not conjecture) is that way
too many people have issues with InsidePool's circulation. Hard to disagree with the raw numbers but too many problems to even bring it up.
If we are talking numbers then lets talk the number of people that are still
looking for what they paid for by each publication. I think InsidePool will
be the higher in that one as well.
I wonder how many people that are visiting the site are actually looking for
answers. However comparing Insidepool.com and AzBilliard.com traffic
is not fair to either. I can safely say that AzBilliards.com is a well run
site that gets tons of repeat vistors. Its still relatively a small content site that alot of players dont know about.
I like the Insidepool publication and will give the new owners some time to
get things straight but theres no way anyone associated with that publication
can do any chest beating until more problems are solved.
When they are I will subscribe once again and hope this time I receive an issue. I do agree that the circulation numbers could be alot higher.
hard to take right now. The facts ( not conjecture) is that way
too many people have issues with InsidePool's circulation. Hard to disagree with the raw numbers but too many problems to even bring it up.
If we are talking numbers then lets talk the number of people that are still
looking for what they paid for by each publication. I think InsidePool will
be the higher in that one as well.
I wonder how many people that are visiting the site are actually looking for
answers. However comparing Insidepool.com and AzBilliard.com traffic
is not fair to either. I can safely say that AzBilliards.com is a well run
site that gets tons of repeat vistors. Its still relatively a small content site that alot of players dont know about.
I like the Insidepool publication and will give the new owners some time to
get things straight but theres no way anyone associated with that publication
can do any chest beating until more problems are solved.
When they are I will subscribe once again and hope this time I receive an issue. I do agree that the circulation numbers could be alot higher.
ScottTaylor said:
Looks to me like the pool players are the biggest winners in this transaction. JR will continue to be able to focus on putting out the best magazine in the industry, and the online part is transferred to a company that is one of the best in the online retail business. Sterling has proven they can provide fast, reliable service to online customers over the past several years.
I think it is a great move! We players get the best of both worlds!
Steve
I think it is a great move! We players get the best of both worlds!
Steve
first let me say that Inside pool is by far my FAVORITE magazine.
that being said.............
i bought my subscription off of the t.v. add that advertised the free video by henning..........
well i still have not recieved this video.
i have called several times and not talked to ANYONE.
it is now the 16 of april.........and my issue isn't here(although this could be the month that they combine it, since its only a 10 issue deal)
the same thing happend last month, well after the middle of the month before i got my mag by that time i already knew everything that was in there except for the articles by the players (i know most that write, so by that time i could have already asked them
)
the ONLY reason i've been going to inside pool's site is to find out where the hell my magazine and video are(could this be a trend among other people)
so, if i don't start getting answers soon.........i'm going to start asking myself why i'm spending money on this..........
and coming from a service background........its a common fact that for every dissatisfied customer, they will tell around 10 people, who usually tell a few people themselves.
hopefully things will get better, but as of right now, it seems i would have been better off to take my subscription money, ball it up in a little wad, put it in a pipe and smoke it............
thanks
VAP
that being said.............
i bought my subscription off of the t.v. add that advertised the free video by henning..........
well i still have not recieved this video.
i have called several times and not talked to ANYONE.
it is now the 16 of april.........and my issue isn't here(although this could be the month that they combine it, since its only a 10 issue deal)
the same thing happend last month, well after the middle of the month before i got my mag by that time i already knew everything that was in there except for the articles by the players (i know most that write, so by that time i could have already asked them
)the ONLY reason i've been going to inside pool's site is to find out where the hell my magazine and video are(could this be a trend among other people)
so, if i don't start getting answers soon.........i'm going to start asking myself why i'm spending money on this..........
and coming from a service background........its a common fact that for every dissatisfied customer, they will tell around 10 people, who usually tell a few people themselves.
hopefully things will get better, but as of right now, it seems i would have been better off to take my subscription money, ball it up in a little wad, put it in a pipe and smoke it............
thanks
VAP
Nostroke said:
When it comes to FORUM reading and FORUM posting AZ kicks Inside Pool's ass really good.Blows them outta the water...game set and match.
I go to Inside Pool to read about the latest happenings in the world of pool.Their reportings of tournaments is prompt,well written and very much up to date.They have a lot of good stuff to read regarding Billiard news and various other catergories(including instructional) on their front page.I can see a lot of pool players going their daily to read the updated happenings in the world of pool.
Inside Pool,also offers FREE downloads of their magazine and also has a photo caption contest for a FREE Viking pool cue monthly.
http://www.insidepool.com/index.php
Whether all of this contributes to a high internet hit count or not I don't know.
I go to Inside Pool,AZ Billiards and Billiards Digest everyday, so they all get one hit on the hit counter each.When it comes to time spent at a site AZ Billiards is first, Billiards Digest is second and Inside Pool a distant third.I spend at least 65% of my time at AZ,however, the comparison made is about internet hits and not time spent. RJ
newtopool said:
With all the negative info on inside pool I would like to include a positive:
I called their new phone number to find out about my april issue and my shoping spree order I have not received that I won in February and I quickly got a live person and they told me they are looking into the issue. Call the new number they have posted on their "ask inside pool" forum. They are also answering my emails as well.
Hope this type of customer service continues in the future.
Inside Pool has used their Alexa rating for months to claim that they have higher traffic than AzB. Any webmaster who knows his business at all knows that Alexa's ratings are extremely easily manipulated and most professionals consider those rankings worthless.
Check out some of the threads on various webmastering forums....
http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153286
http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156775
http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=4562
http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=36045
And some interesting quotes...
"Based on what I have seen - using Alexa to estimate site traffic is a worse alternative to guessing"
-------------------
"In my industry, there is one GINORMOUS Web site that at the height of the Internet boom got millions of dollars in venture capital (site A). The site currently gets a crapload of traffic. It's not unusal for the forums to have 2000 users online at the busiest time of the day.
So somehow this other little site (site B) gets a real high Alexa ranking - way higher than site A. Site B might have 150 users online when site A has 2000, but Site B ranks WAY higher on Alexa.
The result? Site B gets cocky and combines the Alexa ranking with some BS bloated statistics in their media kit - and voila - the Webs biggest site in the industry is born out of smoke and mirrors. Its a discredit to all of us other sites that are trying to build businesses in this niche."
----------------------------
"I wouldn't worry about the Alexa ranking. My experience has mirrored what alot of others here have said...in that it is almost completely useless.
It never brought me one customer, made one sale for me, increased my traffic, or anything else that matters. Just something to consider..."
---------------------------
"I should also point out that PestPatrol (Alexa voted #1 pest at PestPatrol) and Adaware consider Alexa spyware/adware because it records things that you do. It will even record text entered into web forms including usernames and passwords if it becomes part of the URL. Hmmm.... "
-----------------------
"Using Alexa?? You've got to be kidding. Any analysis of the Alexa stats are about as useful as tarot cards or a ouija board for getting traffic numbers.
It's unbelievable when people talk about using Alexa for anything other then a punchline. You lose all credibility as soon as you mention Alexa unless you preface it with "have you heard this one before..."."
There are a wide variety of tools and tricks out there on the net to artificially boost your Alexa rankings....
fakerank and alexabooster are two of the more widely used programs for this.
There are also threads on many of the webmastering forums that explain how to manipulate the Alexa rankings without any additional software/.
Here is an interesting link to a site that did a study on the Alexa rankings as compared to their real traffic #s.
http://www.mediacollege.com/internet/utilities/alexa/
Now I am not saying that anyone at Insidepool.com would ever stoop so low as to artificially manipulate their Alexa stats in order to claim their site was the highest trafficked on the net. Former employees have admitted that they were asked to go to bizrate and fill out fake reviews of the site saying it was a great buying experience, but certainly they would not do something like manipulating their Alexa ranking.
Mike
Check out some of the threads on various webmastering forums....
http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153286
http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156775
http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=4562
http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=36045
And some interesting quotes...
"Based on what I have seen - using Alexa to estimate site traffic is a worse alternative to guessing"
-------------------
"In my industry, there is one GINORMOUS Web site that at the height of the Internet boom got millions of dollars in venture capital (site A). The site currently gets a crapload of traffic. It's not unusal for the forums to have 2000 users online at the busiest time of the day.
So somehow this other little site (site B) gets a real high Alexa ranking - way higher than site A. Site B might have 150 users online when site A has 2000, but Site B ranks WAY higher on Alexa.
The result? Site B gets cocky and combines the Alexa ranking with some BS bloated statistics in their media kit - and voila - the Webs biggest site in the industry is born out of smoke and mirrors. Its a discredit to all of us other sites that are trying to build businesses in this niche."
----------------------------
"I wouldn't worry about the Alexa ranking. My experience has mirrored what alot of others here have said...in that it is almost completely useless.
It never brought me one customer, made one sale for me, increased my traffic, or anything else that matters. Just something to consider..."
---------------------------
"I should also point out that PestPatrol (Alexa voted #1 pest at PestPatrol) and Adaware consider Alexa spyware/adware because it records things that you do. It will even record text entered into web forms including usernames and passwords if it becomes part of the URL. Hmmm.... "
-----------------------
"Using Alexa?? You've got to be kidding. Any analysis of the Alexa stats are about as useful as tarot cards or a ouija board for getting traffic numbers.
It's unbelievable when people talk about using Alexa for anything other then a punchline. You lose all credibility as soon as you mention Alexa unless you preface it with "have you heard this one before..."."
There are a wide variety of tools and tricks out there on the net to artificially boost your Alexa rankings....
fakerank and alexabooster are two of the more widely used programs for this.
There are also threads on many of the webmastering forums that explain how to manipulate the Alexa rankings without any additional software/.
Here is an interesting link to a site that did a study on the Alexa rankings as compared to their real traffic #s.
http://www.mediacollege.com/internet/utilities/alexa/
Now I am not saying that anyone at Insidepool.com would ever stoop so low as to artificially manipulate their Alexa stats in order to claim their site was the highest trafficked on the net. Former employees have admitted that they were asked to go to bizrate and fill out fake reviews of the site saying it was a great buying experience, but certainly they would not do something like manipulating their Alexa ranking.
Mike
newtopool said:
typical 'sterling-gaming', a.k.a. ''fury cues, a.k.a. 'inside pool' double-speak,,,
need a playbook to follow all this,,,remember their earlier post by founder "scott" disclaiming any hand in 'inside pool' ???
granny always said to check the pie for finger prints,,,never know whose finger has been in the pie,,,LOL
Jack Flanagan said:
As I recall, Scott said he met with JR as an advisor when IP was just starting. He also stated there was no financial link between the two companies other than as a customer/supplier relationship. That was true until this latest change in ownership of the website.
Where's the double-speak???
Steve
ScottTaylor
Registered
Alexa stuff and Pies
Mr. Flannigan,
I do not believe we have ever met, but if you taske issue with me or anything that I have said, I would appreciate you contacting me directly.
Also, can latent fingerprints be taken from either crust or filling? Sounds like a CSI episode in the making!
Mike,
Thanks for enlightening me on the unreliability of Alexa. I still think it is a good barometer for measuring traffic, albeit with certain caveats.
Best regards,
Scott
Mr. Flannigan,
I do not believe we have ever met, but if you taske issue with me or anything that I have said, I would appreciate you contacting me directly.
Also, can latent fingerprints be taken from either crust or filling? Sounds like a CSI episode in the making!
Mike,
Thanks for enlightening me on the unreliability of Alexa. I still think it is a good barometer for measuring traffic, albeit with certain caveats.
Best regards,
Scott
pooltchr said:
I suppose you follow financial dealings closely ?
corporate America always speaks with "forked tongue"
denials,,,then whoops, we bought them out and everythings gonna be nice now,,,don't get me wrong, I know they have to keep 'takeovers' quiet until it happens,,,,seems strange that a few days ago everybody was down on them and suddenly,,,TODAY, its champagne and roses
save your praises for a few months,,,FWIW
ScottTaylor
Registered
Is optimism too much to ask?
Mr. Flannigan,
I would like to ask that you take our company at face value, and give us every opportunity to take care of every past InsidePOOL.com customer. Please see my post in the main area titled "Sterling's Committment to InsidePOOL.com's Customers".
Thanks,
S. Scott Taylor, President
Sterling Gaming, Inc.
Mr. Flannigan,
I would like to ask that you take our company at face value, and give us every opportunity to take care of every past InsidePOOL.com customer. Please see my post in the main area titled "Sterling's Committment to InsidePOOL.com's Customers".
Thanks,
S. Scott Taylor, President
Sterling Gaming, Inc.