Do people here read GCN?

mehmeh12

Well just curious to know if people read this magazine...

Myself ive read it on and off now for about the past 5 years. Hope it does not go bankrupt-its how i found out about belongto back in the day

Dwn Wth Vwls

I've never read it.

Aard

No. Nothing in it I can't get online elsewhere. Plus most of the articles don't appeal to me.

spurious

It never had anything to say to me. It seemed aimed at quite a young male audience. Is it still going?

Goodshape

Have never gone out of my way to read it. Nothing against it, I just don't generally go out of my way to read print (+1 for "Nothing in it I can't get online elsewhere").

I flick through it if someone has it lying around. Is it in danger of going bankrupt? Wouldn't like to see that happen.

Annasopra

Goodshape wrote: »

I flick through it if someone has it lying around. Is it in danger of going bankrupt? Wouldn't like to see that happen.

Yes they are looking for funding see www.GCN.ie/forever


Personally I used to read it a lot a few years ago when it was more political and slightly more radical and less commercial - Nowadays I find that it is too commercial going on about beauty products etc, however I do still read it and do hope it doesn't go - It has been a genuine lifeline for many LGBT people in the past and it would be to lose that with all of it's historical connections

KnifeWRENCH

Only read it a couple of times when the UCC LGBT society were handing it out for free. Seemed a good enough magazine but not something I'd go out and buy or subscribe to. Plenty of similar reading material on the internet.

IrishTonyO

I used to read it years ago, as in 10 +, but these days will flick through it I see it lying around somewhere, but to be honest find it pretty irrelevant these days. Having said that would not like to see it go as I am sure it is of great benefit to other people.

LegacyUser

There are very few articles (if at all) for gay women, I just flick through if it's to hand.

L1011

KnifeWRENCH wrote: »

Only read it a couple of times when the UCC LGBT society were handing it out for free. Seemed a good enough magazine but not something I'd go out and buy or subscribe to. Plenty of similar reading material on the internet.

Its always free, if you live anywhere near its drop points. The subscription is only for culchies :P

KnifeWRENCH

MYOB wrote: »

Its always free, if you live anywhere near its drop points. The subscription is only for culchies :P

but i am a culchie!

Aard

Is there not a stack of them available at gay bars in Cork?

businessboy

MYOB wrote: »

Its always free, if you live anywhere near its drop points. The subscription is only for culchies :P

maybe thats why a lot of people arent reading GCN. i know myself i wouldnt pay a subscription when i know i can get it free somewhere. Also many people arent out and dont go to gay venues, which i think GCN would appeal to more. Maybe a way of getting GCN to LGBT people who arent out would increase readership.

Thats just my thought on the matter though.

Goodshape

businessboy wrote: »

Also many people arent out and dont go to gay venues, which i think GCN would appeal to more. Maybe a way of getting GCN to LGBT people who arent out would increase readership.

Thing is, if you're not out and want to be discrete about things - getting your information online these days is going to trump getting a magazine delivered to your door once a month, which I'm sure was a source of revenue for GCN in the past (free if you're in the city and don't mind being spotted picking it up... subs for everyone else).


I wouldn't be sure that GCNs difficulties at the moment are any different from every other print publication. These times they are a-changin'.

KnifeWRENCH

Aard wrote: »

Is there not a stack of them available at gay bars in Cork?

I actually don't know, never been to a gay bar in Cork! Pretty much all my friends are straight, so I always just end up going to so-called "straight" bars.

mehmeh12

businessboy wrote: »

maybe thats why a lot of people arent reading GCN. i know myself i wouldnt pay a subscription when i know i can get it free somewhere. Also many people arent out and dont go to gay venues, which i think GCN would appeal to more. Maybe a way of getting GCN to LGBT people who arent out would increase readership.

Thats just my thought on the matter though.

I read it online myself-i always feel like everyone is watching me if i pick it up in a public location.

Agreeing with some one earlier-it has become way to commercial. Sad really. Compared to other uk magazine like Attitude or the gay times theres no real Irish equivalent.

L1011

businessboy wrote: »

maybe thats why a lot of people arent reading GCN. i know myself i wouldnt pay a subscription when i know i can get it free somewhere. Also many people arent out and dont go to gay venues, which i think GCN would appeal to more. Maybe a way of getting GCN to LGBT people who arent out would increase readership.

Thats just my thought on the matter though.

The editor of GCN attempted to commercialise it (indirectly) by launching "GI" which you could buy in most newsagents.

It flopped...

Chuchoter

I love GCN! I read it whenever I can get my hands on it, which is rarely. To some degree, I wish it was more political, I don't think it really needs a food section, but I still think its great. I wish you could get it outside of the city center though. Also I think it focuses too strongly on gay men (as basically everything else does too). I'd like to see some more stuff aimed at gay/bi women.

Aoifums

It's alright. I like it but theres nothing in it that I can't get somewhere else. I'd hate to see it go because I really liked it when I was younger. I agree with crayolastereo, it focuses on men too much.

ndubz

mehmeh12 wrote: »

Well just curious to know if people read this magazine...

Myself ive read it on and off now for about the past 5 years. Hope it does not go bankrupt-its how i found out about belongto back in the day

If you want to read about a soppy coming out story, a HIV case, a gay bashing experience, a Drag queen(s) then I would recommend you read this every month or week or whenever its circulated. For the rest of us - No, its just ridiculous and has long since served its purpose. It was probably needed back in the 80's when people were afraid to come out and there was no internet.

rainbow kirby

I'd read it if I was handed one, but wouldn't go out of my way to read it. It doesn't really have much relevance to me because I'm not really much into the scene and I've been (mostly) out for years.

shoegirl

Johnnymcg wrote: »

Yes they are looking for funding see www.GCN.ie/forever


Personally I used to read it a lot a few years ago when it was more political and slightly more radical and less commercial - Nowadays I find that it is too commercial going on about beauty products etc, however I do still read it and do hope it doesn't go - It has been a genuine lifeline for many LGBT people in the past and it would be to lose that with all of it's historical connections

+1

I do read it sometimes, but feel it has gone a bit flabby - standard of writing is very poor compared to a few years ago. Too much hyper commercial rubbish like reviews of restaurants and non-gay music that you can easily find anywhere else, and its hyper Dublin-centric, much more so than it used to be.

Still wouldn't like to see it go though. It did a lot for me in my late teens when there was almost no other outlet for me.

eagle_&_bear

Like you all, I used to read it alot when I was younger - it was an invaluable resource when coming out etc.

Personally, I thought the magazine was much more readable and more appealing when gcn had its forum boards and people contributed to the magazine.

Unfortunately, all magazines will face a periodic demise with the rise of the internet however, GCN could turn itself around if it reduced the bull**** thats in it at the moment and bring things back to a more personal and human touch. It seriously needs to loose the cliche element with it. And it needs to open and broaden its horizons

Its needs to be more political, it also needs the commercialism but in smaller amounts. At the moment, the magazine has lost all realism about it. It is completely out of touch with the lgbt and non-lgbt community and it doesnt do half as much as it used to.

it is becoming a shambles! which is a true shame!

azezil

I used to only ever pick it up to check out the pics, see if I knew anyone, never had any interest in reading anything in it.