Who reads this stuff anyway?

[Robert Martellaro]

Although targeted more toward the labs, http://www.mafo-optics.com/, a German publication, has quite a few discussions pertaining to free-from optics, coatings, and PALs lenses that dispensing opticians might find interesting. The latest issue has a detailed article on coating machines, a visit to Shamir at the Eyal Kibbutz, polarized lenses, and an article based on a lecture given by Jim Sheedy on objective measurements of PAL viewing zones.

[Craig]

I find it a shame that the folks who care about the industry don't read the few trade journals we have; they are not perfect, but they do have their fingers on the pulse of the independents. They as a group promote new technologies and frame trends to allow us exposure to new products. Most opticians don't do to either VISION EXPO and miss exposure to the new things in industry. I go to the shows and look forward to skimming all the magazines from cover to cover; I copy articles for my staff and they appreciate the information. They support what we are trying to do and is another way to educate my employee's.
I am in the luxury frame and lens business and need more information from the trade journals; please support them and write them ideas on new articles.
IF we don't look out, LUX will be writing the last ones left!!!
Craig

[obxeyeguy]

I go to the shows

Just a question, do you take your staff to VE? Or just bring them the magazines? I agree that you get way more info from a show.

I find it a shame that the folks who care about the industry don't read the few trade journals we have; they are not perfect, but they do have their fingers on the pulse of the independents.

The biggest advertisers in these "journals" are the same ones selling to the chains. Oh, and don't forget the CE credits, sponsered by some corp. Mail in ce's, what a joke.

[Johns]

Most opticians don't do to either VISION EXPO and miss exposure..

I think I saw Miss Exposure at the Revolution booth a few years ago!:D

[HarryChiling]

IF we don't look out, LUX will be writing the last ones left!!!

The VEE edition of 20/20 this year had an opticians manual in it that was brought to you by LUX. I have also heard from a few that write for some of the magazines that you don't have "carte blanche" on a subject, you either write positive about a product or you don't write about it. I persoanlly will only choose to write about products that I support, but if I think a product is just so shody that it's a rip off, I feel like I should at least inform other opticians. Since you never see negative pieces in any of the magazines t leaves the question in the mind as to how do you trust the opinion of the writer, when the ad space is payed for by the product vendor.

I will read articles about generic subjects or about interesting topics, often times it takes 5 minutes to really read the whole magazine when you are looking for articles and content. I also will read through the ads in the back as I am always looking for better products or suppliers.

[Craig]

Just a question, do you take your staff to VE? Or just bring them the magazines? I agree that you get way more info from a show.

We take at least one employee each year to Vegas; they pay for airfare and we pick up the rest. This exposes them to the industry in a way far more impressive than anything else. They pick out most of the frames we buy and they love being involved in the process. I would suggest it to anybody serious about exposing employees to as much of the industry i a short span of time. Vegas is an easy place to have fun.
Craig

[Karlen McLean]

What would y'all do to improve trade mag content? What topics would you want covered? What stuff would you nix? What would make you want to spend a little time reading rather than tossing the copies away unread?

[HarryChiling]

My biggest frustration with most of the magazines is the lack of content. I don't want to see 60 pages of ads and 10 pages of content. Also I find that often the content covers:

• who
• what
• where
• when

But fails to cover subjects from the:

• how
• why

Which makes the content useless to me. I can research and find info here as to who's doing what although it is nice to see in a magazine. The what is the ads and the prodcuts again nice to see and they pay the bills, but I can find that with a simple search and here on optiboard. I would liek to see more where and when:

For instance I would like to see more state association events that are going on and CE events going on. It would be nice to have a section devoted to that info.

The most left out of the bunch is the How and Why. It doesn't have to be a CE for it to be informative. I would just like to see more pieces as why we do what we do, and how we do it. I read those and archive those. Hope that helps Karlen.

[Fezz]

I really love the pictures of the big deals/movers and shakers/corporate wanks shaking wands!



Who gives a flip?

[Johns]

I really love the pictures of the big deals/movers and shakers/corporate wanks shaking wands!



Who gives a flip?

If memory serves me...you were the "wank" that graced the special edition of VM in NYC this past year!
:bbg:

:cheers:

[HarryChiling]

If memory serves me...you were the "wank" that graced the special edition of VM in NYC this past year!
:bbg:

:cheers:

It was the Special edition of the opticourier and yes he was the "wank". :D

Attachment 3560

[chip anderson]

Articles about frame repair, frame adjusting, new hinge configurations, how to get screws into spring (especially new design) hinges what jigs or tools are available to assist in this. Tricks of the trade in mounting difficult jobs. Ear configurations, frame adjustment for same. Nose configuration, frame/nose-pad adjustment for same.
How to custom color frames, plastic and metals.
Tricks on lens tinting.
Tricks on achieving pantoscopic angle on difficult frame configurations.
How to fit patient's with one ear.
Resultant magnification/minification with each power and material, and lens design.
Formula reviews, test for same at end of articles.
Jewel mounting. Ornament mounting.
Best tints for specific lighting conditions, in specific applications, shooting, motorcycle riding, hunting, fishing, golfing, etc.
Ancient optical crafts and techiques.
Soldering frames, repairing plastic frames. Coloring frames.
Best lenses for specific jobs (not sponsered by the manufacturer) of these wonderful products.
Discussion on temple designs (yes there are many). Discussion on frame bridge designs (there are, or at least used to be many).
Discussion on temple weight (yes, you used to be able to get variation on this) vs. lens weight.

Chip

And no I don't give a damn about who's getting what award, who's getting promoted, what wonderful sales approach is about to appear on TV or the next fashion magazine. Don't even care who died and what his accomplishments were. Don't care who made how much money, who lost how much money, who's buying up the world. Or how anyone's stock in fluctuating. We are opticians, not investors. Very few of us have enough money to invest anyway.

[Fezz]

Thankfully, I wasn't the only WANK! ;)


Plus......it was Opticourier. The cream of the crop, the best thing going, and a "special" addition!!!!

:drop::cheers::drop::cheers::drop:

[HarryChiling]

Articles about frame repair, frame adjusting, new hinge configurations, how to get screws into spring (especially new design) hinges what jigs or tools are available to assist in this. Tricks of the trade in mounting difficult jobs. Ear configurations, frame adjustment for same. Nose configuration, frame/nose-pad adjustment for same.
How to custom color frames, plastic and metals.
Tricks on lens tinting.
Tricks on achieving pantoscopic angle on difficult frame configurations.
How to fit patient's with one ear.
Resultant magnification/minification with each power and material, and lens design.
Formula reviews, test for same at end of articles.
Jewel mounting. Ornament mounting.
Best tints for specific lighting conditions, in specific applications, shooting, motorcycle riding, hunting, fishing, golfing, etc.
Ancient optical crafts and techiques.
Soldering frames, repairing plastic frames. Coloring frames.
Best lenses for specific jobs (not sponsered by the manufacturer) of these wonderful products.
Discussion on temple designs (yes there are many). Discussion on frame bridge designs (there are, or at least used to be many).
Discussion on temple weight (yes, you used to be able to get variation on this) vs. lens weight.

Chip

And no I don't give a damn about who's getting what award, who's getting promoted, what wonderful sales approach is about to appear on TV or the next fashion magazine. Don't even care who died and what his accomplishments were. Don't care who made how much money, who lost how much money, who's buying up the world. Or how anyone's stock in fluctuating. We are opticians, not investors. Very few of us have enough money to invest anyway.

Chip,
When are you going to write something about prosthetics? I remember you saying at one point you would do something like this. Now that's an art that I would love to read on, name your price and I will purchase the article myself. (be resonable I am a poor optician :D )

[optical24/7]

.
How to fit patient's with one ear.
Chip

Gosh, I run across this all the time..........Chip, I just spewed Pepsi all over my new flat panel monitor when I read that!!! But I do agree with 100% that you wrote.

:cheers::cheers::cheers:

[Fezz]

Sheeesh Chip.


I haven't seen any no ear wonders.

But, I did have a patient for years who was.......

NOSELESS!!!!

That was a treat! Try getting a frame with 90% of the weight resting on a prosthetic nose!!!!

[Johns]

I've had only one occasion to fit a mono eared individual, and it was a child. And yes, an article on this would be helpful.



Any advice on employees w/both ears, but don't know how to use them?

[Fezz]

What?

What?

Sorry, could you speak louder?


:D:cheers::D:cheers::D

[Uncle Fester]

Frankly I find Steve Machols Optiboard to be all I really need.*

It's got the good the bad and the ugly (aka the truth):D

I do flip through the magazines on occasion if I'm not too busy posting:o



*And for only $5.00 a month:cheers:

[Matthew]

I read them all, maybe not like reading and studying for a college test, but i flip through every page, I have to stay up with all that is going on. :D

[Fezz]

Frankly I find Steve Marchols Optiboard to be all I really need.*

It's got the good the bad and the ugly (aka the truth):D

I do flip through the magazines on occasion if I'm not too busy posting:o
*And for only $5.00 a month:cheers:

Truer words have never been spoken.

Very well said. Optiboard has been the best investment of time and $ in my whole career.

[obxeyeguy]

Any advice on employees w/both ears, but don't know how to use them?

Ha! because I do have 2 ears, but really only one works. (seriosly) The other just holds up my eyewear.

[Karlen McLean]

We did something on facial injuries (no nose AND no ears) in our Ask the Labs column in the May issue this year. Check it out on www.eyecarebusiness.com. Click on Archives and the Ask the Lab topic.

I'll take your content input under advisement, thanks for letting us know what the front line's looking for!

[Uncle Fester]

Thinking outside the box---How about an article about Optiboard?
Just a thought or is this competition??

(I hope this reads in the innocent fashion in which it is intended:D)

[mikelilin]

If you are going to scan, you want to scan it in as a PDF image with OCR'ed text. Thereson for this is that the article will look exactly like the page you scanned in so pictures and other information on the page that is not exactly text or recognized will still remain. The free OCR (Optical Character Recognition) takes and applies a layer of text tothe document so that you an perform searches withing hte document to find words and information that you need.

Hope that helps, Fezz belive me I have scanned entire books into the computer, it's not only tedious but it's time consuming. I once scanned in 360 pages and on 361 the computer frooze and I had to start from page one :angry:. I now scann 10 - 20 pages in at a time and then later combine the files into one larger document so that I don't have that happen again. If yo were to scan magazines it is not really difficult as when you go through them to actually find and scan the articles you will find that a majority of these magazines are fluff with 15 -25 pages beng actual articles. That isn't too bad. If you happen to decide to do it as a project let me know and you can scan every other month and I can scann every other month and the job gets done in half the time. :D

appreciate.