How to Read Wired Magazine!

I love Wired and have been a subscriber for many years. I am a big fan but don't like the way the ads hamper my ability to read the magazine. I have repeatedly expressed my opinions about the amount, and invasive nature of the advertising. I've told many a re-subscribe agent (who told me they can take and do pass on suggestions) that I'd pay a lot more than the $10 yearly subscription for a less in-your-face take on the advertising. I wrote the editor. I complained to anyone who would listen. And now you are listening, or rather reading, so here goes my "how to" on reading Wired Magazine. Maybe you agree, and maybe they will hear what we think.

Get out your favorite cutting impliment. I like box cuters. !*!*!* AT ALL TIMES BECAREFUL NOT TO CUT YOURSELF *!*!*!

Use your knife to cut open one end of the bag. I like to cut on a top or bottowm to make a long, rather than wide, bag.

Pull out your Wired magazine. Leave the advertising card in the bag. The bag is now empty except for the card. Now your bag is a great place to dispose of those anoying Magosites!

The easist magosites to remove are the subscription cards that are just williy-nilly placed throughout the magazine. Hold your Wired upsidedown by the binding (?, fold, crease ) and do a flip through while shaking. This should dislodge most of the loose cards.

Use that shipping plastic, that you have converted into a bag, as your storage for the magosites. This allows for easy disposal or recycling as you see fit.

Pick up your Wired Magazine and do a quick thumb through. I like to do it quickly, like you were flipping through a stack of cards or an animation flip book. There will be obvious stops in this process. These stops are the location of magosites or invasive advertising.

Major offenders are:

Gummed in Booklets. These are sticky gummed in booklets that really get in the way of a good read.
Subscribe Cards: These are either mounted or just tossed in. These also come out in a first pass.
Thicker Pages: These ads want your attention. Cut them out!
Fold Out Pages: Hey look, a pre perforated tear out seam that looks like an ad fold. RIP!

It may take you a few passes, but if you are dileginent you will suceed in removing invasive ads. As you thumb through you will need to look harder and harder. Ads become sneakier as they start losing friends. They will try to hide.

Remove gummed in booklets, the gum, and then, if it makes you feel better, use the knife to cut out the gum tab. (See cutting in one of the following steps.)

You can also cut out the leftover parts of a perforation gone astray or just plain cut before the perforation tear for a smoother flip and a "I do what I want, not what you want, Magazine Man!" kind of feeling.

Yes, Wired, stop it already with the invasive ads! Actually this step is about how to cut.

I like to cut as close to the binding (can you call it that in a magazine?) as possible. To do this is cut on the side that is closest to either end. If you are on page five and want to remove a thick page, I lay the knife on page four and just barely score the page. If you really cut or press hard you may take out pages 5 - 10. Careful! If you put the knife on the least amount of pages you should be OK. That will allow you to get as close to the crease as possible. Once you have scored the page, gently try and rip it out. If it doesn't come, score again and keep trying until it easily comes out.

Now that you are magaosite free, take some time to protect yourself and nuke your address label. Cut it off the bag and shred it. Do what you want with the bag of magosites. I like recycling, but if you could stuf all that into a postage paid envelope of some junk mailer that would be fun too.

Sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labor. An intrusive ad free Wired Magazine. Don't you wish you could have skipped steps 1 thru 8?

This month I noticed my routine was less painful and I only got 4 magosites out of my magazine. I sent this letter to the editor:

Wired!

Your magazine is great. I love it all... all but the invasive advertizing. My
monthy ritual of de-magositing my Wired, was utterly painless. The 4 "Subscribe
to Wired" cards all but fell out. No extra thick pages, gummed in advert books,
or "look at me I'm a 4 page spread in 2 pages" fold outs? Is this a fluke or a
new direction. I hope the later!

Willing to pay $40 for less advertizing (and less invasive advertizing)!

Clark

If you would like to send a aimilar email encouraging the good trend seen in this months Wired do so by emailing rants@wiredmag.com

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