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Editorial: June 2014

Your responses to our reader survey raises great points.

Your responses to our reader survey raises great points.

We recently sent a reader survey around to everyone on our email list. The primary function of the survey was to make sure we have your company information and industry sector correct so we have an accurate picture of who is reading the magazine. However, there was a section where respondents could type in their comments, and many of you took advantage of that opportunity. Lest you think your responses were consigned to a folder and forever doomed to gather digital dust, I thought I would address some of the points and issues raised.

The first thing to note is the overwhelmingly positive nature of the comments. Many of you simply said you enjoy Glass Canada and find it informative and worthwhile. We honestly didn’t get one response telling us we suck. That certainly doesn’t mean there aren’t any readers who think we do, but I’m reasonably confident that they must be in the minority. It is gratifying to see that our commitment to providing the glass industry with an effective and engaging business information channel is appreciated. Thanks to all those who took the time to tell us you like our publication.

There were some comments on our regional balance. Some readers felt the magazine content is too focused on Ontario. Others felt there was too much focus on western Canada. Since the complaints from one part of the country roughly balanced out the complaints from the other part of the country, I’m tempted to think I must be getting it about right for a national publication. Inevitably, there will be periods where we hear less from a certain region and more from others. Then, over time, the trend will reverse. Since I am always trying to cover issues that are of interest to any glazier in the country, I don’t think it matters that much where the information originates. Even stories on strictly provincial matters, such as building codes, can be read in other provinces to inform the local readers’ views of their own situation. The whole purpose of a national magazine is to communicate across the geographical barriers that separate us, so it is not only inevitable but desirable that you end up reading about what is happening elsewhere. That said, I make no claim to be perfect in covering everything of interest that happens across this vast nation. I would encourage anyone disappointed with Glass Canada’s coverage of their glazing community to simply drop me an email at pflannery@annexweb.com whenever they feel something noteworthy is at hand.

Some readers in Quebec mentioned they wish there was a French edition of the magazine. So do I. I realize that with solely an English publication we are not serving the massive Quebec glass industry as well as we could be. But the simple fact is that translating an issue of our magazine into French would cost about as much as producing the entire issue in the first place.

Some readers asked for more articles on decorative glass. I agree it is probably time we return to this important topic, and plans are in the works.  Another comment said we should have had boxes for apprentice/journeyperson status in our “highest level of education achieved” question. I couldn’t agree more, and that will be fixed in future surveys.

Thanks to everyone who responded.