Getting the next generation into the hobby
A
ll we have to do is watch the discussions on the MRH
website and we get plenty of ideas for editorial com-
mentary. One of the more frequent concerns being
posted is how are we going to get more new blood into the
hobby if hobby shops are closing in record numbers?
Forum member Ray Dunakin posted these concerns:
“I really worry about how modeling hobbies of any type will sur-
vive when the hobby magazines and hobby shops are gone. Sure,
those who are already in the hobby can find everything online.
But it will be much harder to bring in ‘new blood’ when there is
nothing to attract the uninitiated to the hobby. How many peo-
ple in the past got into a hobby because they saw a magazine on
a news rack, and picked it up out of curiosity? Or walked into a
hobby shop and saw something that caught their interest?”
Ray, take heart. The hobby is certainly changing, but there’s
plenty of indication that it’s far from dying out for the next
generation. If we look at MRH, we find that one of the largest
sources of new readers is Facebook. Currently, Facebook has
MRH staff notes - 1
Notes from the
MRH Staff
Getting the next generation into the hobby,
modeling form or
function, MRH’s first 50
issues, and more ...
MRH-May 2014
