Congratulations to everyone at the Legacy Magazine.
This magazine – published periodically since 2013 – took high honors at this year’s “Who Cares!” banquet (on Zoom) with the annual award of “Best Most-Unread Online Periodical.”
Birthed by Justin LaBarge of New Hampshire and James Anthony Ellis of California, with inspiration from the then MDI President Sandy Peisner, the magazine has been rightly ignored coming on eight years.
Said LaBarge, “I feel so humbled by the fact we took this award, and even more humbled that hardly anyone gives a shit about it.”
Out humbling the publisher, editor Ellis said, “Why am I even typing this out now?”
The rumor about men’s circles is that “men don’t read,” though Ellis was hoping that meant they didn’t read global e-mails that related to MDI community service events, division news and “where the money goes.” However, it became apparent that this tendency may also cover the magazine readership.
Over time, subscriptions have remained steady – from 0 to 0 – and the free publication elicits approximately 10-12 comments each month. Social media posts result in a smattering of likes, though this may be due to men’s concern the editor will later request a story from them. Given the outrageously obtuse “target audience” of the “global community of men,” it’s no wonder expectations have come up short. No surprise the ratio is low considering the math compares the readership numbers with the total number of men on planet Earth.
“We have such incredible content that comes from some amazingly engaging contributors from all over. It’s unfortunate we have yet to catch on,” said Ellis, who is simultaneously grateful for the full set of “archives” that allows for the legacy stories to remain available into future generations – “long after every one of us is dead.”
The editor admits it doesn’t help that statistics and metrics are not monitored or kept, mainly due to the fact the organization’s website changes every two years.
Even with the unknown readership, the International Leadership does acknowledge the work accomplished with the magazine, and the award it garnered at the banquet. Said VP of Operations, Jake Muzzin, “Around the magazine and its reach, I’m very proud … and disappointed.”
The other considerations around the magazine’s readership and participation points to the little amount of marketing implemented, as well as the fact men mainly comment when something is upsetting, “wrong” or in need of fixing.
Said LaBarge, “Receiving few comments means we are either doing a really good job at pleasing our audience … or we’re boring as fuck.”
The one time the magazine received an influx of comments came in the April Fools’ edition in 2016 when a number of men believed the gag: “MDI to Begin Allowing Women onto Men’s Teams.”
Which – ahem – may be true by the publishing of this edition.
Your doing a great job with this publication.👍