TO A lifelong print journalist, there is much to dislike about the digital age's impact on the dissemination of news. Its insistence on immediacy, with only passing interest in accuracy, grammar and style, makes me gnash my teeth. Its general disinterest in graphic design is also annoying.
(Does that paragraph make me sound old?)
Still, I embrace all that is good about electronic media, and one of the best things about cyberspace is its vastness and, in turn, its value as an enormous file cabinet. It has become the world's local library (Wikipedia aside!), and that is where I find it most attractive to those of us who still believe that magazines will never disappear.
Welcome to the BD Vault.
The BD Vault is the online complement to
Billiards Digest, not as a news site (that is the domain of BilliardsDigest.com), but as an archival site that will allow subscribers access to information that previously would have required the painstaking process of physically looking through "old issues." Instructional articles are far and away the most read and re-read pages in
Billiards Digest, and scouring back issues for tips would normally take subscribers hours upon hours and that's assuming the subscriber has all of his or her back issues at hand.
That will no longer be the case. In the BD Vault, into which only current subscribers have access, a billiard enthusiast looking to improve his 9-ball game need only click on the "9-Ball" button in the "Instruction" section of the site and up will pop dozens of instructional articles by a host of BD contributors. Over time, as more past issues are poured into the Vault, the number of options will be in the hundreds! Additionally, all of the article listings have taglines that capsulate the topic. Not interested in 9-ball? How about "Strategy," or "8-Ball," or "The Mental Game?" All articles are filed under the appropriate heading. What's more, you're not limited to searching by subject. You can also search by author. Love Bob Jewett? Scroll through all of his articles. Same for Nick Varner, Larry Schwartz and more.
But while instruction is the heart of the BD Vault, there is much more. Having been around for more than 75 years (33 years as
Billiards Digest, and 42 years as
National Bowlers Journal and Billiard Revue), the photo library at Billiards Digest is as exhaustive as there is in the industry. Every month new photos will be added to the site, from Ralph Greenleaf to "Cowboy" Weston, and Efren Reyes to Allison Fisher.
And what's a "members only" site without unique video? The Vault will feature video content not available anywhere else, including exclusive interviews with the greatest players to ever play the game!
All this as added value solely for the loyal subscribers to
Billiards Digest! It's been a mammoth undertaking, and will be a work in progress for some time. But it's an exciting project and one that gives scope and perspective to
Billiards Digest's long and rich history that awes even a grizzled old editor of 30-plus years behind the desk!
So, dear subscribers, log on to
billiardsdigestvault.com and follow the sign-in instructions. Enjoy, and remember, the site will constantly be added to, so the benefits to being a BD subscriber, whether you've been one for one month or 30 years, will continually grow!
