From the Editor
When one door opens …
Another one also opens . In my previous editor ’ s letter I spoke about change in our industry ; how exciting and inspiring it is . Well , it may come as no surprise that my intro in the magazine was leading up to us introducing some very exciting – and maybe inspiring – news of our own here at The Locksmith Journal . The issue you hold in your hands right now marks the end of an era for the team that put it together and our audience , but dear reader , it may not be the way you think …
» THE LOCKSMITH JOURNAL MAY-JUNE WILL BE our very last bi-monthly magazine because from July onwards we will be printing and publishing an issue every single month . This means 12 editions every year for our subscribers , 12 online issues for our friends who prefer digital and – as usual – our fortnightly e-newsletter for those that have signed up ( and if you haven ’ t you , and your inbox are really missing out !)
Our industry is moving so fast and there is so much news to report that we were struggling to fit it all into six magazines a year , plus we wanted to keep content as relevant and current as possible , which means one mag every two months just wasn ’ t enough . While we have always used digital channels to ‘ fill in the gaps ’ in between issues , our audience has told us that they still love a printed magazine , so that ’ s what we ’ ve done . The fact that two of our other sister publications ’ – Clearview and Pro Installer – page counts have been creeping up over the months , further prove that our readers love magazines as much as we do .
The number of magazines we print every year isn ’ t the only thing that ’ s changing however – we don ’ t do things by halves here at The Locksmith Journal . We rely on some of the world ’ s biggest brands and businesses to keep us supplied with best industry information to you every month , our sector ’ s association and organisations for regulation and legislation , and the who ’ s who of locksmithing ’ s past , present and future to keep us up to date with what ’ s going on ( and what has gone on and what is going to happen ).
BUT now we want to hear from you too . I was speaking to someone just the other day before I sat down to pen this intro and we both said that locksmithing – and the safety and security sector – is so exciting at the moment . We seem to have found a perfect balance between the craft and cutting edge , heritage and high-tech , locks that look incredible and are almost indestructible in their performance . We want to complement ( and compliment !) this mixture of mechanical , electrical and digital in our industry on every page of every issue , and this is where you come in …
We want our everyday locksmiths to share their everyday experiences . We want to know about you and your career ; how did you get into locksmithing , how has your work changed over the years . We want to hear from locksmiths with a 50-year history in our industry and from apprentices as they train ‘ on the job ’. We want to know your top tips , your tool reviews , your trade secrets . We want your funny stories , your fun facts , your family business dynamics .
How did you switch to smart ? What ’ s the weirdest thing you ’ ve ever found in a safe ? Are you a locksmith on a remote Scottish island , do you fix doors in San Francisco ? We love nothing more than an NDE expert , or maybe you can impart EPROM expertise … There are so many things we want to know about here at The Locksmith Journal , but more importantly we know you want to know about them too , so if you can help please , please get in touch – and don ’ t worry we don ’ t need you to be an expert writer , we can help with that – we need locksmiths not wordsmiths ! Likewise , if you want to know more about something , get in touch and we will try our very best to find the right person to answer your question .
And , on top of the 12 magazines , the fortnightly newsletter and our website www . locksmithjournal . co . uk , we are also completely refreshing our social media channels too , so stay tuned for more information and look out for the ‘ add ’ to give us a like / follow .
See you next month ! Gemma
4
MAY / JUN 2023
locksmithjournal . co . uk Issue Takeover