The 20/20 Editorial Team

James J. Spina
VP, Editor-in-Chief

Jacqueline Micucci
Executive Editor

Gloria Nicola
Senior Features Editor

Andy Karp
Group Editor, Lenses and Technology

Melissa Arkin
Associate Editor

1/11/2010 Good to See You...Again
Posted by 20/20&U Blog Admin
Location: Blogs2020&U
 		    
Hi. Yes, it HAS been awhile. Things change. Life gets tweeted. Faces get booked. Unidentified folks continue to rant on countless blogs and endless discussions take place with multi-facetted agendas that mean everything... and nothing... to the business at hand, which 20/20 truly believes is empowering better vision care, better vision care products and information valuable to promoting and energizing that scenario.

Do we get it wrong sometimes? Of course we do. Did this blog go quiet for a few months? Yes. Did responses fall off? Considerably. Do we intend to do any thing about that? Yes. Do you? We hope so.

In the past month there have been some unidentified voices out there attacking a variety of statements from 20/20 within this blog. We take full responsibility for any edit position taken and you might notice that since each entry from 20/20 gets signed off with an editor’s name we are VERY concerned about total accountability. We can only hope you do the same in your responses. And since we have an ultimate responsibility to our readership online AND in print we will always retain the right to edit responses, correct entries with proper spelling and ... cut you off when it is appropriate.

Who will be the judge of that on 2020&U? 20/20.

Look for some very new stuff VERY soon... right here. And we even have some new voices beyond our edit team that we’re grooming for added optical insight so stick with us. The regular gig of 20/20 in print and on the web site is strictly formatted to a monthly time frame so cut us some slack here as we re-establish a timely groove without getting TOO schedule conscious.

There is ONE issue though that we’d like to clear up right now:

EyeVote is and will always be a legitimate reader survey where the 20/20 readers delivered their choices on some favorite products, companies, brands and services. As editors we applaud those votes. We printed the results in the January issue of 20/20. We stand by them. And if anyone has an issue with that then that voice has an issue with our readership. And WE stand by our readership in force. They are the reason for our editorial existence.

― James J. Spina
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Comments (3)   Add Comment
Re: Good to See You...Again
By Barry Santini		 1/13/2010
s
I'll tell you Jim, what I'd like to see in 2010:

1. More frank reporting and dialogue on the rise of the internet, the subsequent devaluation of gross margins by the new online Rx pruveyors, and the entry by frame, lens and sunwear vendors selling direct to the public...at retail rather than wholesale, and pocketing the difference.

It seems to be that, from abusiness standpoint, why would any of the vendors want to continue to support the professional chanel when they can triple their product by selling direct to the public.

It's time, in my mind, to call 'em on it.

What say you, 20/20 &U?

Barry
Re: Good to See You...Again
By CA402CE4-1A39-4464-B412-0E07DF2281E6		 1/13/2010
s
Sounds like a plan but for it to work there truly needs to be a response, at least here to start, from the retailing side of optical voicing their position on the "on line" direct-to-consumer situation. It's understood that the consumer has rightfully gained a more powerful position in bargaining for any thing from service to products via the growing power of internet purchasing.
Scenarios in other "industries" range in degree. Stores vending music products virtually disappeared and yet direct on line sales of automobiles floundered and folded even faster than the domestic auto vendors. The future for optical dispening is still an unknown in terms of the success rate. So much of this is seemingly determined by the "service" factor which remains a powerful tool in the grips of the successful ECP. Here 20/20 looks to host the forum from all sides...retailer, vendor AND consumer. Let the frame games begin...hopefully...HERE @ 2020&U. And, as usual, thanks to Barry for hopefully getting this rolling.
My biggest beef with the public & online...
By Barry Santini		 1/13/2010
s
It's the "implied social cognition" that there's nothing wrong with going into a retailer (whomever), and
Looking
Touching
Trying on
Feeling
Discussing
&
Kicking the tires

of a product...say a frame or fashion sunglass, for instance, and then "comparison shopping" the same on the internet.

Bulletin: It's called "theft of service"...particularly if its premediated, which it increasingly is today.

If your're OK shopping on the internet for your eyewear, that's fine by me.
Just don't think that you're some type of mini engine of the free market or capitalism by doing so. You're stealing...plain and simple.

Food for thought. Applies to lenses too.

So much for "recommending from the chair"...yes?

B

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