Do I miss something with Pentest Magazine?

impelse

I just receive an email about they will increase prices again because a workshop, etc, etc.

Am I missing something with them? Are that magazine really good for the prices?

I never had a subscription with them, so please who ever have one please give me your feedback.

Thanks.

JDMurray

I've never seen any of PenTestMag's issues, but they sure are good at emailing promotional ads to my Inbox.

MSP-IT

I thought they already charged $10+ per issue. Any subscribers here? I would doubt that any material could be worth that cost, unless it's at least 200+ pages per mag.

NovaHax

I've written for PenTest, Hakin9, and eForensics. Its all the same company.

I wouldn't do it again...but it was a nice bump to my resume when I was getting out of the military (...a nice bump for those that were not familiar with their reputation. The actual employer I went to work with called it out though). They don't pay their authors anything, and they only get content by harassing people to write for them. There is no editorial or technical review, whatsoever.

See the DICKS fiasco --> Experts ***** 'biggest security mag in the world' with DICKish submission

As far as content, it is very hit and miss. There are some good articles...but a lot of crap gets through too. I think Hakin9 is almost worth writing for...just cause you get a free year's subscription. And its usually worth looking through (if you are willing to push through the junk). PenTest and eForensics only give you a copy of the issue you get published in...so IMO, not really worth it.

I WOULD NOT pay for any of these.

impelse

LOL, I like that article.

JDMurray

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/05/hakin9_silliness/ wrote:

The incident prompted one advertiser to withdraw support from Hakin9. "We have officially withdrawn any advertisement investment from HAKIN9 in response to the nmap guide fiasco," eLearnSecurity said.

It's really, really bad when the advertisers start pulling out and you don-t have a lot of cash on hand to cover your expenses.

cgrimaldo

JDMurray wrote: »

I've never seen any of PenTestMag's issues, but they sure are good at emailing promotional ads to my Inbox.

Pretty much this.

impelse

I just got this in my inbox:

Hi again,

I would like to tell you about a serious change in our policy regarding individual purchase of PenTest issues!



From June 2014 all the individual issues will be available only after getting full subscription and the price of the subscription and our IT pack will be doubled due to the introduction of PenTest certified workshops.




This change will help you improve your skills, because the best teachers will guide you step by step in the Pentesting world. We have all resources and tools to achieve your goals. Workshops will end with certificate of professional qualifications, after passing final exam conducted by our expert. The workshops will cost 400 USD each and they will address various topics.All members with active subscribtion will have an access to workshops till its expiration.




Because of all these changes, there is a special offer that is available only till the end of May. You can get your IT Pack (certified workshops and subscribtion to Hakin9, PenTest and eForensics magazines) for three years!

Contact our Product Manager Milena Bobrowska [email protected] to get all of the details!






Sincerely,

Olena Borysocheva

impelse

Maybe I can talk with my supervisor and hire a couple of sales people there, LOL. They almost convince me!!!!!!!

NovaHax

I get these almost EVERY DAY!!!!

---

Hi Justin,

How are you doing? My name is Olena Borysocheva and I am editor of PenTest Magazine.
My colleague Kuba has shared your address with me and I found you article about Secret Pentesting Techniques very useful for our readers.
Our current issue is Metasploit. Would you be interested in writing on this subject?
If you need any help let me know.
We hope for further cooperation!


Please contact me even if you are not interested.
Sincerely,
Olena
--
Best Regards,
Olena BorysochevaPenTest Magazine Editor


www: pentestmag.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/PenTestMag
twitter: @PenTestMag

NovaHax

They want all your "Secret Pentesting Techniques"

impelse

I think they are thinking: These guys needs to shine in the pentesting area, so they will do anything to shine, so lets ask them to write for us for free and they will get the fame!!!!!! LOL

adobarto

Hi Guys!

I'm the new managing editor at PenTest Magazine, I've been doing some general research on opinions about it and I found this topic. 

I find it necessary to give you guys some update on how it looks like since I'm in charge here.  
We do have a very thorough review and proofreading process. Every submitted article is carefully checked, edited and improved with the consent of the author (if necessary).

Our promotional ads policy is well-balanced, as we send up to 2 messages per week, never more than that. If someone is inconvenient with it, he or she can unsubscribe from our mailing list anytime. 

There is absolutely no harassment of potential contributors. We choose the main topic each month, research the potential contributors according to this particular topic, and talk only to the people who are interested. The process is undoubtedly civilized and both sides are okay with how it proceeds. I also hate spam, I know how irritating it can be - we definitely do not do that!

The fact that we do not offer payment for the articles is true. Yet, every contributor is naturally given a free copy of the issue that he/she published in (worth $29). If someone contributes regularly, we give a 20% discount on our products or free year-long magazine subscription. Every contributor is happy with the co-operation. We are not forcing anyone to write. I think it is not about shining and fame, it is more about being passionate and willing to share your knowledge with the others, that's how I and our contributors look at it. 

I hope it clarifies the image. If you have any more questions regarding PenTest Magazine, I am happy to answer.

Cheers!  

cyberguypr

Honest curiosity: as a new managing editor, is it part of your job to search the interwebs for stuff regarding the magazine? I am very curious on how you ended up in this thread.

adobarto

It's just the matter of the personal approach - as the new managing editor I'm just curious of the opinions from the past. Everything regarding the magazine is a part of my job as my task is to deliver the quality product, that's it

MrAgent

I wrote an article and and an interview with them a while back.
Now I get several emails every week from them. Either asking if I want to write an article, or to get me to sign up for some course.

tedjames

impelse said:

I think they are thinking: These guys needs to shine in the pentesting area, so they will do anything to shine, so lets ask them to write for us for free and they will get the fame!!!!!! LOL

Having played in bands for a few decades, I can tell you that this kind of attitude exists everywhere. Several times a year, we get asked to play at some large event. But they can't afford to pay us, but we'll get some amazing exposure. Yet, they're charging for tickets.

adobarto

MrAgent said:

I wrote an article and and an interview with them a while back.
Now I get several emails every week from them. Either asking if I want to write an article, or to get me to sign up for some course.

I've heard that in the past it was different so I will not deny that.

As I mentioned before, now we send 2 messages a week - one newsletter and one to the users registered on our website. Once a month I send "call for papers" to these users. And there is nothing more than that from PenTest Magazine regarding mailings. You can unsubscribe from both lists whenever you want, we definitely do not intend to spam you.  

adobarto

tedjames said:

impelse said:

I think they are thinking: These guys needs to shine in the pentesting area, so they will do anything to shine, so lets ask them to write for us for free and they will get the fame!!!!!! LOL

Having played in bands for a few decades, I can tell you that this kind of attitude exists everywhere. Several times a year, we get asked to play at some large event. But they can't afford to pay us, but we'll get some amazing exposure. Yet, they're charging for tickets.

I've also played in a band for a couple of years, I did play some unpaid gigs, but nobody forced me to do that - it was my conscious decision. We've refused some of the unpaid gigs.

It's voluntary and individual choice in every business.

JDMurray

This is called "marketing." It is both the easiest thing to understand and the hardest thing to do. One must grab marketing/advertising opportunities whenever one can. 

MontagueVandervort

Just throwing this out there ✍️ ...

The ability to do what others will not or cannot do is one of the keys to becoming successful.