  This article was originally printed in the August 2003 issue (Vol 10, No. 1) |
STC Usability SIG Newsletter |
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| Usability Interface |
Thoughts on Publishing Our Newsletter
By David Dick, Editor
Many of STC’s chapters and SIGs publish their newsletters online, either as PDF or HTML, to reduce time, effort, and costs. Publishing the newsletter online, allows Editors to publish more articles, and make better use of graphics and color, which increase publication costs.
In our member survey we asked how you would like to have the newsletter delivered to you. Eighty-one people replied to the question:
- 33 replied that they would like a printed and mailed publication with simultaneous posting on the web.
- 13 replied that they would like a downloadable PDF file.
- 23 replied that they would like a web version with notification by e-mail.
- 12 answered "Other" (undecided).
Our budget is based on an allocation from STC of $4 for every SIG member. This year, that gives us a budget of $7,896. Last year, our costs, primarily for printing and mailing, was $13,539. We recognize that many members still prefer hardcopy, reducing costs is not an option, but a necessity.
We have two choices:
1. Publish a four-page newsletter. The consequence is that it will have only one feature article and advertise articles published on our web site. The benefit is that we drastically lower production and mailing costs.
2. Publish an e-newsletter, which contains highlights and links to articles published on our web site.
We will do both and select the best and economical solution.
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