[il-talk] FW: [Nfb-newsline-sponsors] December 2008 NFB-NEWSLINE® Happenings

Wed Dec 24 15:30:57 UTC 2008

As usual, Dave you and your team are doing a great job.  We are on every top 
ten list but one.

Patti Gregory-Chang
President, National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
pattichang at att.net
www.nfbofillinois.org
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Meyer" <datemeyer at sbcglobal.net>
To: "'NFB of Illinois Mailing List'" <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 3:23 PM
Subject: [il-talk] FW: [Nfb-newsline-sponsors] December 2008 NFB-NEWSLINE® 
Happenings

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-newsline-sponsors-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-newsline-sponsors-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of West, Renee
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 1:33 PM
To: nfb-newsline-sponsors at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfb-newsline-sponsors] December 2008 NFB-NEWSLINE® Happenings

NFB-Newsline® Sponsors:

Please find attached and below (in plain-text format) the December 2008
issue of NFB-Newsline® Happenings. Should you have any questions or comments
as regards the newsletter or contents therein, please don't hesitate to call
or email me; my contact details are available in my signature block.

Thank you, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Renee West
Manager, Marketing and Outreach
Sponsored Technology Programs
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore MD 21230
Phone: (410) 659-9314 ext. 2411
Fax: (410) 659-5129
Websites: www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> ; www.nfbnewsline.org
<http://www.nfbnewsline.org/>

Plain-text version of newsletter follows:

NFB-NEWSLINE® HAPPENINGS-DECEMBER 2008

Main Menu

 Seasons Greetings, Sponsors!  Here's wishing you all a holiday season
filled with comfort and joy.  In the intervening month since I last wrote,
we've made good strides on realizing the execution of the new initiatives
alluded to in our last newsletter, as well as other system enhancements.
Additionally, we have worked with many states to help them promote the
service and to reach out to their subscribers; for this purpose we have also
launched the Newsliner, our semi-monthly e-newsletter that provides
subscribers with information that enhances their experience.  Clearly, we
are moving in the right direction; we've had a 33 percent increase in the
number of calls over the past twelve months, and we hope that increased
contact with our subscribers will see continued growth in this area.  We
would love to work with you to help your clients better use and enjoy
NFB-NEWSLINE®, please contact me, Renee West, at (410) 659-9314, extension
2411, or rwest at nfb.org <mailto:rwest at nfb.org> .

 One sad note: the NFB-NEWSLINE® team will be losing one of its most
valuable players; our Content Manager Steve Brand will have his last day of
work on December 30.  Steve hopes to build a successful career through
Maryland's Business Enterprise Program, and we certainly wish him the best
of luck in his new venture.  We will all miss Steve, as he is a most
pleasant fellow who combines the rare combination of technical know-how and
excellent personal skills.  Steve's new trajectory, however, does mean that
we will need to find an individual with similar outstanding characteristics.
If you know of someone (even yourself!) who may serve well in this capacity,
please read the position announcement that will be sent out by Scott White,
Director of Sponsored Technology.

Channel Chat

 Firstly, please allow me to pass along a reminder that your sponsor
greeting needs to be reflective of the current situation, that is to say,
please remove out-of-date or unnecessary information from your greeting.  If
you have not yet removed from your sponsor greeting mention of the
availability of election materials, may I suggest that you do so presently.

In addition to promoting your own efforts, consider featuring information
from other state agencies such as forms, booklets, and pamphlets on your
local channel.  By providing this information not only will you be providing
your subscribers with critical information, but you will also be assisting
(other) state agencies by creating for them an efficient and economical way
to be ADA-compliant.  When it comes time for determining the state budget,
you can call on those agencies to offer support for your appropriation as
they will have benefited financially and legally from your sponsorship of
NFB-NewslineÒ.  New York State's efforts in this regard are exemplary.  On
their local information channel they feature information about, and contact
details for, state assembly leaders and senators, as well as information
from the state's Consumer Protection Board.  With the information provided,
subscribers can learn how to both contact their Senator and protect
themselves against identity theft.  Good work!

Lastly, we have placed the subscriber newsletter under option number one on
the service so that all subscribers might have access to this information;
as a result, we've had many requests from subscribers to be added to the
e-mail list.  If you'd like to read this newsletter yourself and have, for
whatever reason, not received our prior newsletter, please contact me so
that I may add you to our list.

Remember.this is YOUR space, so get out YOUR message!

JUST THE STATS, MA'AM

In November 139,367 calls were made, and we've seen 305 new subscribers to
the service.  November also saw the average percentage of calls to local
numbers at 67.47.  In addition to last month's roundup of states with an
average local call rate of over 90 percent, we can welcome the fine state of
Georgia who got into the rhythm along with New Hampshire, Connecticut, D.C.,
New Jersey, Alabama, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.  Keep it up!  Below are the
numbers for November:

Top Ten Minutes Used:

 There has been a bit of shuffling around since the last newsletter, with
some interesting developments:  Michigan joined the top-ten conga line, and
in an impressive bit of footwork, New York swung up into the 2nd spot!

1. California:  272,701 minutes
2. New York:  191,115 minutes
3. Florida:  173,040 minutes
4. Massachusetts:  172,603 minutes
5. Ohio:  149,638 minutes
6. Illinois:  140,180 minutes
7. Maryland:  132,278 minutes
8. Texas:  111,779 minutes
9. Michigan:  85,441 minutes
10.  Missouri:  82,408 minutes

Top Ten New Subscribers:

 Subscriber signups in the last month have slowed down a bit, from a lindy
hop to a waltz, but we think everyone can get out and do a boot-scootin'
boogie to find new subscribers.  The colder months can be an especially good
time of year for outreach, as people aren't doing the hustle from activity
to activity as they are in the spring and summer, and so may be more willing
to attend an NFB-NEWSLINE® demonstration indoors.  As to the list below,
please note the good works of Massachusetts in November as is reflected by
their presence in the number two position; they executed a high step with
nine more new subscribers than in the previous month!  Kudos to the Bay
State!

1. California with 35
2. Massachusetts with 28
3. Pennsylvania with 26
4. Florida with 23
5. Texas with 21
6. Illinois with 18
7. North Carolina with 13
8. New York partnered with Michigan at 10 new users 9. Virginia two-stepped
with Mississippi at 9 new users 10.  Georgia tangoed with Washington State
at 8 new users

E-mail Superstars:

 A total of 115,874 e-mails were sent out during November, with the numbahs
doing a rumba along the list-Ohio saw an extra 495 e-mails sent out than in
October, New York increased by 616, and Florida's statistics did the bump
with a WHOPPING increase of 1,075 e-mails sent.  Keep on swingin'!

1. Texas:  9,553
2. California: 9,188
3. Ohio:  7,744
4. Maryland:  5,690
5. New York: 5,593
6. Pennsylvania:  5,424
7. North Carolina:  5,354
8. Florida:  5,302
9. Massachusetts:  4,566
10. Illinois: 4,480

Top Ten Registered Subscribers:

 With the exception of changes to the numbers of total subscribers, this
list is in step with last month's; the list is as follows:

1. Florida with 9,296
2. California with 6,365
3. Maryland with 2,931
4. Michigan with 2,541
5. North Carolina with 2,465
6. Texas with 2,441
7. Wisconsin with 2,333
8. New York with 2,244
9. Ohio with 2,219
10.  Massachusetts with 2,084

Congratulations, Everyone!

 Getting In Touch with NFB-NEWSLINE®

You Got Our Number!

 It is always our goal to ensure that the service we provide is as valuable
to our subscribers as possible, and we seek to fulfill this goal in the
evening and weekend hours just as much as during traditional working hours.
As a result, we have made available a phone number that you and your
subscribers can call if trouble should arise.  The intended purpose of this
line is fairly limited to problems of a global nature; for example:
 DO CALL if the line isn't picking up at all, and you or your subscriber
tried several times on both the local and the toll-free numbers;  DO CALL if
you or your subscriber is unable to get in for another reason, for example,
if it is not possible to enter login information or the system will not
process the codes;  DO CALL if national content is not available, such as a
national paper or the AP service;  DO CALL if the television listings aren't
loading;  DO CALL if ALL of the newspapers are not loading;  DO CALL if you
or a subscriber can't complete a call from the local phone number or from
the toll-free number, as many people use those numbers and will be affected.

 Conversely, there are certain problems that are better handled during
normal working hours.  If the issue is regarding an individual subscriber,
or a local newspaper (or section therein), please call (888) 504-7300 during
business hours.

 Now that you are dialed-in to the purpose and usefulness of this number,
you can key into the service whenever you need it by calling (410) 609-7081
after hours.

Subscriber's Corner

 The life and times of Bill Morgan have the makings of a prime-time movie,
or, he hopes, an inspirational autobiography.  He was raised at a time and
in a place where very little was expected of him as a blind child; his
mother, also blind, earned money by playing music on street corners; he
worked for a pittance at a sheltered workshop; suffered through years of
alcohol and tobacco abuse; runs a successful vending enterprise; became the
first blind man to traverse the United States; and has fought six rounds
with a terrible foe (cancer) and won.

 Of course the broad strokes of his history are fascinating, but so is the
man who lived them.  Bill is truly a nice man, an honorable man, earthy, and
staunchly independent.  He also has a fierce work ethic and a deep desire to
help better the world for blind people.  After working for years for a
pittance at a sheltered workshop, Bill trained to become a vendor; he now
has the longest vending route through any Business Enterprise Program in the
USA, running 825 miles from Idaho's borders with Oregon and Utah.  After
conquering a lifetime battle with heavy alcohol and tobacco use, he along
with his wife Lynda and three children began a trek across America to
educate the world about the true capacity of blind people.  All told, Bill
walked 3,615 miles in 318 days and, as a result of this tremendous endeavor,
he got to meet with then-president Ronald Reagan, a highlight in his
extraordinary life.

 Several years ago, Mr. Morgan faced yet another struggle: cancer.  While
lying on his bed for often weeks at a time, he found an ability to escape
his pain and solitary surroundings through the NFB-NEWSLINE® service.  He
says "It helped me.stay connected to the world through the telephone" and he
appreciated knowing that he could have this connection whenever he wanted.
Even though the skin on his hands was raw, making contact difficult, he
found such comfort and connection with the service that he would still make
the painful effort to dial into the service, often listening to it for five
hours or more each day.  "NFB-NEWSLINE®," according to Bill, "helped save my
life, literally."

Bill, whose cancer has been in remission for five years, still enjoys the
service, reading between three and five newspapers per day.  He especially
appreciates the sections featuring information about business and economics,
as the content is of great help to him as a businessman to find new
strategies and perspectives to help his vending concern.  Beyond economics,
however, he has through his use of NFB-NEWSLINE® found a dear friend who
moved to Boise from Kenya, and has found writing classes in the community
calendar, which will help him to write what will surely be a moving
autobiography.  Thank you, Bill, for the sharing of your story, and of
yourself.

Your Monthly Helpful Hint

 When enrolling a new subscriber into the www.newsline.net
<http://www.newsline.net>  website, please check to see if that individual
already has an existing account before entering his or her information onto
the site.  Taking such a step will ensure that customers have only one entry
in the database; this helps with recordkeeping on our end and yours, and you
won't have to worry about which account to use when updating contact
details.

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12:08 PM

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