[il-talk] FW: [Nfb-newsline-sponsors] January 2009 NFB-NEWSLINER Happenings

Fri Jan 16 21:29:39 UTC 2009

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-newsline-sponsors-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-newsline-sponsors-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of West, Renee
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2009 2:38 PM
To: nfb-newsline-sponsors at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfb-newsline-sponsors] January 2009 NFB-NEWSLINER Happenings

NFB-Newsline(r) Sponsors:

Please find attached and below (in plain-text format) the January 2009 issue
of NFB-Newsline(r) 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 have a lovely weekend.

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
Website: www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> ; www.nfbnewsline.org

***
Plain-text version of newsletter follows:

NFB-NEWSLINE(r) HAPPENINGS-JANUARY 2009

Main Menu

            Happy New Year to all of our sponsors!  We hope you all had a
lovely holiday, and are now eager for the New Year!  We in the Sponsored
Technology Programs department at the National Federation of the Blind
resolve to make 2009 a banner year for NFB-NEWSLINE(r) and we hope you will
join us in our resolution. 

            2009 seems already to be on the right track, as we've recently
added four new newspapers to our list, as follows: 

            Illinois - the Chicago Sun Times

            Minnesota - the Rochester Post Bulletin

            New York - both the New York Post and the Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle 

            I also want to make mention again of our hunt for a new Content
Manager; please visit the following Web page for further information about
the position and how to apply:

http://www.nfb.org/nfb/MgrContentSponsTech.asp?SnID=40079943.  

If you happen to know someone who you think is qualified and may be
interested in this position, please let him or her know about the opening!

            Finally, it is nearly time for us to roll out the carpet for two
of our new initiatives.  Soon subscribers will be able to read papers over a
Web site that is both secure and free of any extraneous and bothersome
links, improving both access and ease of use.
Additionally, with our introduction of NFB-NEWSLINE(r) In Your Pocket you'll
also be able to get publication content onto your Victor Reader Stream; you
just plug your unit into your computer via a USB cord and Bob's your uncle!
We should have release dates for these two initiatives very soon, so keep
your ears on!

Channel Chat

            Firstly, kudos to Idaho for posting bus schedule information on
their local channel!  Congratulations on making such a wise and innovative
use of this resource by featuring such extremely helpful material. 

Secondly, I wish to highlight the benefits of having an open-doors policy as
regards the content of your local channel.  Featuring a wide variety of
blindness organizations (the main two national entities as well as other,
statewide, organizations) visibly demonstrates the fact that this service is
available to members of all organizations as well as to those unaffiliated
with a blindness organization.  Further, the offering of information from
other disability groups (especially those that represent possible
subscribers, such as organizations of individuals with cerebral palsy or
dyslexia) enhances the potential of both the reach and depth of this
resource.  Finally, inasmuch as
NFB-NEWSLINE(r) is usually a publicly-funded service, equality in the
provision of information from or about an array of organizations that either
serve, or is comprised of, your patron base is of concern. 

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

JUST THE STATS, MA'AM

We're ringing in 2009 with some fresh statistics!  There were 142,250 calls
made in December, over 2,500 more calls than were made in the previous
month.  We've also seen 425 brand new subscribers to the service, 120 more
than was gained in November.  This New Year is indeed Happy!
Congratulations to Connecticut, D.C., Delaware, Alabama, Georgia, and
Pennsylvania (who enjoyed a local call rate of above ninety percent)!  

Top Ten Minutes Used:

The states represented in this category are entirely the same as last
month's, although there have been a few switcheroos: Ohio and Illinois
changed slots, as did Florida and Massachusetts.  Three states are
positively elated with their numbers: California gained 1,206 more minutes
in December than in November, Maryland 2,974, and Michigan is on a high with
a whopping 3,669 minutes more than the previous month!
Ring-a-ding-ding!

1.         California: 273,907 minutes

2.         New York: 187,148 minutes

3.         Massachusetts: 172,551 minutes

4.         Florida: 171,349 minutes

5.         Illinois:  142,463 minutes

6.         Ohio: 138,306 minutes

7.         Maryland: 135,252 minutes

8.         Texas: 108,107 minutes

9.         Michigan: 89,110 minutes

10.       Missouri: 81,954 minutes

Top Ten New Subscribers:

            I am duly impressed and thrilled with your efforts over the last
month!  Firstly, let me give welcome to brand spanking new member Tennessee
- the Volunteer State, indeed!  I'm also pleased to see New Jersey and
Oregon back in the (glee) club, and how could I neglect to mention Florida,
which zoomed from #4 to #1 with an increase of 65 new members over the
previous month's figures, which is fabulous!  Below are the figures:

1.    Florida with 88 

2.    California with 30

3.    Wisconsin with 27

4.    Illinois with 18

5.    Pennsylvania with 18

6.    North Carolina with 18

7.    Tennessee with 16

8.    New Jersey with 15

9.    Oregon with 15

10.  Texas with 14

E-mail Superstars:

            Clap your eyes (or ears, depending) on these happy stats!
E-mail numbers are, for the most part, cheery; some standouts are North
Carolina, whose number of e-mails sent is 749 higher than last month's, New
York's is by 881, and all hail Massachusetts, whose e-mails sent was
increased by 1,224!  Finally, an aloha to Hawaii, who joined in with nearly
1,000 more e-mails than in the previous month!

1.         Texas: 9,596

2.         California: 8,406

3.         Ohio: 8,145

4.         New York: 6,474

5.         North Carolina: 6,103

6.         Maryland: 5,819

7.         Massachusetts: 5,790

8.         Pennsylvania: 5,759

9.         Florida: 5,505

10.       Hawaii: 4,583

Top Ten Registered Subscribers:

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

1.         Florida: 9,376

2.         California: 6,389

3.         Maryland: 2,932

4.         Michigan: 2,540

5.         North Carolina: 2,482

6.         Texas: 2,443

7.         Wisconsin: 2,355

8.         New York: 2,254

9.         Ohio: 2,219

10.       Massachusetts: 2,050

A Gentle Reminder 

Please remember that the number provided to you in our last newsletter,
(410) 609-7081, is only for use after the business hours and is restricted
to issues of a global scale; that is to say, the concern at hand affects
many individuals or national papers, or if the system as a whole is
impacted.  For issues regarding an individual paper or an individual
subscriber, please call our regular number, (866) 504-7300, during business
hours.  Thank you for your understanding in this regard.

Subscriber's Corner

In a skit on a recent episode of Saturday Night Live, New York's blind
governor, David Patterson, was presented in a manner that exemplified the
worst stereotypes about blindness in an attempt for humor.  We know these
stereotypes to be false, and so does Liz Campbell, a blind reporter for the
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who used her unique position to educate Texans
about the true nature and capabilities of blind people and to register her
dismay as regards the possible impact of the skit.
Liz, who serves as president for both the Forth Worth chapter and
professional journalists group with the National Federation of the Blind, is
also grateful for the opportunity that the Fort Worth newspaper gave her
when they decided to ignore these negative stereotypes and offer her a job.

Liz currently serves as a government affairs reporter and on a day-to-day
basis she will cover a broad range of topics with both a local and national
emphasis.  Currently she is working on several stories; one involves the
possible changes to the Department of Justice's definition of service
animals.  You may have read a recent article in the New York Times
referencing the upsurge in the use of service animals by individuals who
have a variety of physical or emotional disabilities and conditions; these
potential rulings are of particular importance to her as a guide dog user.
Additionally, Ms.
Campbell is writing a story about how more cities are holding elections to
allow alcohol sales, and another article in the works is about the
environmental consequences of drilling for gas.  What interests her most
about a story is the people who are directly affected by the issues at hand,
not necessarily the governmental officials who set policy on the issue.  To
her, a good story is one that possesses an ability to educate people on
important issues and trends; most importantly, a story should provide
accurate information presented in an interesting way.

In her twenty-four years as a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
(available on NFB-NEWSLINE(r)) she has found it particularly important to
stay abreast of the news.  The NFB-NEWSLINE(r) service is helpful in this
regard, playing a particularly crucial role when she is on travel for a
story in that she can both access news from the area she is covering and
keep current on national news.  She strongly believes in obtaining a
balanced perspective on the news and issues by reading content from
columnists with differing viewpoints.  According to Liz, "It's important to
read from both more conservative and liberal columnists to get a good
perspective; reading just one side is not serving or educating yourself on
the issues out there."  To that effect, she reads both conservative
columnist George Will in the Washington Post and more left-leaning Paul
Krugman in the New York Times. 

            I appreciate both the balanced and personal perspective that Ms.
Campbell shares with the reading public when providing education on issues
that impact both the state and the blind.  I also appreciate the time she
has shared with us.  Thank you Liz!

Your Monthly Helpful Hint

            Don't forget that we can help you customize your welcome
letters.  You can customize both the print and e-mail versions of the
welcome letter.  You can include personalized details such as a contact name
and phone number, or you may wish to add a small bit of text that you
believe will help your patron to best use the service.  You can also
customize your reminder letter in the same way.  Please contact Renee West
if you'd like to make any changes of this nature.

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6:52 AM
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