[il-talk] FW: [Nfb-newsline-sponsors] March 2009 NFB-NEWSLINE Happenings - TheNewsletter for Sponsors

Fri Mar 20 22:08:44 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, March 20, 2009 3:02 PM
To: nfb-newsline-sponsors at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfb-newsline-sponsors] March 2009 NFB-NEWSLINE Happenings -
TheNewsletter for Sponsors

NFB-Newsline(r) Sponsors:

Please find attached and below (in plain-text format) the March 2009 issue
of NFB-NEWSLINE(r) Happenings. Should you have any questions or comments
regarding the newsletter or contents therein, please don't hesitate to call
or e-mail me; my contact details are available in my signature block. 

Thank you!

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

NFB-NEWSLINE Happenings follows:

NFB-NEWSLINE(r) HAPPENINGS-MARCH 2009

Main Menu

 Welcome to Spring and to the March issue of NFB-NEWSLINE(r) Happenings!
We hope that the lion is becoming the lamb in your area (the transformation
is taking a bit too long here in Baltimore, in my opinion).  We want you to
know about some exciting events here in
NFB-NEWSLINE(r) land, including the hire of Bob Watson as our new Content
Manager!  Bob, who is a parent of a blind girl and is active in our blind
parent's division, comes to us having served as the Operations Manager at
the Smithsonian's IMAX theaters, where he worked in a high-volume, customer
service-driven environment.  We're sure this experience will come in to
great and continuous use in his new role.
Please contact Bob regarding any system issues or to discuss adding a new
publication to the service.  You may e-mail Mr. Watson at bwatson at nfb.org or
call him at (410) 659-9314, extension 2356.

 We are nearly ready to officially launch two of our revolutionary new
initiatives, NFB-NEWSLINE(r) In Your Pocket and Web News on Demand, as well
as our new Web site for these features, www.nfbnewslineonline.org.
We encourage you to take a look at our new Web site and (of course) to tell
your patrons, clients, friends, and dog groomer about our exciting
developments.  Because it's been a few months since we first introduced
these two initiatives to you, here's a refresher course:

  NFB-NEWSLINE(r) In Your Pocket is a software application that a subscriber
installs on his or her computer that automatically downloads up to six
newspapers or magazines of the subscriber's choice to his or her Victor
Reader  Stream or Icon/Braille+.  Once the application is installed on a
subscriber's  computer, the subscriber retrieves his or her favorite content
(from the subscriber's  option #4 favorites) by plugging the portable device
into the computer and  launching the application; the application connects
to a server and retrieves new publication content automatically.  

  With Web News on Demand, subscribers visit a secure, text-only Web site
that offers the ability to view the entirety of any publication offered on
the service;  this ability affords an enhanced search capability as a
subscriber can search for a  term throughout the entire publication.  A
subscriber using Web News on Demand  can additionally have a full newspaper,
a section of a newspaper, or a single article delivered via e-mail.  As with
traditional, phone-based, NFB-NEWSLINE(r), Web News on Demand offers the
Local Information Channel and TV listings.

 Due to tough economic times and the increasing prevalence of and reliance
on alternative media, many newspapers are finding their readership and ad
revenue falling.
Some newspapers have, as a result, closed their doors and stopped
publication (or at least publishing in print), continuing with a Web-only
option.  A few of these newspapers that are ending publication are available
on NFB-NEWSLINE(r), and while we can continue offering those publications
that have a Web-only existence, we naturally cannot provide closed
publications.  It is our intention to be aware of the closing of or
modification to those newspapers on our service and make any changes to
accommodate these modifications.  In this we could most certainly use your
help by alerting us to any issues with your local paper.  If you are aware
of a newspaper in your state that plans to end (or change the nature of) its
publication, please let us know by e-mailing Bob Watson at bwatson at nfb.org
so that we can take the necessary steps.  We appreciate your help.

Channel Chat

 I'd like to begin this "chat" by reminding you of recent changes we've made
to the levels of access available to sponsor agents.  This change, if you
recall, means that you can recruit a volunteer to help you manage your
channels while effectively preventing access to other sensitive data.  To
add a new sponsor agent or change the access level of an existing agent, log
in to www.nfbnewsline.net, select the "Sponsor Agents" link from the top
bar, and then select the "Add Agent" option.
You should notice the radio buttons providing an option that offers the new
agent channel-only access; select the "yes" button for this purpose.

 Speaking of volunteers, if you have a need for volunteers to rewind or
check tapes, to prepare for a big event, to do interviews for a documentary
about your agency or organization, or perhaps to assist with a big mailing,
you should consider putting out a call for help through your local channel.
Most NFB-NEWSLINE(r) subscribers are likely to be (or have been at one time)
users of your agency's or organization's services and are sure to be
interested in giving assistance where they can.  

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

JUST THE STATS, MA'AM

 We've been marching forward with new initiatives and new subscribers this
month!  Promotion efforts have been shooting up; we had an increase of 204
new subscribers in February, which is bloomin' terrific!  We received
134,838 calls in February, which is less than in January (as are many
statistics) due to the reduced number of days in the month.  As always, New
Hampshire, Connecticut, D.C., Delaware, Alabama, and Pennsylvania all had
local call rates above 90 percent.  

Top Ten Minutes Used:

 February saw a usage of 2,634,780 minutes, with Pennsylvania's numbers
blossoming by 2,891 over January's despite the fewer days in the month.

1. California  270,430
2. New York 175,376
3. Massachusetts 162,723
4. Florida  158,096
5. Illinois 137,926
6. Ohio  126,881
7. Maryland 126,863
8. Texas  104,027
9. Pennsylvania 93,442
10. Virginia 77,735

Top Ten New Subscribers:

 These new user statistics are "sow" great!  Virginia (who recently held a
low-vision fair in conjunction with the state's library for the blind) and
Illinois both sprouted 16 more members in February than in January, proof
positive of passionate promotion's payoff!  Florida and Texas have also been
thriving, with a respective (and respectable) increase of 114 and 72 new
subscribers above January's numbers.  Way to blossom, buds!

1. Florida, with 174
2. Texas, with 109
3. California, with 34
4. Massachusetts, with 26
5. Illinois, with 22
6. Wisconsin, with 20
7. North Carolina, with 18
8. Michigan, with 17
9. Virginia, with 16
10. New Jersey, with 16

E-mail Superstars:

 February saw us sending out 129,547 e-mails, with three states (California,
Illinois, and Pennsylvania) disseminating a terrifically increased number
than they did in January.  With an increase of 111, 113, and (wow!) 336
e-mails respectively, these states' stats are burgeoning beautifully!

1. Texas: 9,241
2. California: 8,402
3. Ohio: 7,710
4. New York: 6,750
5. North Carolina: 6,307
6. Maryland: 6,275
7. Pennsylvania: 5,845
8. Massachusetts: 5,836
9. Illinois: 5,706
10. Florida: 5,537

Top Ten Registered Subscribers:

 Plant a smile on your face for Florida and Texas, who (as the new
subscriber numbers show) have been cultivating an outstanding number of new
subscribers; note that Texas has moved up two rows to fourth place!

1. Florida, with 9,601
2. California, with 6,446
3. Maryland, with 2,947
4. Texas, with 2,582
5. Michigan, with 2,562
6. North Carolina, with 2,515
7. Wisconsin, with 2,279
8. New York, with 2,270
9. Ohio, with 2,225
10. Massachusetts, with 2,077

Congratulations, Everyone!

You Asked, We Deliver!

 We've had tremendous success with our ability to send NFB-NEWSLINE(r)
content to our subscribers through e-mail, and we hope to increase the
usability of this feature by providing our subscribers with choice as to how
they receive their publications.  Some users have indicated that they do
enjoy receiving an e-mail of their papers, but would rather not receive
publication updates.  Until now we were unable to personalize this option;
all subscribers signed up for this option received both the initial
newspaper for that day as well as any updates provided throughout the day.
We have recently made some changes to the way subscribers can receive their
e-mailed publications to address this concern and adapt to individual
preference.  Through our modification, subscribers can now choose whether
they want to receive just the first issue of the newspaper or the first
issue with any additional updates that are sent throughout the day.  Of
course, if a subscriber chooses to receive just the first issue of a
publication he or she can still get updates by viewing that publication
later in the day on Web News on Demand.  If your subscriber would like to
make a change in the way he or she wishes to receive his or her e-mail,
please contact us at the
national office so that we may be of service to you.    

Subscriber's Corner

 For this month's interview I spoke with Allison Fallin, who wrote to us
expressing her appreciation for the service.  Mrs. Fallin, who previously
lived in New York, moved to Oklahoma after reconnecting with an old flame.
She informed me that she was worried about not having access to the
NFB-NEWSLINE(r) service in her new home state, and told her new husband,
Joe, that he couldn't reasonably expect her to move there if NFB-NEWSLINE(r)
wasn't available in Oklahoma.  

 Fortunately for Allison the service has been available for over six years,
and so she is able to enjoy access to her favorite publications over her
morning meal.  As she says, "it wouldn't be breakfast without
NFB-NEWSLINE(r)!"  Allison reads a wide variety of newspaper content, among
them the Chicago Tribune's House and Homes section on Sundays, the Business
section of the Tulsa World, and the Washington Post's Sunday magazine.  Mrs.
Fallin, in addition to her regular favorites, has found new use in the
service: reading about the University of Oklahoma's basketball team, the
Sooners.  Finding herself an avid fan of the team, she says she reads the
Tulsa World to keep up on team news, especially during March Madness.  She
also finds the service useful in her weight-loss efforts, as she can listen
to NFB-NEWSLINE(r) when riding her exercise bike to keep her motivated.

 I spoke with Allison about the fact that she is an active member of the
American Council of the Blind (ACB) who uses the NFB-NEWSLINE(r) service.
We discussed how some members of the Council feel reluctant to use
NFB-NEWSLINE(r) for a variety of reasons, and I asked her why she signed up
for it when many of her fellow members do not.  She said "I don't always
agree with the NFB's philosophy but I appreciate being able to have access
to their NFB-NEWSLINE(r) service; why wouldn't I use it?"
She shared with me that many of her fellow members have some wrong
understandings about NFB-NEWSLINE(r), and she feels that these
misunderstandings prevent them from investigating how the service might
benefit them.  Allison feels that these Council members are doing themselves
a disservice by denying themselves the access to the news that the
NFB-NEWSLINE(r) service provides.  

 In discussing how I can help her promote the service to her fellow ACBers,
she advised me that many of these individuals have made some mistaken
assumptions about the service, and that we need to help clear up these
misunderstandings when marketing to the Council.  This leads me to believe
that it's important that we recognize what questions and misunderstandings
exist for any blind individual who is in a blindness organization other than
the NFB, or is unaffiliated with a blindness organization altogether.  It
may be useful to those of us who are marketing NFB-NEWSLINE(r) to make it a
point to ask people who express reluctance to sign up for the service where
their hesitation lies so as to address any misapprehension they may have.
Clearing up their confusion may then clear the way for their curiosity.  I
am grateful to Allison for the time she has given me to talk with her, and
for guiding me to this realization.

Your Monthly Helpful Hint

 Is your agency holding or participating in an event such as a senior or
teen fair, or presenting at a conference or informational meeting?  If so,
please consider providing information about, and materials for,
NFB-NEWSLINE(r).  Informing blind individuals of NFB-NEWSLINE(r) at these
events will reach new audiences who may have never before heard of the
service.  Please call Renee West at (410) 659-9314, extension 2411, to
discuss ideas for your presentation or fair (especially regarding our new
initiatives) and to request promotional materials such as brochures,
application forms, User's Guides, and instructional tapes.  Most of our
materials are also available in Braille.

Talk with you next month!
The NFB-NEWSLINE(r) Team

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