[Nfb-editors] Making the newsletter work

Sat Mar 12 19:53:33 UTC 2011

Perhaps my ideals are lofty, but when we turn to regurgitating material
produced by other affiliates, or simply publishing a fact sheet or
calendar of events, are we really providing an essential publication, or
are we becoming redundant?

In this information age, is it necessary to reproduce material and
information readily available elsewhere?

When it comes to borrowing material from other newsletters, I support
this in terms of a couple articles, or ones that express an idea
creatively and inovatively, or explain a concept in new and fresh ways,
but reprinting is something editors must find a balance in.  I say it is
better to publish a small newsletter than to fill it with borrowed
material unless said material is stellar.  There is the potential to
reprint, and rely on, material from other publications, and at a certain
point, it becomes ridiculous to continue publishing a newsletter as an
original concept even if properly citing your sources.

As for a one page publication listing events or reminders or brief
snippets of news, this seems equally pointless.  Many of us are already
bombarded by emails, phone calls and online sources with daily
Federation news.  Most anyone has access to this news so why bother
creating another medium with the same information?

And I understand this may not be the case for all affiliates, but much
of our news both nationally and locally is disiminated via email by our
affiliate.  So in the matter of simply reporting Federation happenings,
it would be redundant to produce this news and masqerade it as a
newsletter.

With our website, chapter meetings, almost daily emails from National as
well as affiliate, Newsline, Twitter and Facebook and the general
multitudes of news sources, what is the point for any person to produce
material that is already available through so many means?

If we can not bring a creative approach and individual expression to an
affiliate newsletter, I don't feel it is a necessary publication.  The
point seems to be to connect members state-wide encouraging, supporting,
informing and building up.  It also allows other affiliates as well as
the general public to understand the heart of the organization, but
specifically how a single affiliate celebrates the philosophy, structure
and goals of the Federation.

To wittle a publication down to a single piece of paper-- a memo of
sorts-- or to rely too much on borrowed articles, we lose sight of what
a newsletter can, and should, accomplish.  Without an individual sense
of expression we simply report, and often repeat, without digging for a
heart beat to give that information life and meaning.

Bridgit

Message: 3
Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2011 08:24:55 -0600
From: "Robert Leslie Newman" <newmanrl at cox.net>
To: "editors nfb list" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [Nfb-editors] Making the Newsletter work- the need -- support
	equation
Message-ID: <059901cbe0c1$426bebb0$c743c310$@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

Mike and others
(There are some on here that are looking to start a newsletter, and some
who have weathered the ups and downs of publishing) 

Mike, you bring up a needed topic thread- the "need question," and the
"participation factor;" what does it take to get a newsletter going and
keep it viable? 

What do other's think? Here is what quickly goes through my mind:

There are 3 parts of this newsletter viability equation: 

#1 If an affiliate's voice is, that they want, need a newsletter ---
this is one part of the equation.

#2 If there is a interested/willing editor --- this is a second part of
that same equation.

#3 If there is affiliate support, people who will submit --- that is the
third part of this equation. 

In this case of Bridgit's, here in Nebraska, she is not getting support,
not getting submissions. And as she states, that she's not of a mind,
nor in a position to write up the parts of the news that should be in
"The Nebraska Independent." She even gives us a minimum number of
contributing authors that she feels is acceptable to keep the effort
alive. And so sounds like she is at a crossroads, should she go on with
the next issue? Or should she not, and give over the editorship? (Not
knowing if anyone else will take it
up.) 

Here is one of my thoughts --- If the affiliate says they want a
newsletter, and after a good effort to get submissions, do a good job
editing what you have gotten, maybe borrow some material from other
newsletters, make sure it has a calendar of upcoming events, and then
put it out there. 

*** 

What is a newsletter? I think this is the first question. I bet if we
pool our thoughts, there is a range of acceptability in terms of
contents and literary quality. (Quality would always include grammar and
the mechanics.) 

(In saying any of this, I do not wish to lessen the personal goals of an
editor, as to what type of publication that they would like to pen their
name to.)

Other thoughts? 

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:23:03 -0500
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: "'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Making the Newsletter work- the need --
	supportequation
Message-ID: <50E2E7EFD0B2499FAE17F83CF2025DD8 at Rufus>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

I forget what convention it was, but Barbara Pierce once made the point
that a newsletter does not even have to be a collection of articles.
Even a one-pager will suffice, enough to let the membership know what is
going on. This is of course difficult for the editor, because if a
person is an editor, one presumes the person is enthusiastic about
making the publication better.  How do you then tell this enthusiastic
person that a one-pager would do?  Still, the point comes when the
membership gets what the membership puts in.

Joe

	"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up
their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at
all."--Sam Ewing

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End of Nfb-editors Digest, Vol 76, Issue 12
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