[Nfb-editors] editing a newsletter, a thankless job?

[David Andrews]

While I am not a newsletter writer, or Affiliate leader, I do tend to 
one of our means of communications, so will throw my two cents in.  I 
don't know what the answer is -- in fact I don't think there is just 
one answer.  It depends on available talent, history, local 
conditions, etc.  I would just like to say that the world has changed 
in the past 20 or 30 years, we are much more connected, so there is a 
need to think through a newsletter, its need, its format, 
distribution methods, purposes etc.  We now have widespread use of 
cell phones, all the NFBNET.ORG lists which to some extend do for 
some members what newsletters used to do.  We also have Facebook, 
Twitter, instant messaging, text messages, and much more.

Good luck!

Dave

At 10:37 AM 3/13/2011, you wrote:
>Hi, Everyone.
>
>The continuing discussion of the purposes of affiliate newsletters and
>effective strategies for publishing them is quite interesting and is IMO the
>best thing to come down the pike on this list in quite a while.  I have a
>few observations.  Some may find some of them a mite cynical but I'd hate to
>disappoint those who expect and are exasperated by such cynicism from me.
>(big grin)
>
>First, Lori is exactly right:  I remember hearing the same advice from Dr.
>Jernigan -- if people won't write articles, ask their permission and right
>them for them; if nothing else, you'll crank up the shame factor a tad and
>they might write articles for you in the future, if only to assuage guilt.
>(grin)  But as Bill Meeker says, unless there are pressing issues as there
>are within Wisconsin, and with many more types of media competing for our
>attention these days, should we be surprised when people aren't champing at
>the bit to write for newsletters?  I would submit that having a by-line
>isn't quite the incentive it once was except, perhaps, for would-be writers.
>
>Second, as Bridgit has found out the hard way, I think most members of
>affiliates (including most of their leadership) likes the *idea* and the
>prestige of having a newsletter far more than it likes the grunge-work of
>actually producing one.  It reminds me of one time when I came home from
>college and my mother asked me if I wanted some home-made fudge.  I answered
>in the affirmative whereupon she said: "Here are the ingredients and the
>recipe!  Have at it!"  I then said that I wanted the fudge but not *that*
>much!  Wrong answer! (grin)  I did make the fudge and it was delicious!  But
>back to newsletters.  I think more of us should make it crystal-clear to our
>affiliates' members that Heinlein's TANSTAFFL maxim still applies:  there
>Ain't No Such thing As A Free Lunch!  Actions speak louder than words!  I'd
>put it to the members straight:  "You *say* you want a newsletter but your
>actions say otherwise!"  If you don't get articles, well, we are a democracy
>and the people have spoken, if only by their silence.
>
>Third, I think Joe's idea has merit and is an interesting variation on the
>theme:  perhaps several adjacent affiliates could come up with enough
>budding writers and reporters to produce a viable newsletter.  The question
>is whether such a house organ would be found effective by those who would
>read it?  And here I'm writing of those who do *not* have access to
>electronic media such as email or Facebook or Twitter.
>
>Fourth (and I mean no criticism here), it strikes me that part of Bridgit's
>anguish lies in the fact that others of us do not get the charge out of
>writing that she and our esteemed Committee chair do.  In my case, I think I
>can write a decent sentence but I'd much rather write legislative language
>and argue like a lawyer over dotting the I's and crossing the T's than I
>would writing newsletter articles.  Surely I am not alone.
>
>The bottom-line question then becomes whether it's worth it in terms of
>gaining new affiliate members and/or PR to have newsletters and if so, what
>incentives aside from mere cajoling or issuing guilt-trips we can come up
>with to horn-swaggle reluctant article-writers into putting pencil to paper
>or stylus to slate.
>
>Mike Freeman
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>On Behalf Of LoriStay at aol.com
>Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2011 7:50 AM
>To: nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
>Subject: [Nfb-editors] editing a newsletter, a thankless job?
>
>  When we first started Slate & Style, Dr. Jernigan gave us some advice:
>If you can't get someone else to write an article, write it yourself.   If
>you don't want your name on all the articles, ask permission of others to
>use
>their names.   Eventually people begin to submit.
>What I found as editor of Slate & Style was that I often had to get on the
>phone to specific people and assign them an article, subject and word length
>
>specified.   Did it always get results?   Not always, but often enough so
>that we were able to publish continuously four times a year.   Did I write
>many articles under other people's names?   No.   Only once did I take an
>article that was barely in English and edit it severely   so it could be
>understood.   Otherwise, most needed light editing.
>Dr. Jernigan's advice to write articles myself reflected the need he found
>when he began editing the Braille Monitor.   So you are not alone, Bridgit.
>
>  The job begins as thankless, but there are ways around it.   Mainly, find
>writers who want to see their bylines in print (or Braille or email
>edition).
>Lori
>
> > When so many people have their hands dipped in so many pots,
> > > how do you get dedication, professionalism and outstanding work done?
> > >
> > > Drowning in Nebraska (A.K.A Bridgit)
> >