[Nfbf-l] Newsline Happenings

Tue Feb 17 00:30:36 UTC 2009

Dear Board and NFBF Friends,

Please read the following information I just received from Joanne Wilson at
our NFB National Center. I believe you will be proud of the good work that
Sabrina Deaton, Sherri Brun and others have done with Newsline in our fine
state. 

Please read on!

Kathy Davis, President NFBF

NFB-NEWSLINER Happenings-February 2009

Main Menu

          Greetings, Sponsors!  I want to give you an update on
NFB-NEWSLINER Online.  We've got a Web site for our new features up and
running, and will provide you with the address in an upcoming announcement.
Two of our new initiatives are in the testing phase so that we can get the
kinks worked out before they are officially launched.  If you or a
particular subscriber would like to participate in the testing of WebNews on
Demand and NFB-NEWSLINER In Your Pocket, please let me know by sending an
e-mail to rwest at nfb.org.

Channel Chat

          By now you should be fully aware of the many possibilities
available to you in the hosting of a local information channel, and the
benefits that exist in doing so not only to your subscribers but to you, the
sponsor, as well.  We have heard from several of our sponsors who have
expressed a true interest in using their local information channel and
exploring its possibilities for content, but feel that they or their staff
do not have sufficient time to offer in this way.  Yet some of these
sponsors feel reluctant to recruit a volunteer to assist in the management
of the local channel for fear that a volunteer will have access to sensitive
information and/or can accidentally delete other vital data.

          We have begun to address this issue for those of you who have
concerns as regards volunteer access, and hope that the solution we offer
will be of benefit to you.  Sponsors are now able to add a sponsor agent
whose access is restricted to local information channel content only.  A
sponsor agent with this restriction cannot view or alter any data outside of
the local channel, protecting both your subscriber's privacy and
informational integrity.  To set up a new sponsor agent of this type, once
you've logged in to your account on www.nfbnewsline.net
<http://www.nfbnewsline.net/> , select "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.  Should you have any questions
about this new option, please contact Scott White at swhite at nfb.org.  We
hope that we've been able to address your concerns so as to allow you to
make full use of this resource.

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

Just the Stats, Ma'am

          You folks have not let any grass grow under your feet in the last
month!  In January we received 148,061 calls, 5,811 more than in December,
which means a 4 percent increase in just one month's time.  We're keeping
steady with an increase of 424 new subscribers, and this month New
Hampshire, Connecticut, D.C., Delaware, Alabama, and Pennsylvania all had
local call rates above 90percent.  Keep your eye on the prize, and keep up
the good work!    

Top Ten Minutes Used:

          I'm head over heels in love with the numbers this month, starting
with a whopping 2,899,172 minutes used in January!  We've seen some terrific
progress with our state numbers in this category.  Florida had an increase
of 12,851 more minutes than were received in December, which is a 7.5
percent increase; California had an increase of 9,633 more.  I'm smiling
from ear to ear to welcome back Pennsylvania, which has had a great increase
in numbers, and to welcome Virginia, who is new to this list and boasts an
eye-popping jump of 9.5 percent in the past month!

1.           California: 283,540 minutes

2.           New York: 195,472 minutes

3.           Florida: 184,200 minutes

4.           Massachusetts: 177,855 minutes

5.           Illinois: 146,819 minutes

6.           Ohio: 138,767 minutes

7.           Maryland: 138,516 minutes

8.           Texas: 111,563 minutes

9.           Pennsylvania: 90,461 minutes

10.       Virginia: 89,256 minutes

Top Ten New Subscribers:

          Bend an ear to listen to these statistics!  Texas has been putting
its stately nose to the grindstone over the last month, and look at the
results: an increase of fourteen more new subscribers than were gained in
December.  We know that Texas has been working hard to promote the service,
and they're just starting to get the payoff.  Also, we've got to hand it to
Massachusetts and New Mexico, who have had a terrific January, gaining
seventeen and fourteen more subscribers, respectively, than they did in the
previous month.  We've seen some terrific increases in number in a few
states lately, and I'd like to know, what are states doing to add so many
new subscribers?  Did you have a fair, write something about NFB-NEWSLINER
in your newsletter, or did you do a presentation or a mailing?  Don't keep
us on our toes; please share so that we can in turn tell others.

1.           Florida, with 60

2.           Texas, with 37

3.           California, with 29

4.           Massachusetts         , with 26

5.           Wisconsin, with 18

6.           North Carolina, with 17

7.           New Jersey, with 17

8.           Alabama, with 17

9.           New Mexico, with 16

10.       Michigan, with 13

E-mail Superstars:

          We sent out a 132,501 e-mails in January, over seven thousand more
than were sent out in December. Maryland, my home state, and Illinois, also
a fine state, stood head and shoulders above the crowd with increases of
1,181 and 1,070 more than was gained in December.  New York and North
Carolina are always going toe-to-toe, and this month New York had a great
6.7 percent increase. 

1.           Texas: 9,686

2.           California: 8,291

3.           Ohio: 8,281

4.           Maryland: 7,000

5.           New York: 6,911

6.           North Carolina: 6,833

7.           Massachusetts: 5,930

8.           Florida: 5,815

9.           Illinois: 5,593

10.       Pennsylvania: 5,509

Top Ten Registered Subscribers:

          Hip-hip Hooray to our stalwart top ten states, you've seen some
good increases in the past month:

1.           Florida: 9,434

2.           California: 6,417

3.           Maryland: 2,943

4.           Michigan: 2,551

5.           North Carolina: 2,498

6.           Texas: 2,477

7.           Wisconsin: 2,264

8.           New York: 2,262

9.           Ohio: 2,224

10.       Massachusetts         : 2,069

Congratulations, Everyone!

Subscriber's Corner

          Bonita Howe is a rehabilitation teacher with Bosma Enterprises,
located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and serves VR clients and the senior
population through Bosma's itinerant program and support groups.  Bonita
has, as she says, found "great satisfaction out of using the service" and
finds that NFB-NEWSLINER plays an important role in her life and assists her
both as a coworker and as a friend.

          I had a lovely time talking with Bonita about cooking, and she
mentioned that the Muncie Star Press features a cooking column once a week
on Thursdays, and even provided me with a recipe for simple no-yeast beer
bread that was featured that week.  We talked about how we both enjoy the
ability we have through the service to read the newspaper while doing
household chores like ironing or preparing dinner.  "I multi task when using
NFB-NEWSLINER," she says, speaking to the flexibility of the service.  Using
a speakerphone or a wireless headset allows her to be informed while doing
daily tasks, and musing about this functionality she asks "What sighted
person can read the newspaper while doing laundry, working out, or doing the
dishes?"

          In her work Mrs. Howe finds that keeping up with local news
through the Muncie Star Press helps her to find a connection with her
coworkers.  Before the availability of NFB-NEWSLINER she was unable to
participate in conversations about recent news events or opinion columns as
she could not always access this information.  Further, she certainly could
not gain the depth of knowledge one does through the reading of a
comprehensive newspaper article on a given subject.  Now, she says, "I feel
even more connected with my work associates.  Before, I didn't always know
what they were talking about but now I do because of NFB-NEWSLINER and I can
even chime in from time to time with a new detail or a different
perspective."  

          Further, in her work she always promotes NFB-NEWSLINER to those
she serves now that she is herself familiar with how the service works and
how it has changed her life.  She hopes that others in her position
encourage their clients to use NFB-NEWSLINER, and urges those who are
unfamiliar with the service to use it themselves as she did-but, like her,
"you'll get hooked!" she warns.  I asked her about promoting NFB-NEWSLINER
to the population she serves and she was quick to assure me that she has
been successful in getting seniors to use the service.  "People over fifty
do use NFB-NEWSLINER," she says.  She also believes that the availability of
AARP magazines on the service ".provide(s) useful information when working
with my senior clientele."

          Bonita also makes use of the service in a very unique and touching
way.  She has a friend who is serving in Iraq and she writes to him every
week to provide him with comfort and a connection to his (temporary)
hometown on a base in Alaska.  Because his wife is living in Alaska, Bonita
reads the Associated Press for that state and in her letters she provides
information on interesting things happening in that state.  Aside from
providing hometown news to her pen pal, she especially enjoys reading the
Alaska AP because of its uniquely Alaska-focused features, including news on
ice fishing and bear hunting, news she is unlikely to read about in an
Indiana newspaper. 

          I contacted Mrs. Howe several months ago to help her learn how to
use the NFB-NEWSLINER service and sent her materials that would help her
gain a full understanding of the service.  Some time later I called back to
follow up with her and she expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for the
service and was willing to be the subject for this interview, for which I am
grateful.  According to Bonita, "It really helped me to listen to the taped
instructions-it was concise and professionally done."  Bonita's experience
shows how effective a simple mailing and phone call can be in creating a
good user of the service.  We encourage you to get in touch with your new
users to help them over any hurdles and to answer any questions they may
have.  Don't forget that we can always send you extra User's Guides and
introduction and instruction tapes and CDs for this purpose. 

          PS. If you're curious about that beer bread recipe please do
write: rwest at nfb.org. 

Your Monthly Helpful Hint

          When was the last time you featured NFB-NEWSLINER in your library
or agency newsletter?  You can provide information about the service and who
is eligible, and also talk about how you've been promoting the service.  By
promoting NFB-NEWSLINER, you are helping to better serve your constituency,
so why not promote yourself by showing how you've promoted NFB-NEWSLINER!?

Talk with you next month!

The NFB-NEWSLINER Team

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