Since I wrote about it in the newsletter, I'd like to float the idea to everyone here of making The Skyline an online publication. "But wait!" you might say, "The Skyline is already online!" Yes, but not in the sense I mean.
I'm talking about an online publication like this: Journey to Torino. Some people call these "blogs," but I dislike that term because it suggests gossip, BS, rumor, and innuendo---none of which would be a part of ours. (Really.)
Why make The Skyline an online publication? Here are several reasons:
? It's a lot easier and quicker to produce. Using a hosting service like TypePad, the layout is done automatically. You simply upload text and photos (and yes, it can easily be made to look good).
? It would no longer be a quarterly publication, but exist in realtime, and therefore be up-to-the-minute. Items can be added as they happen, and not months after the fact.
? There is almost unlimited room for text and photos---no more chopping down stories (unless they're, umm, just too wordy!), and no more leaving out photos.
? The cost to the club would be less. A hosted online newsletter would run about $10/month. That's $30/quarter, versus the $100/quarter (or more) we spend now. (Because there are no printing and postage costs.)
? It's more environmentally friendly---instead of printing hundreds of big sheets of paper, readers can print just the stories they want.
? The online Skyline can have multiple authors/contributors, each with their own login info.
? I can remain as editor (if the club wants me to). I've contemplated resigning because it's very tough to find the time to do it in its current form. Being freed from the job of layout would make a big difference in the amount of time required---by me or any future editor.
"Waitaminit," you might protest, "I HATE reading things on the computer!" Okay, so print it out. I'd rather read things on paper too...but the more I read on the computer, the more accustomed to it I become (and I still print things out sometimes).
"But what about our landowners?" you might say, "what will they do? Do you actually think Emma Jane will go online to read The Skyline!?" For non-Internet-saavy landowners, we can easily print out all stories and photos every month or two and send them paper copies.
"But it won't look nearly as nice!" you might say, "We like how it looks as a nice printed newsletter!" Alas, I don't have a quick-and-easy response for this one. I don't think the online version would look bad, but it wouldn't look quite as nice. But as I mentioned above, it comes down to finding a balance between the end result and the time required to create that end result.
"But we already have the forum online!" you might say. "Isn't that enough? Isn't that the same thing?" No---not at all. Our forum is a great tool for all of us to communicate with one another. The online Skyline would not be a free-for-all---it would be "content-controlled," just like the newsletter, and it would be the club's official publication.
It's true a lot of good info gets posted to the forum---and yes, you can do searches---but this info is often hard to find. (Not criticizing Mark, it's just the nature of web forums.) Try doing a search on "harness" and see how many search returns you'll have to wade through to find what you're looking for. (And that will be exponentially more difficult in 3 years!)
The online Skyline would be organized by categories, so finding an article on harnesses would be easy. Also, all older content gets automatically archived and is still available online to view.
I don't know if this is something we should just try? Or have a vote on it? In either case, let's discuss it and see what people think!
Scott
Moving The Skyline into the 21st century!
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
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John Dullahan
- Posts: 152
- Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2005 7:43 pm
A Printed Skyline is Very Important
Scott has given a great description of the benefits an enhanced online Skyline. However, he has totally missed key reasons that we need a print version of the newsletter.
As a former Skyline editor and board member I need to weigh in on this.
1. The printed Skyline is a vitally important communication tool to our landowners, as well as to a couple of suport organizations, that is, the rescue groups at McConnellsburg and Woodstock, as well as a couple of park ranger offices. We benefit greatly by keeping in their view with the newsletter. They are not going to take the time to go read or print the online newsletter.
We need to do all we can to keep a positive image with our land owners. The print version of Skyline is a quality tool for that.
This, by the way, is an ongoing issue with multimiedia news oultets, like major newspapers. The motivation of push (print) vs pull (onoine) readers is very complex. This is why I still subscribe to paper versions of the Washington Post and several magazines, even though I can get themfor free ifI do so online.
2. We really do have club members of longstanding who do not get online. We need to support them witha print versionof the newsletter. Eddie Miller comes to mind immediately as on example.
3. When we have visitors / potential new pilots / new members, to club meetings it is very useful to provide Skyline copies to them as part of our welcome and introduction.
It is well worth the printing cost to provide apaper newsletter,even if we reduce circulation greatly by more and more members grabbing it online only.
Cragin
As a former Skyline editor and board member I need to weigh in on this.
1. The printed Skyline is a vitally important communication tool to our landowners, as well as to a couple of suport organizations, that is, the rescue groups at McConnellsburg and Woodstock, as well as a couple of park ranger offices. We benefit greatly by keeping in their view with the newsletter. They are not going to take the time to go read or print the online newsletter.
We need to do all we can to keep a positive image with our land owners. The print version of Skyline is a quality tool for that.
This, by the way, is an ongoing issue with multimiedia news oultets, like major newspapers. The motivation of push (print) vs pull (onoine) readers is very complex. This is why I still subscribe to paper versions of the Washington Post and several magazines, even though I can get themfor free ifI do so online.
2. We really do have club members of longstanding who do not get online. We need to support them witha print versionof the newsletter. Eddie Miller comes to mind immediately as on example.
3. When we have visitors / potential new pilots / new members, to club meetings it is very useful to provide Skyline copies to them as part of our welcome and introduction.
It is well worth the printing cost to provide apaper newsletter,even if we reduce circulation greatly by more and more members grabbing it online only.
Cragin
You make some good points Cragin. Like you, I read the paper Washington Post every morning instead of Washingtonpost.com. With respect for the need to keep The Skyline in print for landowners, park rangers, rescue groups, etc...this point really isn't about whether or not we can provide club information in printed form (we can regardless)...but how that information is presented.
Consider this: say a landowner (or Eddie Miller) receives an 8.5x11" envelope in the mail containing several laser-printed (even color laser-printed!) pages with stories and photos. These pages aren't quite as "slick" as our current newsletter, but the content and photos are identical. Are these people going to think "Hmm...this doesn't look so good. Looks like that hang gliding club is having troubles. Maybe they're going broke. They're looking cheaper, more bottom-basement, like they care less?"
Again, my point is not about printing or not printing---it's just about how the text and images are arranged on the page.
I recognize the need for the club to have at least one "slick" brochure. And if we moved The Skyline online, I'd be all for producing a nice, 8.5x11" multi-page brochure about the club to use for public relations, recruiting members, landowners, etc. Yes---I know we already have a brochure, but (though the content is excellent) the presentation isn't very slick.
So what I'm suggesting is this: rather than having 4 slick newsletters a year (and a not-so-slick club brochure), why not have an online newsletter that is "published" every day of the year...and can be printed anytime and sent to folks who don't have Internet access...and have a very slick multi-purpose club brochure that can be updated each year as needed? (And we could also send the slick brochure to landowners, rescue groups, etc.) I think this is a more efficient use of time and resources.
In spite of my ardent support for moving The Skyline online, I'm not gonna pitch a fit if the club simply doesn't agree to do this. (I can go with the flow!) I simply can't guarantee how much longer I'll be able to remain as editor of The Skyline in its current form (not a threat, just reality!).
Scott
Consider this: say a landowner (or Eddie Miller) receives an 8.5x11" envelope in the mail containing several laser-printed (even color laser-printed!) pages with stories and photos. These pages aren't quite as "slick" as our current newsletter, but the content and photos are identical. Are these people going to think "Hmm...this doesn't look so good. Looks like that hang gliding club is having troubles. Maybe they're going broke. They're looking cheaper, more bottom-basement, like they care less?"
Again, my point is not about printing or not printing---it's just about how the text and images are arranged on the page.
I recognize the need for the club to have at least one "slick" brochure. And if we moved The Skyline online, I'd be all for producing a nice, 8.5x11" multi-page brochure about the club to use for public relations, recruiting members, landowners, etc. Yes---I know we already have a brochure, but (though the content is excellent) the presentation isn't very slick.
So what I'm suggesting is this: rather than having 4 slick newsletters a year (and a not-so-slick club brochure), why not have an online newsletter that is "published" every day of the year...and can be printed anytime and sent to folks who don't have Internet access...and have a very slick multi-purpose club brochure that can be updated each year as needed? (And we could also send the slick brochure to landowners, rescue groups, etc.) I think this is a more efficient use of time and resources.
In spite of my ardent support for moving The Skyline online, I'm not gonna pitch a fit if the club simply doesn't agree to do this. (I can go with the flow!) I simply can't guarantee how much longer I'll be able to remain as editor of The Skyline in its current form (not a threat, just reality!).
Scott
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silverwings
- Posts: 1243
- Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:29 pm
- Location: Bethesda, MD
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Even though I like getting the printed copy, I could probably do without it. I would guess that there is software that could be used to generate a reasonably good printed version from the online version which could be used to generate the necessary copies to be mailed to land owners. etc. Some of the html pages we create at work for internal use are formatted so that they will print properly with page breaks, margins, and such when sent to the printer.
john middleton (202)409-2574 c
The news letter has been fantastic, and I'd hate to see it go. But if we can't get editors, it will be gone. Most people are afraid to be editor because they don't want to spend the time learning layout. But if a Blog allows the editor to do little more than chose content I think filling the post will be much easier, so I'm all for it. We can print out color copies for the landowners, BW copies perhaps for those who don't want to download it.
As far as a glossy brochure goes, remember that we typically hand out a couple hundred of them each year. Slick is expensive. I think what we have is about right, especially since anyone running low can easily run off a few copies for themselves. The rate of return we've gotten on the brochures is fairly low: I think we only know of a few people who have taken lessons in response to it. I doubt making a nice color copy will increase the response enough to be worth the expense.
As far as a glossy brochure goes, remember that we typically hand out a couple hundred of them each year. Slick is expensive. I think what we have is about right, especially since anyone running low can easily run off a few copies for themselves. The rate of return we've gotten on the brochures is fairly low: I think we only know of a few people who have taken lessons in response to it. I doubt making a nice color copy will increase the response enough to be worth the expense.
Brian Vant-Hull
BVH said...
As for the purpose of slicker brochures, I'm thinking we could benefit from 2-3 different ones targeted to different audiences---one for prospective members/students...one for current/prospective landowners...and one for whoever else. It would be pretty easy to customize them by simply altering the copy (but sticking to the same layout, photos, etc.)
But hey, if nobody thinks we need to upgrade or change the brochures, I'm fine with that!
Scott
With money (potentially) saved from going to an online Skyline, I think we could still afford to laser-print some pretty nice-looking color brochures. (Ralph might even give us a good deal on his color laser printer!)As far as a glossy brochure goes, remember that we typically hand out a couple hundred of them each year. Slick is expensive. I think what we have is about right, especially since anyone running low can easily run off a few copies for themselves.
As for the purpose of slicker brochures, I'm thinking we could benefit from 2-3 different ones targeted to different audiences---one for prospective members/students...one for current/prospective landowners...and one for whoever else. It would be pretty easy to customize them by simply altering the copy (but sticking to the same layout, photos, etc.)
But hey, if nobody thinks we need to upgrade or change the brochures, I'm fine with that!
Scott