Paperless Newsletter

For almost two years now, Silicon Valley Chapter has published its monthly newsletter as a PDF file on the Web site, and has not mailed it out to members.  When the Managing Editor decided that he wanted to do it this way, he put a prominent note in one issue, announcing that the next printed issue would be the last -- that after that, it would be available only on the Web site.  He asked that people contact him with their opinions.  The issue is archived on the chapter Web site as a PDF, and the notice is at the bottom right corner of the cover.  No one made contact.  (Note: that copy was originally printed on paper that already had the old masthead preprinted in another color, but when it was archived to the Web site, the masthead was not added in.)

The next issue also included a notice (back page, left) to say that it was the final paper copy.  Again, he asked that anyone who had any concerns about that to contact him.  The only contact was from someone who said that they guessed they'd have to print it out themselves from then on.

Now, this is Silicon Valley, but many members of the chapter council were totally stunned to have NO complaints.  Clearly it was an idea whose time had come.  And the savings were huge. We have over 1000 members, and the printing and postage budget for the year was in excess of $20,000.  Now it became essentially zero.

The editor and his designer outdid themselves producing the new format--a PDF with a new masthead, color, bookmarks, lots of new graphics, live hyperlinks from the end of one piece of an article to the continuation on some other page, live hyperlinks to the International and chapter Web sites, all laid out in PageMaker.  It was obviously a labor of love.

But it became a task -- a chore.  The designer stepped aside after about a year, due to press of other responsibilities, and the editor picked up the slack, building his layout skills.  Eventually, he too "hit the wall" and decided that HTML would be good enough.  Before he could establish a new paradigm in HTML, outside matters caused him to relinquish the position of Managing Editor.  So an acting Managing Editor has taken over the task.  Here is the current issue, as HTML.

The primary purpose of the monthly newsletter has been to announce the monthly events: chapter meeting, Special Interest Group meetings, seminars and workshops.  It provided a coupon for members to send in a reservation to the chapter meeting, and maps and statements of policy about attendance.  It always listed the officers (with live e-mail links).  It often had articles about past meetings, as well as about matters of general interest to the technical communicator.  But much of that already appeared elsewhere on the chapter Web site, and the chapter had already added PayPal to enable guests to reserve space at a meeting without mailing a check and a form.  So, the question arises -- what is the difference between an HTML newsletter and any other set of pages on the Web site.