Alternatives to NMS
Pug
pug at arlut.utexas.edu
Thu Oct 26 05:57:58 PDT 1995
> * Cut funding on TI. There is no justification for spending money on a slick
> cover and and slick paper. Look at recent issues of An Tir's _The Crier_, the
> print quality is as good as TI on paper that's only a step or two above
> newspaper stock.
I must agree with this. Especially after the last two I got. (I was a
bit disappointed, but hey, it could just be me.)
> * Reduce the newsletter stipend to the Kingdoms. Or at least don't raise it.
> Encourage the Kingdoms to cut their expenses and let the Corporation transfer
> the surplus to the subscription liability account. I know Ansteorra could cut
> the size (and thus the cost) of _Blackstar_ in half. Consider the following
> data taken from October newsletters (page counts include covers, but not
> unnumbered inserts):
> Events Event Total
> Kingdom | Branches | Oct-Mar | Flyers/Pages | Pages
> ------------------------------------------------------
> East | 97 | 41 | 39/20 | 48
> Ansteorra | 42 | 39 | 15/19 | 48
48 pages / 4 = 12 sheets
> Middle | 129 | 40 | 12/6 | 38
38 pages / 4 = 9.5 sheets ?
Since postage is based on multiples of 6 sheets, there is nothing saved
on postage. (Assuming standard paper stock on all 6 pages.)
> How do the East and Middle do this? No maps. Minimal wasted space. Small
> (but readable) fonts. Regular paper stock covers. Some Kingdoms could save
> more than others, but every bit helps, yes?
I'm not sure about this. I'd rather pay more for a quality newsletter
than have to squint, wonder where I'm going for an event (!), or have it
be too cluttered. (There is a reason places hire professionals to do
newsletters.) And yes, I like the card stock for covers, and our local
Barony newsletter uses it whenever it is not exactly 6 or 12 sheets.
Btw, do groups have to pay for their event announcements? If not, why
not charge them if it goes over a half page? This will encourage groups
to make their information concise and short, but allow them to be
extravagent if they want to pay for it.
> * Cut the size of the "time to renew" and new membership card packets.
> Judicious pruning and reformatting of the text should halve the amount of
> printed matter. Send a return mailing label instead of a whole envelope in
> the "renew" packet.
I think so. I'm not sure why I keep getting the stupid description of
the SCA and what terms mean. After all I'm renewing and not a new
member. All I need is a form and when it is I need to have it back to
them.
Ciao,
--
Phelim Uhtred Gervas | "I want to be called. COTTONTIPS. There is something
Barony of Bryn Gwlad | graceful about that lady. A young woman bursting with
House Flaming Dog | vigor. She blinked at the sudden light. She writes
pug at arlut.utexas.edu | beautiful poems. When ever shall we meet again?"
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