On-Line vs Printed Newsletters

[SUZANNE_POWELL.ASPENTECH.COM]

I agree with the  majority of the folks responding to HL William FitzBubba's 
message of Monday, 10-Feb-97. I believe a Black Star web page that does not 
also include event announcements is not worth the time and effort put into 
creating the web page. 
 
In HL's message he presents several questions (my responses, unless otherwise 
noted, apply to both printed and electronic media): 
 
>  1) Does the standard Release for Publication (in your Black Star) grant 
>  the permission to the Kingdom Chronicler to reproduce the material in 
>  any official (Corporate-owned) SCA publication, including a Kingdom 
>  Newsletter on the Web? (That's the legal question) And should it? 
>  (That's the everyman's question). 
 
I can't answer to the legal side of this question, but as to the everyman's 
side ... I think that a Black Star Release for Publication should apply to 
both the printed and the electronic versions of the magazine. However, the 
idea presented by Britta the Red, of a yes/no check box indicating whether the 
information is to be released on the web, is a good idea for those folks who 
have objections. I don't understand these objections, though, because I was 
under the impression that the purpose of an event announcement is to spread 
information about an event to the public. Are these groups' events (speaking 
of the groups who called to complain that their event announcement was online) 
only open to those members of the SCA who subscribe to the Black Star? 
 
>  2) How do we balance the privacy of warranted officers (to include 
>  autocrats in event announcements) against the need for information? If 
>  we completely remove the "official" SCA presence from the Web, then we 
>  miss out on a segment of the population which may prove to be future 
>  members of the Society. In addition, we contribute to a lack of 
>  information about our organization (and give any opponents to the 
>  Society a change to make up whatever they want about us). 
 
I understand about the privacy issue, but people need a way to get additional 
information (or make advance reservations for an event). Perhaps "official" 
phone lines (one per barony or other such division) could be set up to 
accomodate those autocrats who do not wish their personal phone numbers 
published on the web. A voice mail system that would allow the autocrats to 
call in and check for messages might work. The same would go for personal 
addresses.  I have seen this technique used in the event announcement for the 
upcoming Gulf Wars. 
 
As for the various officers, I believe an address and phone number should be 
available for each person (not necessarily a home address and phone number). 
 
>  3)  (Sorry for the legalese.) Does the Society for Creative 
>  Anachronism, Inc., operating as a foreign corporation everywhere except 
>  for the Norther California Non-Profit Corporation Act boundaries, have  
>  a legal responsibility to disclose the names/addresses/phone numbers of 
>  its corporation's officers within a particular area (e.g. a state)? If 
>  so, are our local Seneschals (as the legal representatives of the 
>  Society within their area) defined as the corporation's officers? And 
>  is this information readily available to the general public (usually 
>  through a request from the State Secretary's Office)? 
 
I can't answer to the legalese, but, like I said above, I think some sort of 
address and phone number should be available for each officer. I also think 
that the Seneschal, as a legal representative of the Society, should also 
provide some sort of address and phone number by which they can be reached.  
 
>  4)  What information >should< appear on the "official" SCA web site for 
>  our area (in my case, http://www.ansteorra.org), or in an online 
>  representation of the Kingdom Newsletter? Should Great Officers of  
>  State reports be there? Lesser Officers of State? The Kingdom Calendar 
>  (in an unofficial capacity)? 
 
I agree with Larkin that everything that is in the printed version of the 
Black Star should appear in the electronic version. As much information as 
possible should be included on the web site.  As a new member, I have used the 
web extensively to gather information about the Society and my place in it. 
Due to time constraints posed by my job and my family, I don't think I could 
have participated as fully (or as quickly), if I wasn't able to get 
information on the net and I'm always on the lookout for more information. 
(Guidelines for participating in competitions, documentation standards and 
formats, and Norman persona are the bits I'm researching at the moment.) 
 
Respectfully, 
 
Susanna de la Ferte 
Stargate, Ansteorra