[Elfsea] Newsletter options

Richard Threlkeld rjt at softwareinnovation.com
Sat Dec 17 08:11:27 PST 2005


I have been investigating hosting sites for our web site. Most of them include tools to build newsletters and maintain the list of subscribers. 
 
I would like us to be able to put our newsletters on the web page for all to share and to email copies at no cost to us to anyone who might want one. This would give us the following benefits:
 
Only the required copies would be printed and mailed saving us nearly all the money we currently spend on the newsletter.
 
Since it would be free, we could automatically send it to everyone on the Elfsea list (they can opt out if they want). We would print a limited number of copies that would be available at Moot or sent on request to those without online access.
 
We would not be constrained to any given number of pages since postage would not be a problem.
 
We could use hot-links to take people to related web pages or pictures since they would be reading online (offline would get the web link).
 
We could have an online collection of all the newsletters for newcomers to read (that is not allowed if we charge).
 
And that brings up the only requirement that has kept us from doing all this previously. The SCA will not let us both charge for a current newsletter and make either current or previous newsletters available for free online or otherwise. In order to do all the things above, we need to decide to abandon the subscription format we currently use. Instead, the Barony would pay for any expenses of producing the newsletter from our general fund and give the newsletters away to anyone who wanted one. If we did it online (except for the required mailed copies and some for those without online access) the costs would be minimal and the benefits maximal. 
 
I put this out now, because unless we decide to change the way we do things, we will begin accepting money for subscriptions at the January meeting. If we can decide to change the way we do newsletters, then we will not accept new money and will return any that has already been paid.
 
Please discuss this proposal on this list so we might all share your ideas.
 
In service to Elfsea, Ansteorra, and the Dream (kittens and all)
Caelin on Andrede, Virtual Scribe for Elfsea
 
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