Self-Publishing Electronic Newsletters | SLA 1999 SouthAtlantic Regional Conference

Self-Publishing Electronic Newsletters
Notes and References from a Presentation for the
SouthAtlantic Regional Conference
Special Libraries Association
Charleston, South Carolina
March 11, 1999

By Carolyn Kotlas
Editor, CIT Infobits
Center for Instructional Technology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Definitions

Getting Started

Purpose or Objectives

Audience

Pre-production Decisions

Content Decisions

Producing the Newsletter

Research and Fact Checking

Writing, Editing, and Proofreading

Design and Layout

Subscription Management

Distribution

Getting Subscribers

Circulation Management

Subscriber Feedback

Reprint Permissions and Copyright

Archiving Back Issues

Assessment of Success

Final Advice

Further Reading

About the Presenter

Contact the Presenter

First, Some Definitions


Newsletter:
	Regularly-published, non-refereed, not lengthy, for a specific audience/purpose
	Webster's New World Dictionary:
	"1. a bulletin issued at regular intervals to subscribers containing recent news, 
	often of interest to a special group and usually including interpretations and predictions. 
	2. Any similar report issued by a firm, governmental agency, etc. to keep employees
	 or the public informed." 

Electronic:
	Newsletter appears primarily in electronic form, and is distributed either as email 
	or resides on a Website.
	Does not refer to print newsletters even if assembled electronically.
	However, electronic newsletters have a lot in common with print newsletters.
	But . . . electronic newsletters have a lot of additional, mostly technical, elements 
	to deal with.

Self-published:
	Newsletter is published in-house by an individual or team, rather than out-sourced.
	You handle all aspects of the newsletter.

Your Newsletter's Purpose or Objectives: What do you want your newsletter to do?


What do you want to accomplish with the newsletter?
	» promote your business or organization
	» use it as a marketing or public relations tool
	» broadcast internal information to staff
	» inform your clients, customers, etc. what you're up to
	» make it one of your organization's products
	» provide authoritative information, advice, instruction

What do you get back from publishing the newsletter?
	» readers identify the newsletter with its source
	» the newsletter's purpose melds well with your organization's mission

Always keep focused on your objectives

Who is your Audience?

To whom are you writing?

Your audience will determine the tone and content of your publication: casual/informal/personal, scholarly/formal.

Knowing your audience will help you develop a "voice" or style that is consistent across issues . . . but be careful that the "voice" isn't projecting personal bias, unless, of course, that's the point of the newsletter.

Does the level of complexity or technical information in your newsletter match the level of the readers?

Will your audience perceive your newsletter as a benefit? Always give your readers something to keep from each issue.

If your audience is global, watch out for jargon, slang, and chauvinisms that may be misunderstood by readers outside your country.

More detailed information:

Nelson, Peggy. How to Create Powerful Newsletters: Easy Ways to Avoid the Pitfalls 80 Percent of All Newsletters Face. Chicago: Bonus Books, 1993. ISBN: 0-929387-86-4
(See chapters 1-3 for how to focus on your newsletter's purpose and audience.)

Pre-production Decisions

Frequency:

Decide on the frequency and length of your publication.

Base your decision on the frequency of publication and the length of the newsletter size realistically on the time you have available; it's better to publish fewer, but better, issues.

Regardless of publication frequency, consistency must be maintained once you project a schedule, otherwise readers could wonder if you've ceased publication.

Shorter is better, both for individual articles and for each issue as a whole, and both for the reader and for you.

Newsletter Title & Other Identifying Details:

Choose a title that reflects your organization and the newsletter's content.
Make sure you don't use a title that's been trademarked by another organization or a title that readers could confuse with another publication.

Include a statement about the newsletter's purpose and/or audience. This will be useful for new readers.

Devise an issue date and number scheme (volume, number, issue, etc.) that won't make serials librarians crazy.

Apply for and display your newsletter's ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) -- it makes your publication look more professional and substantial.
In the United States ISSN's are issued by the Library of Congress: http://lcweb.loc.gov/issn/

Content Decisions and Article Topics: What will your newsletter contain?

Keep "fluff" articles to a minimum. This includes items such as "Letter from the (President/Director/CEO, etc.)"

Will each issue have a theme or will there be a variety of topics?

Will you have regular features/columns in each issue?
	opinion feature
	letter from the editor
	trends/analyses
	monthly spotlight feature
	product/industry news
	how-to articles
	reader involvement columns
	book reviews
	news flashes
	interviews

Use attention-getting headlines.

Will you have advertising in your newsletter? If so, establish some criteria for acceptable ads. Keep in mind that most of your readers probably do not care for advertising in email newsletters.

Will you have "outside" contributed articles; what criteria will you use to select "expert" contributors?

Research, Fact-Checking, Errata

How much in-depth research is needed and how much time do you have to do it? Don't research more than you need; don't get caught in the research trap -- it can keep you from finishing an article.

On the other hand, do enough research/fact-checking to develop your reputation for accuracy and authority in your publication.

Will your articles have to be approved by dept. heads/attorneys/others? If so, allow plenty of time for this part of your production process.

What will you do when/if errors escape your notice? The electronic world is fast and unforgiving. Literally within minutes readers will report any factual errors that they discover in your newsletter.

Decide on case-by-case basis on how to handle errors.
In some cases, an "errata" or "corrections" section in the next issue will suffice. However, some mistakes need immediate attention, and may require a special mailing to fix the mistake. For example, meeting dates, telephone numbers, anything that can't wait for the next scheduled issue.

Writing, Editing, & Proofreading: Write it right

Will you have an editorial board or are you on your own? At the very minimum get someone else to proofread newsletter copy for typos and clarity.

Even good writers need to understand how writing for the Web/email differs from writing for print medium. Check out Web style guides for help with making the transition from writing for print to writing for an electronic environment.

More detailed information:

Morkes, John, and Jakob Nielsen. "Writing for the Web." January 6, 1998.
http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/
(A research project about how users read on the Web and how authors should write their Web pages.)

Beach, Mark. Editing Your Newsletter: How to Produce an Effective Publication Using Traditional Tools & Computers, 4th edition. Cincinnati: F & W Publications, 1995. ISBN: 0-89879-641-5
(See Chapter 4 for writing tips and "Appendix: Content Ideas that Work" for article ideas.)

Adler, Elizabeth. Everyone's Guide to Successful Publications. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press, 1993. ISBN: 1-56609-027-X
(Includes useful worksheets and checklists for all stages of newsletter production.)

Good style, punctuation, and grammar are essential!
Some examples of style/writing guides:

Stilman, Anne. Grammatically Correct: The Writer's Guide to Punctuations, Spelling, Style, Usage and Grammar. Cincinnati: Writers Digest Books, 1997. ISBN: 0898797764

Shaw, Harry. Punctuate It Right! 2nd edition. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. ISBN 0-06-461045-4

The Associated Press. The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, Revised & updated edition. Reading, MA: Perseus Press, 1998. ISBN: 0-201-33985-4

Design and Layout: "Branding" your newsletter

Are you moving from a print-only publication to electronic format? 
	» Don't lose an existing identity by changing the appearance when you move
 		from print to electronic format.
	» Keep in mind that not everything that applies to print newsletters works as
		well in electronic format.

If your newsletter will be published on the Web, consult basic Web design guides or take a Web design workshop for layout tips and advice.

Be considerate of readers with slow Internet connections: keep graphics to a minimum.

Choose colors carefully; colors that look great in printed materials can be unattractive and distracting on the screen. If your organization already has identifying colors,use these for a consistent look across all the organization's communications.

For newsletters published on the Web, decide if you will have a logo or other graphic identity. Use existing organization logos when possible.

Plain-text, email-only newsletters force you to limit your design options. However, limited layout doesn't have to mean lousy layout. Email newsletters can benefit from even the most rudimentary graphic design: use spaces or other devices to separate articles; break articles up into easy-to-absorb paragraphs.

How will you deal with non-text materials (graphics, audio, video) in a text-only newsletter? Will you point the readers to a Web site where they can retrieve the non-text materials?

Line lengths are important -- watch out for the "disappearing end of line" (both in email and Web newsletters). Make sure you accommodate small screens when formatting paragraphs.

Before sending out an email newsletter, send yourself a copy to see what your readers will see. You may find you need to adjust line lengths or line breaks.

Some basic elements to include in each issue:
	title
	date and/or number
	masthead or contact information
	ISSN
	how to subscribe and unsubscribe
	table of contents
	copyright statement

More detailed information:

Nielsen, Jakob. "The Alertbox: Current Issues in Web Usability."
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/
Biweekly online column covering Web design topics.
See especially "Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design," May 1996.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html

Instone. Keith. "Usable Web: Guide to Web Usability Resources."
http://usableweb.com/index.html
A collection of links and accompanying information about human factors, user interface issues, and usable design specific to the World Wide Web.

Brooks, Rob. "Hints for Good Site Design."
http://www.pix.za/dragnet/design.htm
Although not specific to newsletters on the Web, still some useful tips.

Williams, Robin. "Bad Design Features."
http://www.ratz.com/featuresbad.html
Things that make Web pages look bad.

Flanders, Vincent. "Web Pages that Suck.com."
http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/home.html
Learn good design by looking at bad design.

Distribution: Getting the newsletter to subscribers

Regardless of how you choose or are forced to distribute your email newsletter, be prepared to learn some technical stuff. Be patient with yourself and prepare to make mistakes at first.

Make friends with your listerver/system administrator -- the person who will keep the list distribution hardware and software running smoothly.

If you (or someone in your organization) plan to run your own listserver system, check these out:

E-mail List Management Software
Compiled by Vivian Neou

http://www.catalog.com/vivian/mailing-list-software.html

Overview of Software
By Tim Tripp
http://www.inforamp.net/~ttripp/ola/

If you plan to have someone outside your organization distribute your newsletter, check these out:

Internet Mailing List Providers

http://www.catalog.com/vivian/mailing-list-providers.html

Publicizing Your Newsletter and Getting Subscribers

It's unlikely you'll be able to purchase a list of email addresses to get you started. You'll have to do more than print newsletter publishers do to generate your subscriber list.

Advertise your newsletter in print publications both in and outside your organization.

Ask other electronic newsletter publishers in related fields if they will mention your newsletter. It helps if you have a ready-to-use announcement that they can put into their publication.

Take advantage of electronic resource announcement services; most are free. Here are some places to start. Before submitting your newsletter announcement, check out any submission guidelines. Don't waste time submitting information to services that are not interested in your newsletter's subject area.

NewJour
	"NewJour is the place to announce your own newly planned, newly issued, or revised 
	electronic networked journal or newsletter. It is specially dedicated for those who 
	wish to share information in the planning, gleam-in-the-eye stage or at a more 
	mature stage of publication development and availability."
http://gort.ucsd.edu/newjour/

Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries E-Journal Website
	Includes a submission form to have your newsletter included in their directory.
http://www.coalliance.org/ejournal/

The Scout Report and Net-Happenings
Both announce newsletters of new and newly discovered Internet resources
(primarily of educational value).
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/index.html
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/net-hap/index.html

Try these sites for announcing newsletters that are published or archived on the Web:

Submit It! Free
Announce a Web page to seven search engines.
Submit It! also has a for-fee service.
http://www.siteowner.com/

comp.infosystems.www.announce newsgroup
Usenet newsgroup where people can publicize non-commercial Web-based
resources of potentially worldwide interest.
See http://www.sangfroid.com/charter.html for submission criteria.

Qwik L@unch
"One form registers your Website free with over ten of the Web's top directories."
http://www.qwiklaunch.com/

Add It!
Another free place to announce your newsletter's Web address.
http://www.liquidimaging.com/submit/

Net Announce!
A twice-weekly publication announcing new Websites.
http://www.erspros.com/net-announce/index.phtml

Circulation Management: Managing your subscribers

Will people subscribe themselves, or will you control who gets on the subscription list ("closed subscription list")?

Subscriber list security

Decide whether or not your subscription list will be open to the public, open only to other subscribers, or completely hidden.

Keep your subscriber list clean and up-to-date

» "Bouncing" email comes with the territory

» Be prepared to clean up the subscriber list regularly

» Some list management software will perform periodic "probes" for inactive email addresses
and notify you of inactive email addresses

» Some software will automatically remove inactive addresses, but, none seem to do a complete job. For example, listproc says it will do this, but does it for only about 10% of the bounced mail.

Subscriber Feedback: Listening to your readers

Have you given your readers a way to get in touch with you with their comments and questions?

Include as much contact information as possible

» name of the editor or other contact person

» email address, postal address, telephone number, fax number, etc.

When subscribers give you feedback

» Don't take subscriber "flames" too personally

» But do try to acknowledge and respond to reader suggestions

Let your readers know if you accept reader contributions and what sorts of contributions you look for. If applicable, include a contribution statement in each newsletter issue.

Example contribution statement from CIT Infobits:

Article Suggestions

Infobits always welcomes article suggestions from our readers, although
we cannot promise to print everything submitted. Because of our
publishing schedule, we are not able to announce time-sensitive events
such as upcoming conferences and calls for papers or grant
applications; however, we do include articles about online conference
proceedings that are of interest to our readers. While we often mention
commercial products, publications, and Web sites, Infobits does not
accept or reprint unsolicited advertising copy. Send your article
suggestions to the editor at carolyn_kotlas@unc.edu

Reprint Permissions and Copyright: Getting and giving permissions

Although not required by copyright law, it's a good idea to put a copyright statement on each issue.

Getting permission to reprint from other sources

» Fair use permits you to quote small portions of copyrighted material for review purposes.

» Ask for permission to reprint entire articles or large portions.

» It's courteous to notify people that you are mentioning them in your newsletter, esp. when including contact information (their email address, telephone number, etc.) This prepares them for any wave of email that might result from your newsletter article.

Giving permission to others to reprint from your newsletter

» Decide under what circumstances you will grant others the right to reprint from your newsletter.

» Include a reprint right statement that will minimize handling reprint requests.

Example from CIT Infobits:
May be reproduced in any medium for non-commercial purposes.

Archiving Back Issues

Will you make back issues available? For how long?

What archiving method will you use: plain text files, HTML files, listserver archiver, some combination of these methods?

Example of archive of plain text files of CIT Infobits newsletter:

http://www.unc.edu/cit/infobits/text/index.html

Example of archive of HTML-format files of CIT Infobits newsletter:

http://www.unc.edu/cit/infobits/

Assessment of Success: How do you know you're succeeding?

Decide how you will measure the success of your newsletter.

» Readership satisfaction survey

» Complimentary letters from readers -- pass them on to those in a position to support the continuance of the newsletter

Number of subscribers: What about the number of subscribers -- quantity or quality?

I keep an annual tally of the number of subscribers and also try to determine what country they are in. In addition to the numbers, I try to determine what percentage of subscribers fit into my target audience (in this case, faculty and staff in higher education).

Losing subscribers

Don't take unsubscribing personally -- as people move jobs and their interests change they may unsubscribe, but that is no reflection on the quality of your newsletter.

Does your organization recognize the value of the newsletter by using it as a promotional piece?

Has your newsletter received recognition from other organizations? Make sure your organization knows about honors/awards the publication has received.

Some Final Advice from One Who Has Been There

Savor the rewards of publishing your own newsletter:

» Publishing a newsletter gets you noticed within your organization.

» You'll get access to more people and information inside and outside of your organization.

» You'll get a warm feeling from the surprising number of nice letters from appreciative readers.

» You may even get asked to speak about your experiences at conferences.

Use criticism productively:

» Don't dwell on reader's negative comments or see them as evidence of personal failure on your part.

» See if there is something in the comments that you can use to improve your newsletter.

Don't forget . . .
HAVE FUN!