With the June edition of the ActiveVoice, I'm taking over for Arianna Dogil, who has done an exemplary job of getting the newsletter out on time for the last year. Now it's my turn to take on that task.

The Transition from Print to Online

The June 2004 edition of the ActiveVoice has a completely new look. For the last 3-1/2 years, the newsletter has used a print-based format with a fixed page layout that is exactly four pages long. With this edition, we have switched to an HTML-based format designed for online reading. However, we also provide a printer-friendly version for those who want to print out the newsletter and read it offline.

This change in format is one of the results of the decision to discontinue mailing out printed copies of the ActiveVoice to members of the San Francisco Chapter STC. When the chapter was mailing out printed newsletters, we adhered to a strict limit on length to manage printing and production costs. In March, we discontinued mailing out printed newsletters, but we kept the print-oriented design for the newsletter during the transition to the HTML-based newsletter format.

More Flexibility in Coverage

With the HTML-based format introduced in the June edition, the length of the ActiveVoice newsletter is no longer limited to all the news that fits on four pages. I won't claim that we are emulating the New York Times in providing "All the News That's Fit to Print." But the online format does have the following additional content:

• An expanded "President's News and Notes" column. No longer limited to 140 words, Susan Becker is able to provide substantial news about our chapter scholarship, new officers, the STC's transformation, and the STC Annual Conference.


• Chapter news when the situation warrants it. For example, Ancilla Allsman and Janet Bran received Distinguished Service Awards at the May meeting. In the print format, there might not have been room to insert an article to commemorate this important occasion. (We occasionally stuck in an extra short article.)


• Helpful columns. Janet Bran, our lead web weaver, has written a "Web Tips" column on how to get Google and other search engines to index your web site. Howard Miller, who spoke at the May meeting, provides tips on how to stay motivated to do our best in a world that can be discouraging at times.


• Region 8 news. From July 25 - 27, 2004, the Region 8 Conference will be held at UC Davis. This is a conference no one should miss, especially those of us who could not make it to Baltimore for the STC Annual Conference in May. Once you read Patrick Lufkin's articles about the Region 8 Conference, you'll understand exactly what I mean.

Where Do We Go from Here?

The June newsletter is the chapter's first foray into a new paradigm. (Finally, I found an excuse to shoehorn the word paradigm into this article.) Since this edition is the first one published under my watch, I was learning as I went along. And I'll continue to learn more as time goes by. ("Play it, Sam.") So don't be surprised if future editions do not look quite the same as this one. There's always room for improvement.

I am interested in hearing what you think about the new look for the ActiveVoice. You can email me at newsletter@stc-sf.org.

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