Re: July Bulletin

[Robert Pries <robertpries@embarqmail.com>]

Terry made an interesting point and I am interested in how many of you did the
math. The present bulletin size of course has margins all the way around the
pages but if it were in 8 B= by 11 the central gutter and margin would be
eliminated This is presently an half inch of white space on every page. Each
page is 5 B= inches so one ele4venth of a page is white space that would not
be on the 11 inch pages. In other words if we took the lasted bulletin with
128 pages and converted it to the 8/12 by 11 format we would gain over eleven
pages of text that would cost us nothing.

Paul asked for some hard facts as to why to change format: They are the
following. First it word give us almost 10% more content. Second it should be
cheaper (not as much cutting of the large press sheets. And Third a value
judgment but most people find the larger format more attractive and I am
confident that given that format Terry and his staff could do a super job,
much more flexibility.

So why are we paying more for less? Tradition. New members look at what you
have now not what you used to be. I can remember walking through the stacks of
the Missouri botanical Garden Library and being struck by the number of
journals that started out as 5 B= by 8 and had changed to 8 B= by eleven/ I
believe I now understand why.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry Aitken" <terry@flowerfantasy.net>
To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 4:46:05 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: RE: [AISdiscuss] July Bulletin

Balderdash!!!!
Being successful has nothing to do with membership if all garden societies
are having the same problem. We are relatively more successful than other
garden societies. People are simply finding alternative ways to gain the
information that they feel they need. Newspapers are struggling because of
alternate sources of information. Some of them are surviving.
One of the Orchid Society board members observed that the problem with
internet information is "MISINFORMATIOM". Our society could represent
"legitimate information" on the internet. Members only???

I have no problem with "CHANGE" of any sort provided there is a legitimate
reason. Competing with other societies - who are also losing members - is
not a good reason. I will be very interested to see if the Rebloom Society
actually gains in membership. Problem is that they have had the "big book"
for years which gained them nothing. Then there is the rather significant
issue of paying for the extra color! That represents a substantial increase
in member dues. Counter productive?

Changing the size of the AIS Bulletin would not be a cost factor if the
content quantity remains the same. The opportunity for more comprehensive
pictures (stem shots or clump shots) could be useful. Actually, there could
be an opportunity for more content since there would be a reduction in the
amount of white edge space per page? Figure that one out, you engineers!!
Terry


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-aisdiscuss@aisboard.org [mailto:owner-aisdiscuss@aisboard.org]
On Behalf Of Robert Pries
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 6:35 PM
To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] July Bulletin

IF THE American Iris Society were successful it would be gaining membership
not loosing membership. Obviously doing the same things we have done for 89
years is no longer working. I believe Einstein said repeating the same thing
but expecting different results is the definition of insanity. considering
we
have lost practically half our membership in the last 15 years I would
suggest
we don't need to change something. we need to change a lot. We have now
reached points of critcal mass that financially will no longer allow us to
do
what we have been doing anyway. The question is not whether to change but
how.
I have no idea whether changing the suze of the bulletin would help or not.
It
is a rather old fogey format in todays world. But the weakess argument one
could possibly make is that is the way we have done it. Obviously the way we
have done a kot of things is no longer working. If we have so few members we
can not produce a bulletin then all those with 89 years of books will now
have
a complete set.

----- Original Message -----
From: "R. Dennis Hager" <hager@aredee.com>
To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 8:55:59 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] July Bulletin

Very few decisions should be cast in stone. How many of you carried cell
phones 15 years ago? How many of you had an email account 15 years ago? More
importantly, how many of you even considered that you may some day carry a
cell phone or have an email account?

One of the most offered reasons for doing something a certain way is because
"that is the way we have always done it." That happens to also be one of the
worst reasons to do something a certain way. How about doing it because it
makes sense?

This organization should not settle for anything because it was "good
enough". The goal should be excellence.

Off my soap box and back in a hole.

Dennis Hager

----- Original Message -----
From: <MORRISJE1@aol.com>
To: <aisdiscuss@aisboard.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 7:32 PM
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] July Bulletin


> In a message dated 7/30/2009 1:54:52 P.M. Central Standard Time,
> terry@flowerfantasy.net writes:
>
> Hi  All
> I love these comments! Been there, done that, but we could do it  again?
> "Wrong size". This was brought up 15 years ago when I first became
> editor.
> At that time, it would have allowed us to add pages to the  bulletin
> (content) without adding the cost of PERFECT BIND (It is more  expensive).
> The idea was not well received - then. We went to perfect bind  which does
> make a nicer book with the edge binding issue info. And offers  unlimited
> pages. We were at the limit with "staple stitching". So we went  to
> perfect
> bind and increased the page count to 128 from about  96.
> Put me in the same camp with Terry and Clarence on this one.  89 years
> (wow) with our format is good enough for me.
>
>
> From  another perspective, I also belong to the Orchid Society ($60.00 per
> year).  They went to the "coffee table" magazine size (8 1/2 x 11")
> several
> years  ago. This was during the early stages of serious membership drop.
> The
> magazine is very impressive but it did not stop the membership drop -
> which
> is still more severe than ours. This just speaks to the motivation  for
> "change". We need a better reason.
>
> "Month" versus "season".  Since the beginning of (my) time, there have
> always
> been people out there  who live by the stopwatch and complain bitterly
> when
> our magazine does not  arrive on day one of the month of issue. I might
> defend our position by  saying that commercial magazines have a full time
> paid staff - unlike some  other "volunteer" organizations. I did suggest
> "seasons" as a way out of  this dilemma. Again, not a positive response -
> back then. ""Winter",  "Spring", "Summer", "Fall" works fine with me.
> I do remember Ron Mullin  defending the Bulletin delivery time by saying
> that
> it was the "month of  assembly and delivery". I like that one and have
> lived
> by it. Occasionally,  we get lucky and have an "early issue". This
> particular
> issue had a time  line that had nothing to do with AIS. Erica was going on
> vacation (some  civilized people do that!!!)on the 4th of July so, for me,
> it
> was a do or  die situation. We made it with an hour to spare. (I love
> stress!!) I'm not  sure that Erica did!
> I prefer the "month" versus "season" with all the restrictions Terry has
> to
> work with.  MIS went to the "season" for The Medianite back when  we had
> four issues per year.  The "winter" issue was always confusing as  most of
> the "real" winter was always in the following year and several times  that
> issue wasn't actually published until "the following year" which many
> people
> did not like and was confusing at the time and later in doing  research.
> Which year is winter?  Season ending or season beginning?  As a researcher
> I
> prefer being able to reference a month and year to any  article.  The AIS
> Bulletin looks good in a bookcase with perfect  binding which allows for
> Issue
> number and month and year to be printed on the  edge.  If one has 89 years
> worth (I don't, only 45) of AIS  Bulletins on the shelf, it takes awhile
> to
> find even the right  year (much less issue) for those issues that had the
> Issue number and  month/year printed only on the front cover.  The new
> issue
> indexes help a  lot but there are many articles or vignettes not listed in
> the
> TOC or index and  without attribution in past Bulletins of any era.
>
>
>
> Anyway, keep those cards and letters coming. I am enjoying the
> conversation.
> Terry
> Me too.  And I agree that we have been there, done that two or three
> times
> in the past 30 years or so.  I guess I am conservative about the
> publication just like Clarence.  I like it the way it is with fourteen or
> so color
> pages.  My July Bulletin came today!  Most  impressive Terry.  Picture
> flow
> is very good.
>
> Jim M.
>
>
>
>
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