Re: July Bulletin

[MORRISJE1@aol.com]

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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