Re: July Bulletin


Is our goal to be more successful than other garden societies, or is it to be the best that we can possibly be?

I would opt for the latter.

Dennis Hager




----- Original Message ----- From: "Terry Aitken" <terry@flowerfantasy.net>
To: <aisdiscuss@aisboard.org>
Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 4:46 PM
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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