Roger: Janice sums up the editor's problems nicely below. When I was editing the newsletter, I spent as much or more energy recruiting writers as I did editing and laying out the stuff they eventually sent in. It takes a direct approach. General calls for submissions rarely turn up much; you have to ask specific individuals to write about their research/teaching/institution or whatever. At the Inkshed conference and at the C's and elsewhere you have to ask people to give you a copy of their presentations or to write a summary, etc. And then you have to pester them and e-mail them and telephone them and threaten them (and, let me tell you, Inkshedders aren't easily threatened) and otherwise make yourself obnoxious. There is good reason that editors have a curmudgeonly reputation. I hope I'm not discouraging you. As Janice points out, all that contact results in good friends right across the country. Anthony At 12:23 PM 1/13/99 -0800, Janice Freeman wrote: >Roger, > >One of the biggest jobs for Amanda and I was simply providing copy for >the Newsletter. Our first issue, "In the MOO" was in danger of being >totally written by us (with edited MOO transcripts) until an article >came in at the last minute. In fact, the actual editing would not have >been a problem if we'd had something to edit. > >The WAC/WID issue came about because of a similar dearth of copy. I >started the thread on CASLL and then asked individuals to write short >reports about developments in their institutions. Again, the editing was >not an issue-- getting people to write was. > >The post-conference issue never happened for similar reasons. We had no >copy. Then when Russ put up the web site with all the lovely coloured >pictures, we both felt that a print version would be redundant. > >Your idea of a combined print/online version might work-- those of us >content to receive it online would do so and the print version could go >to libraries and individuals without web access. BTW, the cost of the >print version never became an issue for us. The Centre for Academic >Writing here at U. of Winnipeg paid printing and mailing costs for one >issue and Stan arranged to cover the cost of the second one through U. >of M. (And Pat and Sandy did the envelope stuffing.) > >So if we could just get people writing more and submitting copy, the >newsletter wouldn't be a big task for whoever volunteered to edit it. I >liked the idea of theme issues. I'd like to see a future issue on >tutoring/writing centres. We're in the middle of making big changes to >ours, and I'd sure like to know how other smallish institutions provide >support for undergraduate writers. I would certainly contribute a report >on that issue. Another theme issue that I could see being useful is >teaching online or through various other DE methods. > >One thing I really enjoyed about doing the newsletter was the contact >with all the fine CASLLers who did contribute. And, of course, there was >the sense of satisifaction that comes with having the finished copy in >hand..... > >So I guess this means that I'm still willing to be involved in the >Newsletter in some way. Amanda and I just ran out of >time/energy/enthusiasm because of the difficulty of generating copy. I'm >encouraged to see the way this discussion has gone. I get the feeling >that people agree that there's something worth continuing. > >Janice Freeman >Centre for Academic Writing >University of Winnipeg > > > >Roger Graves wrote: >> >> Here are the logisitcs of what I see as the solution: we opt for a >> (perhaps) less aestheically pleasing print edition and create one version >> that is both online and print version. If the newsletter were produced in >> Word using web-page files, we could print copies of it as needed and post >> a version of this directly to the web: One process, two products. IF I >> survive the tenure process, I'd be willing to work on this part of >> the editor's work (I'll know by >> June). What are the other parts of the job? >> >> Roger Graves >> Assistant Professor >> Department of English, DePaul University > > Anthony Paré Chair Department of Educational Studies Faculty of Education McGill University 3700 McTavish Street Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2 514-398-5600