tomiseksj
Moderator 
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,269 
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Dec 1, 2023 23:31:34 GMT
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angore
Member 
Posts: 5,355
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Dec 2, 2023 12:36:12 GMT
Interesting comments. It seems like judge 3 thinks a club newsletter should be more about the club workings (meetings, other events, social, minutes, officers, etc) rather than just articles on stamps. Judge 2 had a more open mind and had more about what you can do rather than what you did not have. Some of the content is naturally part of the website such quizes and not the newsletter. I would recommnend entering the newsletter in a literature competition rather than as a club newsletter. Back when I was an editor of a newsltetter, I did this but they expect "serious" articles but it is feedback.  |
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,659
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Dec 12, 2023 22:43:46 GMT
Thanks to Steve ( tomiseksj) for posting this, and apologies to all for my slowness to comment. It looks like today is finally the day! I have been working on V8.2 of the Newsletter for the past couple of weeks, and I have decided to try to incorporate some of the suggestions from the APS judges. A couple of things that I have done: - Since more than one judge mentioned the readability of the vertical text box on the cover, I have changed the font color from yellow to white. I have also increased the font size by a point or so, and I have put more of the text in bold. That's as much as I can do unless I eliminate some of the text.
- I have now included a "Calendar of Upcoming Philatelic Events." I have chosen the events based on known TSF member involvement to date. After a trial run in V8.2, I will ask members for feedback and for items to be added to the list, as space permits.
- I have tried to use larger images and text-wrapping around the images as much as possible, but I have not yet changed to a two-column page format. I also tend to avoid long paragraphs, so when I receive submissions with large blocks of text, I usually break those up into smaller paragraphs, which I believe makes them easier to read. If members would prefer a two-column format, that could be considered, but in general, I find it harder to work with for editing.
Are we lacking a raison d’être? My thinking is that the purpose of the Newsletter is to capture ideas and activities that transcend the content of a typical post on the Forum. Does that sound like a realistic reason for being? Should we have a statement of purpose for the Newsletter and put it somewhere prominent in the issues? We can do that if members wish, and I am open to ideas. Bottom line: I agreed to become Editor because I like the idea of a TSF Newsletter. But I want it to be a product of what members think it should be, too, so your input is important to achieving that. As a final comment, while I appreciate the feedback from the APS judges, the point of our Newsletter, I think, is to serve our members and represent the TSF community to the world. I did not volunteer to get involved to win awards. I am happy if we are recognized by others for doing a good job, but it isn't the main point for me. I am interested in doing my best for all of you, the members. Feedback and comments are welcome, of course!  |
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madbaker
Member
Posts: 693
What I collect: (Mark) General worldwide collector (to 1975 or so) with a soft spot for Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
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Post by madbaker on Dec 13, 2023 3:13:07 GMT
Bottom line: I agreed to become Editor because I like the idea of a TSF Newsletter. But I want it to be a product of what members think it should be, too, so your input is important to achieving that. As a final comment, while I appreciate the feedback from the APS judges, the point of our Newsletter, I think, is to serve our members and represent the TSF community to the world. I did not volunteer to get involved to win awards. I am happy if we are recognized by others for doing a good job, but it isn't the main point for me. I am interested in doing my best for all of you, the members. Feedback and comments are welcome, of course!
Hi Chris,
I bolded the line that struck me the most. I agree with you.
To me, the newsletter is a way for me to learn more about my favourite TSF members, to experience their unique love of philately in a medium that allows for an expanded narrative (more than in a forum post.)
I tend to read each article by noting the author first, thinking, ooh, I love their posts, I wonder what they want to share in this article, and then digging in. It's very much person-first for me. The newsletter is a great representation of the generous community here too, by the mere fact that the authors are so generous with their articles. win-win. 
PS - I say 'favourite' TSF members because every article, whether it's your first or your fifth, casts my mind back to your posts on the forum, which warms my heart. 💖 And if you only post on the forums, you're still my favourite the rest of the day, just not when I'm reading the newsletter. 
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,355
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Dec 13, 2023 11:04:40 GMT
The newsletter is for the members and not just to get a higher score in a contest that does not really mean that much. The reviewers can provide feedback but never consider it binding. Some criteria are tied to a physical club and unlike a physical club, TSF meets 24x7.
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