Persuading Members to Write.A few years ago, while I was working on a 20-page monthly newsletter, I realized that I was doing the majority of the writing and editing. While the newsletter covered upcoming conferences and other general association-related matters, it lacked specific how-to how-to Informal adj. Offering practical advice and detailed instruction in an activity. n. pl. how-tos Something, such as a book or learning situation, that provides practical advice and detailed instruction in an or content-driven articles. It was, in my opinion, quite boring. The newsletter was missing input from the very group of people that received it. Therefore, my mission that year became that of getting our members to write articles and to suggest content they wanted to see in the newsletter. The following practices helped me accomplish that goal. * Create an editorial calendar. We created an editorial calendar that included each month's theme. We distributed the editorial calendar not only to vendors for advertising, but also to members. This way, they knew what to expect--and we could solicit articles months in advance. * Involve the entire staff. With a small staff, there was only so much that could get done. But when the entire staff pulled together to help achieve the goal, the results were much better. For example, the staff person working on conferences started asking speakers at conferences and meetings to write preview articles on what they planned to address. Someone involved in membership kept an eye out for good potential authors. * Convince members to write. Members are busy people. So how do you convince members to write for you? I tell them that they are experts. I remind them that members don't want to read what I have to say about an issue. They want to read specifics that tell them how to get things done, and that information is often best conveyed by another member. Once a member has agreed to write the article, make sure you provide him or her with clear guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. regarding article topic, length, and deadline. Volunteering to help with the outline can also move the process along. (See sidebar (1) A Windows Vista desktop panel that holds mini applications (gadgets) such as a calendar, calculator, stock ticker and Vonage phone dialer. It is the Windows counterpart to the Dashboard in the Mac. See Windows Vista and gadget. , "Promoting Member Authorship," for specific methods of attracting writers to your publication.) * Build an article reserve. Keeping a reserve of articles will save you if someone backs out at the last minute. Usually, general articles about industry developments, methods of problem solving problem solving Process involved in finding a solution to a problem. Many animals routinely solve problems of locomotion, food finding, and shelter through trial and error. , or human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. issues work best. Submitted by Kimberly Kight, communication manager, Mail Advertising Service Association, Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,284. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) south of downtown Washington, DC. (staff size: 10.5 full-time equivalent Full-time equivalent (FTE) is a way to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or a student's enrollment at an educational institution. An FTE of 1.0 means that the person is equivalent to a full-time worker, while an FTE of 0.5 signals that the worker is only half-time. ; annual operating budget Noun 1. operating budget - a budget for current expenses as distinct from financial transactions or permanent improvements budget items, operating cost, operating expense, overhead - the expense of maintaining property (e.g. : $2 million). E-mail: kkight@masa.org. This article first appeared in ASAE's Communication News, April 2000. |
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