I'll ad a couple things having edited it for years. Many of the logistics
questions are wide open: the editor has always been given freedom to make
the publication a quality contribution to the club.
It isn't a hard job, when I edited, it took about 4 hours of organized
effort. A lot of our users were on dial up then, so I compressed and
optimized all the images, and made sure I had URL references embedded in
the PDF. We are not so concerned with image sizes.
You can PDF the document from Word with operating system utilities, - full
Acrobat is not required IMO. If something is required the club does have
funds.
The job used to involve printing, labeling, and posting about 75 copies -
we are now down to a couple dozen that go out hard copy and at this time
that task is covered by another member.
We used to have an active Want Ads section of buying and selling stuff
which meant the editor got first dibs on good deals. With the Internet
that isn't as relevant now - but the section could be brought back.
The board needs someone to replace Jenny soon - please contact her, me, or
Jim if you have any questions.
John Riegel
509-869-3735.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jenny Harrington <jharrington110@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, Dec 3, 2017 at 5:08 PM
Subject: [SAS] Asterisk FAQ for interested editors-to-be!
To: sas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
I am answering a few questions on what the role of editor entails at the
request of a member. If anyone is interested in the position and has any
further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me!
Q1: Is there an expectation for the length of the SAS Asterisk Editor's
"term of office"? One year, several years, or whenever? How long were you
the Editor?
A1: I was the editor for three years. There is no required term length,
although it would probably be best to commit to the position for at least
one year at a time, and give at least two months notice when one needs to
move on.
Q2: Is there a set "template" for the newsletter that is dictated, and can
the template be altered to suit the fancy of the Asterisk Editor? Is that
template in Microsoft Word, or some other program?
A2: I have a Word/Openoffice template I use. The new editor can make
changes to most parts of the layout. There are some items that must be
included in every issue (eg. Nonprofit verbiage on the first page, the
mailing page info). There are also page min/max (8 or 12 pages) due to
printing method, as well as one or two items included for the sake of
tradition.
Q3: For those (like me) who don't have software to convert a Microsoft
Word document into a PDF, how is this done? An Adobe Acrobat license costs
at least $5/month (probably more). Do you submit your document to a free,
online Word-to-PDF service for conversion?
A3: You can convert right in Word. Simply use the file menu and click
export. You can then choose the file type to export. No need to have a full
Acrobat license. (You won't be able to edit the PDF, but you can make edits
in Word then export again if you need to make changes.)
Q4: If few SAS members submit anything for publication, is the Asterisk
Editor responsible for "filling up" the (always twelve?) pages of the
newsletter each month with other content? If so, where does this content
come from? Are there certain websites that you like to use for "filler"
articles, without getting into Copyright trouble?
A4: There are a few members that are really good with providing certain
types of content, which I will provide contact information to the new
editor. There are also some places to find content. Some of these links
aren't public so I can only provide them to the new editor. NASA, for
example, provides a monthly article only available to club editors.
Q5: Is the Asterisk distributed solely via e-mail, or is there some
"snail-mail" distribution too? If snail-mail, how does the Editor get
reimbursed for postage?
A5: The distribution method will be worked out in a manner that works well
for the new editor. If the new editor takes over distribution, they will be
reimbursed by the board for printing/postage.
Q6: Does the draft newsletter have to be routed through the SAS Board of
Directors first and "approved"? If so, how many days does that take? Can
the Asterisk Editor send the Asterisk out directly to the SAS Freelist
e-mail distribution list?
A6: It is always a good idea to have a second set of eyes look over the
newsletter, but currently there are no requirements for board approval. Of
course, the last couple of editors have been board members, so I will pose
this question at the next board meeting to make sure! The newsletter cannot
go out to the freelist email list, as not all members of this list are
members of the SAS, and the newsletter is a member benefit.
Q7: Is the SAS Asterisk always distributed on the 1st of the month, or is
there some leeway (before or after) to account for holidays, like New
Year's Day?
A7: In a perfect world, the Asterisk should go out 7 days before the next
meeting. My self imposed deadline was to try and get the Asterisk to
distribution by the 25th of each month. I did not always succeed!
Q8: Is there a backlog of material that is awaiting publication, or are
you often scraping for material?
A8: There is no backlog at this time. In the summer we tend to get a bit
of backlog, which takes us through early fall. Gallery photos are always
available through a few regular members. There is also a regular 1 to 2
page NASA feature that is available for our use monthly. On top of this, I
have several other sources for content that can fill out the newsletter
without my having to put forth much effort. Having enough material is
rarely a problem.
Overall, the newsletter takes me two to three hours to produce over the
course of the month.
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