Membership voice, May - June 2008
I personally prefer paper magazines. They sit on my desk for days and I pick them up and flick through them when I need a break, usually with a coffee in my hand, leaning back in my chair. I hope to catch an interesting story,relevant to me and my job. When I do, I enjoy the moment which I would describe as a relaxing, positive experience. I sometimes take a number of magazines home to read in the evening or at the weekend.
I don't enjoy electronic publications in the same way. Maybe I miss the feel of paper in my hands, the physical act of turning pages or the smell of fresh ink, but reading on screen is for me not as pleasant as flipping through the pages of a magazine.
However, times are changing. My children and my younger colleagues call me a caveman, because of my clumsiness at texting and my lack of understanding of how MSN works. I'm aware that some of our Members share my old fashioned respect of paper as a medium, but also that others despise paper as an antiquated, environmentally unfriendly and inefficient method of communication. I just don't know the proportion of readers in either camp.
Electronic delivery of information offers attractive advantages. It's immediate and easy to update, and can be forwarded to colleagues or clients as e-mail attachments. References can be opened with hyperlinks. The information is easy to store, retrieve, search and archive. Equally important, distribution is cheaper without the need for postage. Another advantage is that it is easier to receive feedback about the publication so that the most popular feature scan be enhanced, and those less popular can be dropped or improved.
It's for these reasons we've decided to plan for a dual platform of presentation for the Bulletin; one in paper as it is now, and one digital version on our web site. The letter at the front of this issue asks you which format you prefer, and hopefully we'll adapt to the medium that is more convenient for you.
At the same time, we are planning to introduce a number of small changes to the Bulletin. Our intention is to make the Bulletin informative, interesting and enjoyable for the Industrial Members of TWI.
I would appreciate feedback on these topics. Your comments would help me establish the changes that you'd like us to implement for the Bulletin.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Fred Delany - Head, Industrial Member Services - email: fred.delany@twi.co.uk
