[Artemisia] Sage

[Dawn Tavares]

Mine arrived last night.
Nifty cover art from Her Grace Caryn.

Another factor to consider in this little fracas: The mailing labels may 
have arrived late from Milpitas, or there may have been some printing flaws 
in the labels that had to be corrected by hand.

Years ago in one of my many professional jobs I was responsible for the 
subscription database of a academic publication. Institutions and 
individuals were continually dragging their feet when it came to renewing 
their memberships. Then they would complain a couple of weeks later when no 
magazine showed up on their doorsteps."But I sent in the paperwork the first 
of the month!" Well, it takes human hands and time to log that check, update 
your renewal, and delete the expirations before printing out the batch for 
whomever does the labeling and actual mailing of the magazine.  There's a 
**reason** publications post submission deadlines. Figure it out.

There was also the issue of label form jams, ink skips, and printer 
malfunctions. One address misaligned can screw up your whole printing batch. 
Depending upon the age of the equipment and whether the office can afford 
the expense of a proofreader, one electonic hiccup can cause a nasty domino 
effect all the way down the distribution line.

On the other side of the coin--I do understand the concern about getting 
time-sensitive information too late to be of any use. Receiving Society 
publications is the only method of communication some members have outside 
of their local meetings. All of us on this list are assumed to be wired; we 
can surf the kingom and baronial websites at our convenience for news of 
event and awards. The people who aren't hooked up to the 'net can't do that. 
Their voices comprise the silence of neglect.

Lady Freydis has been begging for help for...six months now? She's not 
joking. That database of academic subscriptions often had me pulling my hair 
out--and that was a quarterly publication, not a monthly. It was part of my 
paying job, too. The Sage is produced by volunteer labor.

I have not stepped forward as a publication deputy because I already hold a 
baronial office that consumes the majority of my free time. My warrant wont' 
be up until Solstice of 2007. The publication staff needs help *now*.


Aurora de Portugal
BLS MOY and
former desktop publishing drone

_________________________________________________________________
Try the new Live Search today!  
http://imagine-windowslive.com/minisites/searchlaunch/?locale=en-us&FORM=WLMTAG