 |
A Web-based
Bulletin
28 March 2002
It is never easy to run a
club bulletin. It never was and never will be. The primary purpose of
any bulletin is to inform, to inform the readers the bulletin is created
for. Kingspark News started to issue shortly after the club was formed,
and as the charter president of the club and the first editor, I know
full well why the bulletin was created and for whom. Kingspark News
was created to inform, to educate and hopefully to entertain its readers.
And who are the readers? The answer is simple - anyone who would come
across Kingspark News.
Our Club began
with thirty something members, but the circulation of Kingspark News
has always exceeded 100 copies from the beginning. Why? We wanted feedback
from other experienced and seasoned Rotarians in the District, so as
to enrich our club bulletin and to benefit our members in turn. On the
advice of past governor and then club adviser Raymond Wong, we distributed
by post the first issues of Kingspark News to all club presidents, district
officials and past district governors, in addition to club members of
course. It was at a time when communication through the post was the
norm and just before fax gained prominence. It was also a rather costly
process. It went on for a few months until sending communications through
the fax machine became more acceptable and respectable. I gave our readers
advanced notice for at least four weeks that future issues for a certain
date would be distributed only through fax unless readers specifically
requested for them to be delivered through the post. At the club level,
and to prepare for the new technology, all members were encouraged,
enticed and cajoled to install a fax machine either at home or in the
office. I recall that Raymond Sin, now President Raymond, was one of
the remaining die-hards who would not acquire a fax machine until quite
late. By then, Kingspark News had become rather popular in the District,
and readers were demanding for copies, with some continuing to ask for
hard copies for quite a long time even after the fax version became
the norm. But we tried to satisfy our readers. The result was that our
bulletin became even more popular in the District.
Members were
very proud of Kingspark News, and quite rightly so. The Governor of
the day would, during his official visits to clubs, tell the club presidents
and officials to emulate our club's efforts in the production of Kingspark
News. Our club got the district award for Best Bulletin for a few years
in running and when our bulletin stopped circulating in the District,
readers asked why they were taken off the mailing news.
Technology has
once again caught us up and today, emails and websites are common modes
of communication. I started promoting the District Email System when
I was Governor-Elect and many clubs had set up club websites many of
which have become the focal point for communication between club members.
When I volunteered to be Club Webmaster and with the consent of President
Raymond, my first task and mission was to upload all current issues
of Kingspark News on the Website as soon as possible. It was something
I had enjoyed doing, for I learnt new techniques in the process.
The Club has
now decided to have two versions of Kingspark News, one regular version
for members only and one web version for everyone to read. This is therefore
the first issue of Kingspark News in the web version. Both President
Raymond and Editor of the regular version of Kingspark News have agreed
that the Webmaster would have independent editoralship, but that articles
would only be published on the web version with the consent of the authors.
There would be consequential changes tn the club website to provide
information on up coming events, for example. The Editorial Board was
hopefully that the arrangement would encourage club members to contribute
to the regular version.
As the de facto
Editor of the Kingspark News Web version, I now urge all readers, whoever
and wherever you are, to contact me by email and to contribute to it.
This is a new experiment. Let us see what would happen.
|