New Name, New Look, New Columns for Newsletter

In January 1997, we will be launching the 'new' newsletter...and we would like to get your input on what you would like to see in it. Our aim is to make the publication accessible to all members with an emphasis on content that is useful to management as well as technical staff.

We'll be incorporating a new look and feel to the publication, printing it on glossy paper, and keeping to a quarterly schedule. We would like to sell a small amount of advertising space to help offset some of the costs, making it possible to provide members with a better product for less.

Richard Light recently spent a sleepless, but prolific, night coming up with a first cut at new column ideas, each of which might work as a regular feature or an occasional extra:

Editorial ("from the Chair"?). SUG policy issues, like: why this newsletter?; new bank account (and easier payment ...) for SUG; SUG website; working with ISO on the SGML revision
Product News. Bring this to the front, edit/ shorten contributions to give a 'newsy' style
Standards News. Concise news, e.g.: Technical Corrigendum
SGML Projects News. Make a regular slot available for short news items from major SGML projects, e.g.: TEI, DocBook, MID, CIMI (Computer Interchange of Museum Information)
Chapter News. What's going on out there
Courses and Conferences. Brief announcements; could be a free listing service
Soapbox. Guru-on-the-loose on a topic close to their hearts. Could be focused on policy/political, rather than technical, issues
Letters/Feedback Page
Bookshelf. This can be a showcase for the SUG bookshop, but more variety of presentation, e.g., put in publisher's blurbs for a couple of [different] books each time; include book reviews. Include SUG prices and discounts, and ordering information
Getting Started. A series of articles (by one author) that takes you through the process of 'getting into' SGML. Aimed at beginners
Under the Hood. Articles by a variety of authors on 'meaty' technical issues, e.g.: architectural forms, DTD design approaches, character sets/Unicode, property sets, hyperlinking strategies
Situations Vacant ("SGML Opportunities"). Could be a free listing service
SGML and the Web. Occasional articles on issues around SGML & the WWW, e.g., HTML as an SGML application, Mime/SGML, HTML on the fly
Getting Vertical. Review articles on SGML in a particular 'industry'. Can describe the process of adopting SGML in broad terms (cooperation on DTDs; tools development/ availability; future prospects) that might offer helpful parallels for other areas, as well as being informative for practitioners in the industry being discussed, e.g.: museums, linguistics, aeronautical, automotive, petrochemical.
Vendor Interview. User discusses leading SGML product with vendor representative. (Could be more entertaining/informative than a straight review.)
SGML Open. Regular slot for them to tell the world what they're up to
The X Files. SGML horror stories! (The aim is for readers to profit from the wisdom that others have acquired the hard way ...)
One Chapter at a Time. Articles by Chapters on their experiences in setting up and keeping a Chapter going
The Users' Turn. Guest columns by users describing how they tackled the 'tricky bits'

In addition to the new focus, it is important that this publication meets your needs. If fact, there should a feeling that this is really you, the users, talking. So, input from you is important.

We'd like to hear from you on:

any of the ideas listed above (do you like them, hate them, have a way to improve them?);
ideas for other columns;
ideas for individual topics you would like to see addressed;
names of writers you'd like to see as contributors;
other ideas for improvements.

We are also casting about for another name for the Newsletter. So, please send in ideas for that as well. And...if you are interested in contributing an article or a regular column to the publication, we also want to hear from you.

Please send all input to sug@dpsl.co.uk or to Kirsten Pymer at fax number +44 1793 512 516.