Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding NaSPA's Technical Support magazine. Going "digital" was not an easy decision for the association.
For 20 years we have provided mainframe professionals a vehicle for members to share their experiences with their peers. This has NOT changed. NaSPA plans on being around for at least another 20 years! On one hand, as was pointed out on this list, the costs of postage, paper, and related distribution continue to soar. Advertising dollars, which have helped for 20 years to support the association's expenses is in a steady decline. On the other hand, members are asking for more editorial content to better align them with the ever-changing mainframe industry. How does a not-for-profit association compete with the huge publishing houses? Well, until now the answer was we can't. BUT with the introduction of digital media, the publishing department was able to come to the board with a solution. Back in July the decision was made to "try" the digital media world by launching Network Support magazine in a digital format. We have seen success with moving this publication. Frankly, we expected thousand of emails from members asking what the heck is going on. Sure, we did get a few; but the positive notes of encouragement have far out-weighed the negative. This success is what prompted NaSPA to move Technical Support magazine to a 3 month digital edition trial. The trade-off is simple. More content, immediate access, hot-links right in the articles, and easy navigation vs. a printed version. I invite all of you to check out the inaugural issue of Technical Support at http://www.NaSPA.com/gbtv - this issue is available to the general public, NaSPA membership is not required. As with anything, change is difficult. Hopefully the decision NaSPA made today will allow the association to forge into a future dominated by the Google's, Podshow, and other's leading the revolution. NaSPA is not in retreat. We are just preparing our troops to meet the future. Feel free to contact me directly with any questions or suggestions you may have regarding NaSPA's future. Those of you in the greater Chicago area are welcome to meet me at NaSTEC 20 being held at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights, IL, you can register to attend free by using promo code MAIN at: http://www.NaSPA.com/nastec Regards, Radi Shourbaji President NaSPA, Inc. (414) 908-4945 x131 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.NaSPA.com --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html