Ladies and Gentlemen
I'm sorry that some do not find #37 as interesting as others, however I would
consider it one of the best (depends on your interest). Do not try and control
what is published, get out your computer and write your own articles for
publication. That is what makes this group great.
Thanks to all of you that make this work and I wouldn't change a thing, right
Steve Holding??? The bulletins would not be so prized on the secondary market if
they were substandard.
Ed Padgett
rgortowski@a... wrote:
> Folks,
>
> This is your President speaking. First off, I have been watching this
> exchange with much interest (as has most of the BOD). I have deliberately
> held back on commenting on the subject until this point. I am offering MY
> opinions on this issue below (though I feel I know most of the BOD's feelings
> on this subject)
>
> First off, congratulations on keeping this discourse civil and intelligent.
> I belong to many other lists where this would not be the case. I don't blame
> Paul for bringing up the subject for serious discussion. In fact, there was
> a time many years ago when we went a period of several years where there was
> not one Bulletin that interested me. Though they were very nice, well done
> Bulletins, I had no interest in the subject matter.
>
> A society dedicated to the Q (a large railroad that lasted a long time) has a
> lot of ground to cover. We know we cannot always satisfy 1600 publication
> receiving constituents specific interests. So what is a society to do? One
> of the core decisions, is what the society's publication philosophy will be.
>
> Our philosophy, is that the Zephyr, published two times a year, is to be a
> vehicle for society information, historical information, new products, and
> questions and answers. We try to cover all issues that are time sensitive
> and would be out of place in the Bulletin (which back issues get sold
> constantly and really is a "timeless" sort of publication).
>
> The Bulletin is designed to be a historical recording of Burlington Route
> information, issued two times a year. It has developed into a predominately
> through, one-topic analysis of a Burlington subject. This is not always the
> case - recent examples are Bulletins 34 and 36, both multi-topic issues. Our
> philosophy, though, is to take the amount of pages necessary to cover a topic
> and to do it correctly.
>
> We look at the Bulletin as a way to record as much information on the topic
> as we can. We do not view the Bulletin as a newsletter or a collection of
> short stories on the railroad. This is a decision that has been made by the
> BOD and the editor of the Bulletin. This separates the BRHS from other
> societies. It may not satisfy everyone, but this is our philosophy.
>
> So to address Paul's concerns, what can be done? The society is very open to
> publishing separate data sheets, short topics in the Zephyr (see the
> discussion on the pattern domes in the last Zephyr) or even small stand-alone
> publications on a subject (see the Red Oak Depot story). These will not come
> from Hol or Mike, though. They are tied up with their primary
> responsibilities - the Zephyr and the Bulletin. It is up to the members to
> start developing material that can be edited and published by the society.
>
> Let's look at the state of the society. Through the course of my involvement
> with the society, there have never been more than 15 people (at any given
> time) that do anything to make the society run. I can assure you that we
> will not be taking on more responsibility. We have immense problems just
> providing the core services (I will discuss just how far the dues you pay
> goes in a later post). The bottom line is, though, that we can only do more
> with your help.
>
> I realize that this sounds cold and cynical, but unfortunately, it is the
> truth. Your dues do indeed entitle you to something of "value". We are
> trying to provide that with the Bulletin. Zephyr, the calendar, and the other
> data we provide in the mailings. We also realize that people will "vote with
> their dollars" and choose whether to remain in the society or not. We hope
> that we are providing valuable information to the members. Our membership
> numbers seem to confirm this.
>
> Again, Paul's concerns are valid. This post is not looking for "atta boy's"
> for the wonderful job ;-) we are doing. I am just trying to explain our
> philosophy. I would welcome continued intelligent discourse on this topic.
> One of the benefits of the BRHSList is that we now have more contact and
> exchange than we ever had.
>
> Rich Gortowski
> President - BRHS
>
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