|
What
is ACI?
ACI
Directory
aci-net
egroup
ACI
Awards
Newsletters
Conferences
Join
ACI
Job
Board
Committees
Websites
& Agency listing
ACI
Home Page
|
President’s Message
Hear ye, hear ye! All ye Citizens of the Land of ACI-hood! Mark this
day!
It is the first time in ACI history that our beloved newsletter
The Balance Wheel exists only (unless you make a hard copy) in the cyber
world of space and time. Could the conference goers of 1938 in Put-in-Bay,
Ohio, with their punchn’ clack Underwood typewriters have foretold this?
Could this have been envisioned from a humming 1970s IBM with auto erase?
In the ‘80s, could the office workers who signed up to use the common
computer have imagined this day? Nyet, I say. Never and not.
Remember the typewriter bell when your sentence hit the
right margin? The joy of flinging back the carriage with the paper sticking
up? Remember writing balls that you had to clean with a wet rag? Remember
who typed the first Balance Wheel or what it cost to mail it in the
‘50s? Neither do I, but I can tell you what it cost to mail this issue:
zero dollars and zero cents. I can tell you how much paper was used
to print it: zed. I can tell you that our new editor, Michelle Griffin,
did not type this issue. In fact, no trees were used or harmed in the
production of this document! Pat yourselves on the back for having voted
this marvelous change at our annual meeting.
Michelle has jumped in with both feet and all 10 fingers
to help make The Balance Wheel a newsletter you will want to keep on-hand
and share with others. She hails from the great state of Georgia, and
the city of Atlanta. She became familiar with ACI through her six years
of work with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources working in
public affairs and outreach. She left the government to go out on her
own and formed her company, Complete Communications, Inc. Catering to
the communication needs of natural resource management entities, Michelle’s
business includes everything from newsletter editing, to communication
strategy development, to media training seminars. She is thrilled to
be involved with ACI and looks forward to helping make The Balance Wheel
continue on its successful path!
A small group of ACI members have volunteered to work
with Michelle on story ideas, timely topics, accurate information and
draft reviews. For 2003, those folks are Scott Ball, Dave Rice, Nancy
Herron, Scott Pengelly and myself. Consider volunteering for this project
in 2004. New voices and thoughts are always welcome.
- As always, content will only be as good as our members make it….and
that means YOU! Please note these deadlines in your 2003 planner:
March 1, May 1, August 1 for the spring, summer and fall issues, respectively.
(We gave ourselves extra time for the next issue; normally it will
be February 1). We plan to fill these topical slots each issue:
- Personal News (ie: Retirement, Individual Awards,)
- “How To” & Other Communication Related Skills (ie: Writing
An Effective Press Release, Getting Broadcast Coverage)
- Strategic Planning (ie:Positioning Your Organization, Counseling
Upper Management In Media Relations)
- Upcoming Meetings and Deadlines (ie:Annual Meeting, TBW Deadlines)
- National Issues Affecting States (ie:Recent Legislation, Media
Trends)
By no means do we want this list to limit what we cover.
Instead, it should provide a framework to use when submitting articles.
Michelle can be reached at michelle@complete-communications.com
or 404-433-9776. Her snail mail address is 2006 Royal Court, Atlanta,
GA 30341. She is open to new ideas and seeks constructive insights to
make The Balance Wheel a useful and relevant tool to all ACI members.
Until next time, happy trails…………..
what else is in this issue?
|
