Dear all,

I found some letters on comments on the HSN format somewhat disturbing.

I know the editing of a newsletter takes a lot of time from experience. I
am editor of Australasian Shell News (which is printed, not on the
internet), I am shell club president and will in the not-too distant future
help organise a major shell show, and I have written some shell books, so
it's not that I don't know what I am talking about. And I say that as
person in any position doing a volunteer job, one should not be too
defensive if someone makes a comment. Especially, if has been the case, the
person making the comment also know full well that it takes a long of time
and effort to do what you're doing. Of course they appreciate the work,
they would not be looking at it regularly if they didn't. Comments from
such people are meant to be constructive. If someone tells me they do not
like a certain part of the newsletter, I will explain to them why I do it
the way it is done, and why I can't do it differently (or maybe I can, but
it has just never entered my mind). Maybe I won't change it at all, but
maybe I might keep it in the back of my mind, and change it later on,
especially if more people tell me they don't like it either.

My point is: If you do so constructively and politely, please continue
telling us newsletter editors, club presidents etc. what you would like to
see done differently. Because without you, when the time comes for a
complete overhaul of the newsletter/club/shell show/second book editions
etc., how are we ever to know where to start improving?

In this line, I must confess that I completely agree with Kevin and Bruce
(it simply must be a southern thing), that I do not like the format of HSN.
But that doesn't mean that I don't like it full stop. I almost always read,
download and print it. The only reason I say this is so that next time Wes
or whoever else thinks it's time for an overhaul, he knows where his
readers would like to see improvement.

Keep up the good work, but also please keep the comments coming!

Patty

(whose readers keep telling her she should put chitons in her books, but
she simply doesn't know anything about them! - now here's a poor excuse)


Dr. Patty Jansen

Bookshop: http://www.booksofnature.com
Publishing and info site: http://www.capricornica.com

Books of Nature
P.O. Box 345
Lindfield NSW 2070
Australia

phone/fax: 02 9415 8098 international: +61 2 9415 8098

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