Continued...
There
were two reasons why it seemed that it might be
prudent to discontinue the newsletter after our
family gathering in Las Vegas. The first is
described above, and the second is purely a matter
of economics. It was pointed out in the beginning
that there would be a cost involved in the
newsletter undertaking. At the time we had a mailing
list of nearly 150 addresses (it is now about 200).
It was naively thought that as little as little as
four dollars would cover the cost of paper, computer
ink cartridges and postage for an individual mailing
for two years, or eight issues. We learned early on,
however, that the eight-page mailer (at the 37 cent
postage rate) was not sufficient to do everything we
wanted,
so after
only a short time our newsletter expanded to
seventeen pages (the maximum for the 60 cent postage
rate). A subscription plan was discarded in favor of
a donation plan, and during the first couple of
years or so it worked well. It was felt that senior
family members might endorse mailings to young adult
children and grandchildren, and that the more
affluent among us might include funds to “use as
needed.” And...this is what happened...in the
beginning. As time passed—and with the exception of
a few very generous individuals—donations dried up.
Expenses did not. The cost for postage alone was
almost $120 per issue.
It was decided that
future issues of our newsletter will more
aggressively solicit contributed articles, human
interest stories, family anecdotes, trivia and
family announcements of all kinds. On the other
hand, we will not solicit gossip, or expect anyone
to shake out real or imagined dirty linen. As we
have pointed out many times in past issues, there
are undoubtedly hundreds of great family
human-interest stories just waiting to be told. It
should not be necessary for one or two or three
people to carry the burden. And, as has also been
pointed out, one does not have to be a literary
giant to relate interesting things about our family.
Almost every one of us has written a letter at one
time or other, and submitting material to The
Bagpiper is just that easy. We will keep reminding
you of it.
The
solution to the second issue is probably obvious to
many of you, as it was to me when I really started
to think about it. Probably two thirds of our
readers have access to the Internet, so a web site
would eliminate a large portion of the postage and
materials expense. It is probable also that a few
folks on our current mailing list don’t really have
a burning interest in our little newsletter. That
seemed to be apparent when the Postal Service
returned a mailing as being undeliverable. They only
do that after six months, which means that the
addressee had had at least one issue forwarded to
them without their sending a change-of-address
notification to the editor.
So...a web site was
established. The address is http://erwinbagpiper.com,
and it is accessible to anyone with an interest in
our family and our history. It is still somewhat
primitive, and there is some adjusting to do, but it
is workable. As your editor gains experience it is
hoped that visitors will find it more attractive and
easier to use.
Sadly, the June 2004
issue was the last sent to everyone on the mailing
list. Those folks who do not have access to the
Internet, and would like to continue to receive a
hard copy of our newsletter, will regrettably be
asked to contribute a fixed amount in the form of a
subscription. The cost of materials and postage,
described above, have been evaluated, and it is felt
that it will be necessary to assess a fee of ten
dollars per year (four issues).
The bottom line is this...those who have access to
the Internet may view The Bagpiper on the web site
listed previously, and those who do not may
subscribe and receive a hard copy via “snail mail.”
-Editor
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