What goes on here? The web page has been getting very few hits (visits) lately. Last month, we got only 7 hits. As I am writing this, it is mid November, and we have had only 2 hits for this issue. This is not counting all my visits. I visit every day to check the news, weather, daily cartoon and the Today's Page. I also check to see if anything needs updating. I get a lot of feedback from the non-computer members telling me how much they enjoy the newsletter they are receiving. They get about half of the same content that you get on-line. Yet there is very little feedback from computer members. I tried to make it very easy to provide feedback, by using the fill-in-the-blanks forms. See the “Contacts Us Page.” where most of the forms can be found.

I need to know why visits are down? Is there enough content? Do we need different types of content? Does content need to be changed more often? What do we have to do, to increase readership and return visits? This web site is free to us because of advertising. Advertising depends on circulation.

This is the first month in quite awhile that I didn't run out of ink while printing the newsletter. The conversions to draft mode helped. I don't know by how much, but there was a small saveings. I just don't like the quality of the print. Next month, I will try that economy font (the one with holes in it) and see how well that does.

There seems to be an improvement of our new call-in and reminder system, with the breakfast attendance up to 14. Now, if I can only do this to improve the number of viewers to this SICC web site.

Richard

There is 1 new member and at least 1 error. There may be more errors. I will check later.

   The New Member

Last Name:      Wayes                 UserID:    ___________

First Name:      Edith                  Birthday:   January 28th

Have Picture:    No         

Address:          131 Ardmore Tr   City:        Collingswood

Phone:            854-1549

Will receive newsletter at the breakfast,

if not there give it to Jen Romano or hold it till the next breakfast

Attends:       The Pool, the breakfast

Interested    Fun-Stuff

   The Error

Ann Buchoiski         Phone #:  854-7682

I have been sending many e-mails out per month. Ever since we started 

having the first Thursday Breakfasts, I have sent one and then two 

e-mail reminders. Now, with the all five proposals passed, I have to 

send more. This don't count the e-mails sent when a new BLOG is posted.

 Now is time to automate the system.

My web provider (Braveheart) provides some nice tools. A fill-in form that sends me the data only via e-mail. I am using it a lot, but none of you has tried it yet. Go ahead, try it now. You can use it to Call-in if you intend to be at the breakfast or not. It sure beats typing long paragraphs. Another tool sends e-mail from me to you, either text or hypertext. But it requires everyone, who is to receive it, be on their registered mailing list. But there was a few of you who didn't opt-in and didn't get on the list. That means only a few of you would get mail and some wont. Therefore it didn't pay to use it. Instead I create and send my own e-mail to everyone on Address Book's Group List.

How will animated e-mail work. First I create a template for each type of e-mail to be sent. These are stored on my computer until they are ready to be sent. Then I will use the fill-in form to enter the variables on the template. The template will out put text to be copied to my e-mail writer, and then sent to everyone on the list. It will work like Mail Merge

For this to work correctly, I have to know if the e-mail was read by every one? I intend to add a method of verification that is used my many other sites, You must “Reply” and “Send” the whole works back to me if you read the letter. If I don't receive your apply, I will assume you didn't read it.

Richard

This is the first time I ever updated the web site in mid month, but I thought the addiition was important enough,

Change 1, is located at the bottom of the Editorial Page. The final results of the 5 breakfast proposal votes, with more information to come in the November web page. Also there is a fill-in form if you wish to receuve telephone reminders one day before the breakfast (Proposal 5). Or, if  you wish to make calls to others.

Change 2 is located at the bottom of the Events Page. It's another fill-in form that sends us e-mail on wheather or not you will attend the breakfast (proposal 1). If possable, try to send (or call) by November 2nd.

Change 3 is located in the Links area of the News Page. A new web page "Collingswood In Jersey" which is part of a series of web sites covering several New Jersey towns.

Attentive Schedule

• October 22th -- E-Mail warning "The site will close for updating in one week"
• October 29th -- E-Mail sent "breakfast in one week" & "Web site now closed"
• November 2nd -- Last day for attendance call-ins
• November 4th -- Telephone reminders
• November 5th -- the Breakfast is held

The SICC web site has been open for a week now, with only 3 weeks left. Within that period, the site had only one hit.The rest of the count, about one a day, is from me. I visit it on a daily basis to catch the cartoon, read the news links and check the weather (using WeathBug). I am starting to believe that the site doesn't have the content to keep everyone from coming back. If there is something  new you would like to see added, or old to be deleted, let me know.

Because of the lack of traffic on our site, no other votes came in on the breakfast proposals. All 5 won (one was very close), and I liked Dales idea also. We will try them both on this comming month. You will receive e-mail warning you that the site will close for updating the Saturday before the last Thursday of the previos month. On the last Thursday you will receive another e-mail telling you that the site is now closed for updating. A reminder that you must call-in (or email) me if you know you can attend  next weeks  breakfast is. Anytime from then to the Saturday before everyone must phone or e-mail if they will attend the breakfast or not. I will then print the Newsletter for those who know they will attend. On the day before the breaikfast the final reminder is sent out. Those who reequested a phone call reminder will receive them. After the breakfast on up to the next breakfast, newsletters will be printed for those that missed them. Anyone missing 3 or more newsletter will be taken off the list. This sounds complicated, but it isn't really. The next issue will have it in outline form. November's issue will be a dry run. By the way, the call-in reminders really worked last month. I didn't have any extra newsletters left.

See You Later!  Richard

I wasn't able to make it to the Camden County Health Fair in Camden County Park last Wednesday, September 30, 2009. I therefore, cannot write a review on it. Anyone who was there, and is willing to write the reveiw is welcome to it. If you can't write, you may just fill-out the following outline. Usally a couple of words. Leave blank if you have nothing.

Intro  Name or title,

What, When, Where

Weather

Attendance

About the Free-Be stuff (anything in the tents)

The Shots program

The Music

The boxed-lunch

What was good

What was bad

conclusion (your opinion)

Thank You -- Richard

The breakfast went well this month. We got our old waitress back after a few complaints. We also have the results of the voting of the breakfast proposal, so far.

Out of a total of 16 members, 10 attended the breakfast + 1 Guest

Of the 10 that attended, we received 6 votes on paper ballot, and 1 voted on-line. That's 7 votes out of 16

Here is the results of our vote, so far...

1.  Members call in if they know they can't make it to the breakfast, got 6  YES votes, 1  NO.
2.  Members call in after missing breakfast to get their newsletter, got 6  YES, 1  NO.
3. Members missed getting 3 newsletters, and didn't call in, will not get the next newsletter, got  6 YES, 1   NO.
4. Print Calendar in the newsletter, Got   4  YES, 3  No.  [this one serprised  me]
5. Telephone reminders, to whose who  needs it, got 5 YES, 2 NO

We also receuved an related suggestion from Dale Carey, stating that instead of members calling in, that they won't make the breakfast, they should only call when they can make the breakfast instead. This way, I will only print newsletter for the one's that call in. Maybe we can use the combination of these two methods.

Because, only half of our members voted on these proposals, I am willing to extend the voting deadline one whole week. If you haven't voted yet, you have until October 8th to do so. If you have computer access to the Internet, go to the Editorial Page of our web site and fill in the voting form. You should remind your friends without computer, so they can vote by telephone.

I got the October web page issue out early this time. Using templates makes it easy. I am refining my procedures on web publishing. You may notice that this issue is one of the shotest we have had in a while, due to the new limits my provider has put us on. I am currently looking for another (FREE) hosting service to link to for some of our content.  I really don't want to leave BraveNet, because I like their tools.

So, what's new in this issue. At the next breakfast, I will provide paper ballots to vote on the breakfast proposals. Please vote! If you can't make it to the breakfast and have Internet access, you can vote on-line from the Editorial Page. Please don't vote twice.

On the Review Page, I gave my review on the WeatherBug. See the side bar on the Main Welcome Page. Now for the first time, you can post your own review on the same product. Just scroll down the Review Page and fill out the form. You may also use this form for other products to review. Why not do one on my Panama E-Book?

Also check out the Member's Profile Page to correct an item on your printed copy.

Our printed version of the newsletter has some new additional content they weren't getting by not being able to go on line. The SICC Calendar to remind them of not to miss events and the best, or important BLOGs (weB LOG). This is a journal of my thoughts, breaking news, or anything else that may come up between issues.

Until next time, Richard

Breakfast Management Notice

You all heard me complain about the high cost of printing the newsletter for members without computers. Several methods were either tried or disposed of, such as, use smaller fonts (size of the print which makes it harder for seniors to read). Or, for the same reasons as above, print several pages per sheet. Another method would be to print in draft mode (gives poorer Quality). We tried cutting back on content by deleting anything to do with computers. We are now printing both sides of the paper (saves paper but not ink). The printer I am using, hiccups sometimes when it feeds paper causing the newsletter to have out-of-order pages. To fix this would cost more than the printer is worth and reprinting would use more paper and ink. If your copy has out of order pages, you now know why.

We are now trying to save on printing costs by cutting waste. At the last breakfast (September), when the last newsletters were distributed, I had 4 copies (containing 10 pages each) unclaimed. These were no shows. Now, if they don't claim them by the next issue, I will be stuck with them.

What we're going to try now, is have some sort of Call-In system. If you can't make it to the breakfast, then you would call me (858-3249 or e-mail richc77929@gmail.com) at least a week earlier if possible. It wouldn't hurt if you called in even if you are going to attend. The Crystal Lake Dinner always ask us, how many will be attending.

Call anyway, if you didn't know prior to, or after the breakfast date to arrange a way of obtaining the newsletter. If you call before one week before the breakfast, and say, “I don't want the next newsletter”, I won't bother printing one. The other options you have are,,,

“I want the next newsletter...”

• “Save a copy for me, and I will get it at the next breakfast.”, or
• “Give it to [your friends name], and they will get it to me.”, or
• “I will pick it up at your house (132 E. Palmer Ave, Collingswood).”, or
• “Mail my issue by the US Postal System, I will pay postage.”, or
• [any other method you can think of]

If you don't call and don't attend 3 times, or you don't pick up 3 issues, you will not receive the next issue.

Some people miss the breakfast date, because they forgot. I keep telling everyone to mark their calendars. But for this to work, you need to have one, or to look at it often. I am going to add printed version of our on-line calendar in each issue of the newsletter. If you X out each day as it passes, you would be forced to look at it.

Each month, I send e-mail reminders on any SICC event. If you don't have a computer, but knows someone that does (check the library), have them contact you. The last alternative, is to have us remind you of any of our events.

If anyone has any ideas or better solutions to this problem, please contact me.

Thank You --- Richard Cohen