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The newsletter editorial staff is looking for computer-related news items, feature articles, tips, and hardware and software product reviews for publication in the Fallbrook PC Users Group newsmagazine. We can't offer you money, but we can give you the opportunity to help people by passing on what you've learned about computers, to give yourself more exposure to others in the field, and to see your name in print.
Here are some guidelines that you may find helpful in preparing your material for submission to the monthly newsmagazine.
News Story A news story might describe a trip to a computer fair or to COMDEX, a community activity or award involving some of our members, or an event the club is planning. The major points to be covered are:
Who or what is the news story about? Include individuals, groups, departments involved and check for correct spelling of first and last names and titles.
If this is an event, when did or will the event take place? Where?
If you went to the event, what were your overall impressions? Would you recommend it to others and would you go again?
Feature Article Most of our articles are feature articles. They are usually concerned with computer matters or are somewhat computer related, but could include subjects such as: opinions, philosophical discussions, humor, computers in the future or in the past, and so forth.
Consider these points:
Product Review If this is a hardware or software review, include product name, version number, and platform (Windows, Linux). Check for correct spelling of product name, i.e., WordPerfect, not Wordperfect and Microsoft, not MicroSoft. Supply as much of this information as you can:
Documentation: Did it exist? How detailed was it? How easy was it to follow?
Installation: How easy was it? Were there any problems with the installation? Could the problems be overcome? If so, how? Is an Uninstall option provided?
Product Support: Was there a number to call if you had problems? Was the number toll-free? Did you call the number? If so, what kind of response did you receive? Is there a charge for support services?
Product Performance: Did the product perform as promised? Did it do its job well? If you have used a similar product, how does this product compare with the one you use? Is it worth your while to continue using the product? Is it worth the cost of the product, both in money, time and disk space?
System Requirements: How much space on the hard drive was required? What is the minimum level of computer equipment? (486, Pentium, etc.), video (VGA, super VGA), amount of RAM. Is it a DOS or Windows product, possibly available in both versions?
Source/Cost: Where can you obtain the product? What is its list price? If available, what is the street price?
A Summary: What I like or don't like. Possibly a simple list of phrases, not necessarily sentences, which summarize your impressions.
Book Review If this is a book review be sure to include author's name, publisher's name, address, telephone number, and website, if possible. Here are some guidelines for writing the review:
Was the material useful to you? Give specific examples if possible.
What is your impression of how clearly the book is written?
How easy was it to find information on specific topics? Was the book indexed?
What audience is the book written to?
If appropriate, were diagrams provided? Were the illustrations helpful?
What is the list price of the book? Is it available at a discount?
General Writing Guidelines
Our best advice: Keep It Simple. Don't use big words, jargon or complex terms. Impress readers with your clarity. For example, if you use an acronym such as "OCR," immediately follow that first use with (Optical Character Recognition), thereafter OCR alone can be used.
If you are submitting a review write according to the product level being reviewed: A simple $10 shareware product might need only 50 words to highlight basic features. A major new product might need a few hundred words. In general, go for at least 500 words. It's a small price to pay for obtaining an expensive piece of software, free.
Write your reviews as though you are talking to a computer friend who isn't quite up to your experience level… the reason for the "keep it simple" idea.
Feel free to express opinions. If you are biased, first tell us why and then express your opinion. A reader can then more accurately judge your comments.
Do expect that your material will be edited -- but don't be offended. Often, editing is necessary for two reasons: 1) Clarity of text, 2) Available space in the newsletter.
Do expect to feel a bit of pride in seeing your name in print.
Guidelines to preferred mechanics
Do not use all CAPS when writing the story — or special formatting: unusual type faces, multiple sizes, centering, boxes, columns, lines, etc. If you wish to call special attention to a word or phrase, use italics, or hyphens on each side of the word(s). Underlines and indents, especially in ASCII files, can be troublesome and just don’t look good in print.
Stick with standard one-inch margins, left and right, top and bottom.
Do use a spell checker to help ease our job of editing.
If you plan to use graphics for illustrations, we prefer TIF format. If in doubt, check first. If there is more than one piece of artwork, key them to the text with figure numbers.
Perfect grammar isn't expected. We cherish clarity far more than perfect prose.
Items to return with a submission Material may be submitted on disk or sent via E-mail. We prefer RTF (Rich Text Format) format. All word processors will save files in this generic text. Be sure to include your name and phone number with your submission in case a question arises. All submissions should be sent to the (acting) newsletter editor by E-mail. The deadline is the first day of the month before the month of publication (e.g., first day in January for the February issue of the Fallbrook PC Users Group newsletter). Lengthy items or material requiring significant editing may require longer lead time. Please consult the editor for available space.
Happy writing