1) How SpaceTides came into being
One
week-end, the editor of SpaceTides was surfing the internet in his
usual addicted anti-social semi-unstable out of control manner for
information on astronomy and spaceflight. Being an amateur astronomer,
he has an overwhelmingly huge thirst for knowledge in these subjects.
Suddenly
a strange and very out-of-this-world idea came into his crude, but
effecient little mind: Why not share your acquired knowledge with
others interested in the same subject? And so the idea was born:
SpaceTides, an easy understandable and user-friendly e-mail newsletter
to anyone interested in astronomy and spaceflight. Not everyone
has the time to go and search the internet for information on astronomy
and spaceflight. Why not bring the information to them?
The
Go-ahead sign
Being overjoyed with this sudden creatively inspired brain-wave,
he immediately goes to the telephone and contact the Pedimaster,
one of his trusty and old-time psychic friends, who usually have
to sit through these brain-wave events and emotional occurrences
(which does not happen very often fortunately).
He paid him a visit and conveyed the news. The Pedimaster thought
for a while and contemplated all the many variables and factors
involved. After a while, the Pedimaster made his decision: "I
like the idea...." He congratulated the editor on this great
thought and SpaceTides came into being. (The Pedimaster is also
the founder-subscriber by the way).
The personnel of Boyden Observatory and members of ASSA Bloemfontein
also encouraged the idea and supported SpaceTides whole-heartedly
in this endeavor.
The
First Issue
After a few test newsletters which were read by critics, friends,
VIP's (and the editor himself), the first issue was ready to see
the on-line world. Simply text-based e-mail message.
Great ideas were generated in this way. It took many hours to refine
the newsletter into the most user-friendly format. The creation
of an index for each newsletter was certainly the most valuable
ideas by the test-readers. It is good to know that each of these
test-readers is still subscribers of SpaceTides and enjoys it as
much as the editor himself. The first issue was sent out to subscribers
on the 27th of February 2001.
2) How SpaceTides is compiled and edited
SpaceTides
is compiled in a way which will be informative to people and interesting
to read.
SpaceTides makes use of only the finest and notable websites on
the Internet as sources - it is important to provide people with
relevant and true information.
What
makes SpaceTides different from other similar services? When you
want to find information on a certain topic, it is easy to go to
a website and read through it. But, to really find the most interesting
and worthwhile information is sometimes difficult and a cumbersome
task. SpaceTides removes this difficulty by bringing you the information
you need in a compact and summarized way, as well as links to sites
with more info on the topics. This then, is probably the most difficult
task the editor has when composing a newsletter: reading through
two pages on a website and summarizing it into a single informative
and impactful paragraph.
To
compose a e-zine, it is important to know some advanced internet
search-techniques to find the correct information quickly, and to
know which websites to consult. It is also important to know the
computer-internet environment. The right type of computer programs
must be used for effective time-usage and the least bit of trouble.
Remember: "Google is your friend..." And also remember:
"Google Desktop is just as good a friend ..."
The
e-zine is test-read by a grammar expert that makes sure the subscribers
will read though the newsletters fluently and that words, phrases
and sentence-construction will flow comfortably.
3) The e-mail format of SpaceTides
The
first 10 issues of SpaceTides were sent using a plain text format.
Since issue 11, the format changed to an attractive HTML version,
capable of using colours, anchor links, images etc. This meant that
newsletters grew in size and that download time increased a bit,
but this is a small price to pay for the attractiveness associated
with HTML.
Images
are converted into JPEG format which greatly reduces their size,
or are even compressed further. After doing some research, it was
found that the HTML format for e-mails is compatible with most e-mail
programs and that most computer-users do not find any problems with
viewing the newsletters. The e-zines are compiled in Netscape Navigator.
The e-mails are best read using programs such as Microsoft Outlook,
Pegasus, Netscape Navigator etc. People using web-based e-mail services
such as Hotmail or Webmail, do not have any problems either, though
anchor-links may not always be effective.
If
you experience any difficulties in viewing the HTML format, or if
you would like to rather receive a plain text version, please contact
us.
4) How SpaceTides grew through the years
People
continued to show an interest in SpaceTides. It was decided to gradually
increase the amount of information in the newsletters.
SpaceTides
now reaches subscribers form overseas also and will continue to
carry out the name of South African astronomy and science.
We
will continue with this great service and provide you with all the
interesting facts and info of this strange but wonderful universe
around us.
5) SpaceTides - the Official Internet Newsletter of ASSA Bloemfontein
It
was decided that SpaceTides should become the Official Internet
Newsletter of ASSA Bloemfontein Centre
- the amateur astronomers of Bloemfontein, South Africa, affiliated
with ASSA. The editor accepted this invitation from ASSA Bloemfontein
- we are proud to be associated with this remarkable society.
6) A website for SpaceTides
To
increase exposure, it was decided to create a website for SpaceTides.
The information in the newsletters has now reached a decent amount
to establish a database in the form of a website.
The other primary goals for the website are as follow:
-To provide a means for subscribers to acquire back-orders easy
and fast
-To serve as a relay station to other astronomical and scientific
institutions in Southern Africa
-for the fun of it!
The
e-mail newsletters though, still remain top priority. The website
will thus only be updated once every two weeks when the next issue
of SpaceTides appears. No new information will be displayed on the
website.
The
sister sites of SpaceTides is the website of ASSA
Bloemfontein, which also hosts the web space, and the Friends
of Boyden. Some of the pages found on this website can also
be found on the sister sites.
7) Subscriber Service
SpaceTides
is committed to bringing you reliable information. We have a goal
of providing you with interesting and informative information on
the facts and theories in astronomy and spaceflight in a compact
but effective way.
We
do not have as a goal to replicate existing services already available
on the Internet, for example daily/weekly news of new astronomical
discoveries or spacecraft launches. Links to these services can
be found here.
The
SpaceTides e-zines are sent in HTML format. If you have any difficulties
in viewing HTML e-mails, please let us know. We can then send you
a text-only version, or an HTML file per attachment.
If
you would like to see anything extra in the newsletter, you can
recommend it to us.
The
e-zine is sent out about once every two. This gives subscribers
ample time to read through the contents of SpaceTides and if desired,
follow up on the links provided for further reading.
Please
remember to send the e-zine to friends and colleagues who you think
might be interested in receiving SpaceTides.
Thank
you for you continued support!
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