International Association of Business Communicators, Silicon Valley chapter (SV-IABC)

I was elected to the SV-IABC board as vice president of communications in 2002. After assessing the cost of printing and mailing a monthly printed newsletter, I suggested that we put the newsletter online to save costs. The challenge was to find a way to put the newsletter online while maintaining the attractive look and feel of the printed version. My main concern was meeting the needs of our audience.

I had three main goals for the project:

1. Ensuring everyone could access and read the newsletter regardless of the speed of their Internet connection.
2. Offering an option for those who preferred the printed newsletter.
3. Finally, drawing people to the site to read the newsletter.

The result: An e-mail blast that offers story teasers to intrigue readers. Each teaser is linked to that particular article on the Web site. HTML and downloadable pdf versions of the newsletter satisfy those who prefer a print version.

sv-iabc may 02 (pdf)

"Marnie led a group of volunteers who had to take a legacy publication and make it work well for a new medium. The results were outstanding and the feedback from the membership was overwhelmingly positive. Marnie's project management skills, comprehension of technology, attention to detail and focus on the audience needs made her a great team leader for this effort."
-- Erika Powelson, SV-IABC 2002 Board President, and Principal, Powelson Communications

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