austraLasia 1191
A Culture of Exchange, and a 'David's opportunity'.
ROME: 7th July 2005 -- Readers will have noted that austraLasia has reached a more-or-less steady rate of one news item per day, and some queries have come in asking how this has been achieved. After eight years of 'slog', it appears that we have reached a nice balance where the news arrives naturally, from a reasonable spread, mostly unsolicited, and to the benefit of all. There is a simple reason behind this: many more readers are seeing themselves as correspondents.
The ultimate aim is to see everyone as a correspondent, though not all at once and not every day!
Over time, simply by putting more people in contact with more people, austraLasia has begun to receive news from a variety of persons in a variety of ways. But we have also benefitted from indirect types of 'correspondent'. Some Salesian websites have begun to introduce RSS. This means that austraLasia, which subscribes to any of these feeds the moment it learns of them, receives up-to-date news immediately and without fuss. Salesian India is an outstanding example of this proces with a dozen or more such feeds in operation. austraLasia is also linked to other Asia-Pacific news agencies. When a confrere speaks to one of these agencies (AsiaNews, UCAN are two examples) that comes our way too.
There is no single definition therefore, of a correspondent for this newsletter. Several writers have adopted a monthly rhythm - just one item a month. Others write when something is immediate. In effect, this is the difference between 'soft' and 'hard' news. The former tends to be background and human interest or, in Salesian terms, 'animation', the latter news at it happens. Both types are acceptable for austraLasia. If every one of the members of the EAO region Salesian Family wrote once a year we would be embarassed by the amount of material!
News does not require particular writing skills. You can provide points and let us write them up. You may indeed write them up yourself. News does, however, benefit from attention to the typical journalist's questions: what, when, where, who, how and why. An excellent guideline for a news item is 'no more than 3 main points, no more than 7 small details', and anything less is even better!
In the light of the Rector Major's most recent letter, his comments on the shift from one-to-many to many-to-many, from centralisation to decentralisation, from local to international communication, etc., it is clear that we can all have a role to play. Read this 'soft' news item as your invitation to join what he terms a "David's opportunity".
______________________
A Culture of Exchange, and a 'David's opportunity'.
ROME: 7th July 2005 -- Readers will have noted that austraLasia has reached a more-or-less steady rate of one news item per day, and some queries have come in asking how this has been achieved. After eight years of 'slog', it appears that we have reached a nice balance where the news arrives naturally, from a reasonable spread, mostly unsolicited, and to the benefit of all. There is a simple reason behind this: many more readers are seeing themselves as correspondents.
The ultimate aim is to see everyone as a correspondent, though not all at once and not every day!
Over time, simply by putting more people in contact with more people, austraLasia has begun to receive news from a variety of persons in a variety of ways. But we have also benefitted from indirect types of 'correspondent'. Some Salesian websites have begun to introduce RSS. This means that austraLasia, which subscribes to any of these feeds the moment it learns of them, receives up-to-date news immediately and without fuss. Salesian India is an outstanding example of this proces with a dozen or more such feeds in operation. austraLasia is also linked to other Asia-Pacific news agencies. When a confrere speaks to one of these agencies (AsiaNews, UCAN are two examples) that comes our way too.
There is no single definition therefore, of a correspondent for this newsletter. Several writers have adopted a monthly rhythm - just one item a month. Others write when something is immediate. In effect, this is the difference between 'soft' and 'hard' news. The former tends to be background and human interest or, in Salesian terms, 'animation', the latter news at it happens. Both types are acceptable for austraLasia. If every one of the members of the EAO region Salesian Family wrote once a year we would be embarassed by the amount of material!
News does not require particular writing skills. You can provide points and let us write them up. You may indeed write them up yourself. News does, however, benefit from attention to the typical journalist's questions: what, when, where, who, how and why. An excellent guideline for a news item is 'no more than 3 main points, no more than 7 small details', and anything less is even better!
In the light of the Rector Major's most recent letter, his comments on the shift from one-to-many to many-to-many, from centralisation to decentralisation, from local to international communication, etc., it is clear that we can all have a role to play. Read this 'soft' news item as your invitation to join what he terms a "David's opportunity".
______________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml. If you subscribe, email this information and your name will come off the regular email list. RSS eliminates problems such as multiple mailings, viruses, email bloat. Think about it!
