As I receive comments on Project Telecom, I will add them to the top of this page. (I may edit the comments for brevity.) If you do not want your ideas included here, please indicate that they are confidential.
Wed, Jul 9, 1997
I do not have, nor have I ever had a letterpress. Just dreams of having the time and the money to acquire and learn to use one. Perhaps that will still happen. Meanwhile, computer technology gives me the opportunity to publish some things. BUT I love the bundles, love the physical qualities of paper and letterpress printing, love the "connection" that I feel between myself and the printer when I hold these objects. The visual esthetics of fine letterpress, the tactile pleasure or handling this material, the conveyed sense of craftsmanship and love of craft, are rich treasures that should never be lost.
On the other hand, there are people like me who may very well never have the pleasure of producing material in this way, but who love it none-the-less. I think an electronic medium is a fine idea for those of us who lack the time and the materials to produce publications otherwise.
An electronic AAPA publication would also be a great place to exchange ideas and information. An electronic version could contain articles, how-tos, reminiscences of old-time printers, as well as the usual. Scanned versions of letterpress products just might be convince others to join.
Yes, materials and replacement parts and so forth are hard to find -- so why not a "classified" page where members can post items wanted or for sale? (An additional thought on this score: perhaps some companies that sell appropriate supplies would pay to post advertising -- discretely contained behind links, of course. This money could be used to publish a paper version of the electronic publication, perhaps on a semi-annual or annual basis.
A Q&A page would help novices acquire needed skills and find answers to questions and problems. Old-timers could offer "tips" and "tricks" that they've discovered or learned over the years.
What would appeal especially to me is an electronic manuscript bureau. As a writer, I have stuff to submit, but never seem to get around to it after doing my regular query/submission chores. It might be easier for printers to find material this way, too (at least those who are willing to join the computer age).
Heck, I haven't even filled out the member profile thing I received two years ago. It sits on the top of my "to do when I'm not rushed" pile. But see how easily I found time to write this message? I'd fill that profile out in a minute if it were on-line.
As for secured information: I am a member of other Web services that require id and password to access information. It's no big deal, and potentially a lot more secure than publishing names and addresses.
There is no way that an electronic version should ever EVER replace the bundles. It seems to me that the whole purpose of AAPA lies in the bundles. Perhaps there are those who would prefer an electronic version over the bundles, but what for? I think the AAPA-Electric! (as I have come to think of it) should be an entirely different vehicle, with an entirely different purpose -- to inform, educate, share information, etc.
Yes, you could "publish" home pages. In fact, it would be a wonderful way to encourage artful home page design. Right now there is a lot of TERRIBLE design out there. If the old pros could turn their hands and minds to developing artful home pages, it would do the world an enormous service. (Rule One: absolutely NOTHING should blink.) At this moment I am struggling with HTML and some editor programs to design my pages, so I know how daunting it can be for someone with no concept of what's involved.
Some of the best aspects of Internet publication and e-mail in my mind: Quick access to information, rapid communication (via e-mail), saving lots of paper (and postage!!), publishing something that others can enjoy without projecting it on those who aren't interested; and publishing in a way that vastly reduces costs, time consumption, and use of natural resources. I think you would find that participation, at least from those willing to "get with it," would increase. As for attracting younger people -- well, where do you think they've gone? They're on-line!
So please don't think of an electronic version as an alternative to what now exists. Think of it as an addition, and enhancement, an opportunity to expand communication and share information.
That's my humble opinion.
Lee Kirk
In the March 1997 American Amateur Journalist, Official Editor Mike O'Connor published an editorial, "What's in a name?". Here are some excerpts that relate to Project Telecom:
We must now take another step and explore the "marketing" of our brand of ajay (if it is to happen) in the cyber world.
We've got to do something with our name and emblem!
The "American Amateur Press Association" is outdated! The word "amateur" doesn't "sell" very well, but we're probably stuck with it. And "press"? Most journals are printed on copiers now (pardon me profusely letterpressers). Rea and Tribby talk about electronic journals in the future. Who operates a press?
Take another look at our AAPA emblem? Antiquated? You better believe it! Composing stick? Pen (feather no less) and ink!!! We're going into the 21st century?
I was thumbing through the March 1997 issue when I came across your "opinion" piece on the back cover. Although many AAPA members like to write sarcastically with a tongue in cheek style, I assume your opinions in the piece were sincere. If your suggestions for changing the AAPA names and emblem are serious, I must say I disagree.
With regards to the "outdated" name and logo, your main point is that the AAPA must get with the times or be "laughed out of existence." To avoid such an odious fate you suggest jettisoning the "press" baggage of the AAPA's history, while embracing computers. AAPA President Dean Rea echoes your sentiments with his "Gearing up for the future" piece, which includes the encouragement to "gear up, go online, and surf the globe."
It sounds as though the AAPA is struggling with its role in a world where increasing numbers of computer hacks and online snake-oil salesmen are trumpeting the virtues of the World Wide Web. As organization after organization bows down to the newest trend, groups worry, "We'll lose members if we don't go online.
My response to that worry is, "Good! -- let 'em go." If people are so enamored with "surfing the globe," then let 'em surf away. The AAPA has a unique opportunity -- and position -- to take a stand for tradition and class.
My wife and I did not join the AAPA for computer gimmicks or online bundles. We joined because we love the feel of paper in our hands, the look of letterpress ink on a page, and the simple joy of seeing something printed by people who care about
We know the AAPA faces real issues such as membership, finances, and the future. But a paperless AAPA, with online bundles? I can say with complete assurance that, if that happened, I would resign immediately. The entire point of the bundle is to receive a package of paper to feel, to breathe in, and to read lovingly.
It is worthwhile to note that zine editors (true amateur journalists) often look upon the Web with complete disdain. Online zines are often ignored simply because zine editors do their work for the love of paper publishing. These editors mock the Web because they see the emperor's clothes for what they are.
I appreciate the AAPA's difficult position, especially as you try to attract younger members. But I implore you to consider the weight of tradition that the AAPA offers. Younger people today are often hungry for a sense of history. They are ready for an organization that stands for integrity.
Forgive me for unloading this heaping pile of verbiage on you. You touched a raw nerve with your opinion piece. I joined the AAPA to get away from all the computer geeks and their Web-lust. I joined the AAPA because it stood for a proud tradition that is sadly unappreciated. To see the AAPA twist in the prevailing winds is painful.
Scott Crow
Fri, May 30, 1997
Since I created a "newsletter" web page, I can now understand what lies behind an electronic bundle. I love the freedom and the low cost they provide consumers. Can you imagine how much it would cost to make full colored copies of a virtually unlimited page document for the world? Sure beats standing in line at the Xerox store (I don't want to even contemplate using the letterpress for that many)! I still love the current bundles, and don't think they will ever be replaced by the computer. Having something directly in front of you, 3-D, and available for you to touch and readily transport is irreplaceable.
Perhaps in the future we will do both?
Joanna Fox (Beach Sand)
[ Note: Joanna's Web site is at http://www.students.uwf.edu/~jfox/ ]
Sat, May 10, 1997
I'm not sure how this is gonna work out. One thing I am sure of is this: whatever you see on a web page is as plastic as the type in the machine. Thus, we're gonna see a lot of really shit-head design going on before anyone gets the sense to go back and relearn graphic arts 101. I know that 'cause I had to. My original web page series was hell to load. It lacked unison. It lacked uniformity and conformity. It was like six different web pages all crammed into one. The most recent iteration is not all that much different, but at least I got past AOLPress to give the pages some clarity. (And I say that now even knowing that I've got iteration #9 waiting in my head. One more graphic and another upload of the edited HTML.)
The electronic bundle is already here, as I see it. I'm on two lists, one of which is extremely active. Over 6000 subbers world-wide. The focus is on low-power amateur radio comms and every single one of those 6000 idiots will communicate with the others on the screen at the drop of a hat. People have designed, built, de-bugged, patched up, modified and sold hundreds of radios that go in mint boxes already. Part of that is the cause of the list: activity like we ain't gonna see in the AAPA even with an electronic bundle. Simple fact is, Dave, it's here already.
What we need then -- or now -- is the listserve space to do the bundle there. Only problem is, and it's one you admit to freely, that no way with present tech are we gonna be able to produce on the screen the impression deliciosa that comes from type and ink and time and space. So we're back to square one in many ways. The deal, however, remains the same: we need a AAPA-List, not unlike the Letpress list or the QRP-L (which you should really check out... the links from my link page to some of the stuff that's going on there... which brings up something to say below) in that people will participate. This means, of course, that the AAPA will eventually be "ubergehoben" (stuffy PhD docents love that word... always translating it as "superseded") by the AAPA-L. Such is life and such is change.
Already you can't get graphic arts supplies like you used to. Imagine the world of the future when all the type foundries (commercial, hobby and private) close up shop and go off to join the ship-heads behind the comet..
Now, think of this one: The Northern California QRP Club has over 4000 members. Four times a year they produce a printed journal which contains about half of the stuff that has already been discussed on the QRP-L. That's 'cause the editor of the journal is a net-noid and actively asks the participants on the list for permission to print their stuff in the paper pages of the quarterly. Permission granted. I've been published in two editions of the journal and two different other journals 'cause of my gibbering on the list. Imagine, if you will, what happens to the AAPA-L when the OE signs on and begs permission to print up stuff that the list has already seen screen-wise. Funny thing, I learned, is that people will actually pay $20 a year and $20 a month to get both the screen and the mag. It's like having it both ways. Only thing is: no private journals and no mailer and no bundle. It's all on the screen, see?
See you in the future. If I don't, I'll see you in the pasture.
Nils R. Bull Young
[ Note: Nils' Web site is at http://members.aol.com/nilsbull/ ]
Mon, Feb 3, 1997
I was trained in high school as a letterpress printer and worked in the industry for a short period in the 1960's. I have a basement full of printing equipment and enjoy using it. Besides having an 1890's printing press, I have a 1990's computer.
One of my fears concerns the older letterpress printer who has no intention of getting involved in new technology. He has no idea what a modem is and doesn't care. You will lose a lot of the old members. The computer cannot reproduce embossing, die-cutting or the beauty of metallic ink. I like to "touch" the printed piece.
My old printing instructors would roll over in their grave if they saw how the Desktop Publisher mixes type faces.
I'm not against Internet "bundles". I just don't have an answer. Two separate organization would mean the end of the letterpress printed segment. We have to remember this is not a letterpress preservation society. A monthly "printed" bundle and an Internet bundle seems to be the interim solution. I would probably participate more if I had the option of Letterpress or Internet.
Add my random thoughts to what other members are saying and when you total them up, I hope you can come up with an answer to the big question-Where do we go from here??
Dave Celani
Wed, Jan 29, 1997
There may be an 'electronic bundle' someday, but I think your provision for hard copy, official printers etc., misses a vital point. There is a big distinction between simple content (just the text) and a real 'publication.' Personally, I find that the distinction is the real subject of a lot of the discussions that appear in the bundle about what 'journalism' and/or 'publication' means within AAPA. I think some people in AAPA mistake content for publication; your proposal maybe makes the reverse mistake.
On my Web site, I publish my poetry as content: minimal formatting (just enough to form columns etc.) and no fancy effects. On the other hand, I have a few examples on the site of printed items ('publications') which are reproduced via Adobe Acrobat. I do this to show off the presentation part of publishing. I've just gotten Acrobat 3 and a scanner, and I hope to scan in some of my older printed pieces and create hybrid objects in which the scanner captures the ornaments and fancy work, but Acrobat translates the text via OCR to create editable text while retaining a representation of the original font.
There is a lot of possibility in the various meta formats out there, although almost all of my experience is with Acrobat and the PDF format. But the bottom line of the Internet is still content, and if we're going to develop an electronic bundle, we have to decide what is the content; the text content, or the overall publication/presentation, maybe some of each. But let's remember the difference and the relation between the two, and not try to make a too easy transition from one to the other.
Richard Minutillo
[ Note: Richard's Web site is at http://www.fabandpp.org/ ]
Wed, Jan 29, 1997
You can count on something from me. I have the framework of the next Ink Zone on just this subject. In a nut shell, Project Telecom is a great idea and I am a believer in the net, etc. What I do find hard to do is incorporate the tactile in the net. Photos yes, better graphics, sure, but curling up by the fire or the pool and smelling the ink just has not arrived. My brief conclusion (more to come) it is not an either/or choice - AAPA can and should incorporate both.
Greg McKelvey
[ Note: Greg's Web site is at http://www.netup.cl/~gmckelvy/ He wrote about Project Telecom in Ink Zone # 66 ]
Mon, Jan 20, 1997
You and Dean are to be commended for looking ahead into the 21st Century and realizing that amateur letterpress printing hobbyists are fast becoming a vanishing American breed. There is a place for e-mail and web pages among the members who can do both--print letterpress or offset and also send journals electronically. But I think the primary purpose of the AAPA should continue to be preserving and promoting "antique printing" as well as amateur journalism and publishing.
If AAPA wants to set up a parallel sister organization called American Amateur Computer Publishers Association (AACPA) it would be better for both kinds of members. However, we need to keep trying to promote and preserve Letterpress (maybe only through APA) if at all possible, and turning all attention to recruiting and promoting computer printers will be detrimental to the survival of AAPA.
Creating a subset or sister organization now can be beneficial when the Year 2020 comes around and we have lost the senior generation along with their equipment. Then we can turn to the "Computer Generation" to keep amateur journalism alive in the only format left to most people. By that time the only hand platens and Linotypes around will probably be in museums, but a subset of the "old" AACPA can keep those relics running as demonstrations of how things were in the first half of the 20th Century.
Yes, those of us who have the latest in computer hardware can communicate amongst ourselves online, so set up a separate group that wants to concentrate on this new communication vehicle, but don't lose sight of our roots in lead type and black ink!
Barry Schrader
Sat, Jan 11, 1997
There is a lot to be said for being able to hold the final journal product in one's hand, whether it's letterpress or non-letterpress. One can read it at leisure, put it away for awhile and readily come back to it, and even collect them...without having to worry about the Internet, one computer format versus another, hardware and software hang ups or barriers in getting to view the journal, etc. Also, the color and/or texture of the paper can add quite a bit to the joy of holding and savoring the journal.
There has been talk of some kind of electronic product replacing the daily professional newspapers, magazines, etc. for 40 years, but the newspaper and magazine industry is still bouncing more or less merrily along. Sure, there are fewer daily newspapers, with the economics of publishing and distributing newspapers forcing a lot of mergers, etc., but there's still a heckuva demand for a product which we can hold in our hands over a morning cup of coffee.
Les Boyer
Sat, Jan. 4, 1997
Bravo, Dave, and Dean, for dragging the AAPA into the 20th. century! I predicted that this would have to be done for our survival over a decade ago in one of my Whippoorwill Comments. We now have the technology, and if we don't adopt it, we are virtually dead! We are fortunate to have two forward-looking members - Dave and Dean, who are at last doing something about it. You have my support!
J. Hill Hamon