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[Sparkyle]

Ok guys, in lieu of a meeting tonight there was an open discussion of how to improve the Herald insofar as getting the paper out more often. As things stand, the lag behind rp events and production is a major ball and chain on the task the Herald actually was created for, which was to act as a functional part of the rp world on the ER server; something that'd support and encourage roleplay across the server and just be damn fun. The Herald is currently low on staff and the turnaround between issues is dragging us down.

So, we discussed solutions. This thread is for posting the ideas we all have regarding this for open discussion with Maylna as to how swiftly the most popular or logical changes can be implemented.

My suggestion for the format were as follows:

1) At the beginning of the month, we post up a front page and a couple of stories, then as the weeks follow, we post more pages, slowly assembling one 'monthly' issue as time goes on. At the end of the month the back page with acknowledgements goes up and we start again with another issue. This would mean that we could keep pace with server events and at the same time not be overly stretched by low writer numbers.

2) We produce a dedicated recruitment 'page' that could go in every single issue. Taking the form of a classified ads page, the main body of the page would be an advert for Herald staff positions, with some information for what we require and who to contact, etc. Dovetailed around this are a couple of mock adverts for positions vacant that can be rotated or used as ad space for guilds needing people, making the page an actual functional classifieds.

EDIT - here's an example of text I just whipped up for the above - offer comment, please!

THE ALLIANCE HERALD, Stormwind’s longest-established and certainly most famous publication is always looking for new blood. Providing informative, amusing and above all honest news for the masses requires a small army of creative people of all ages, sexes and species. Membership in the Herald’s dynamic team will introduce you to a life of opportunity unmatched in any other field:

EXPLORATION - see all of Azeroth and its far-flung corners as a foreign correspondent!

EXCITEMENT – report from the front lines of the Alliance’s war against the foul Scourge and the brutal Horde!

EXPOSURE – probe the dark underbelly of the city, its Lawkeepers and the Criminals they pursue!

ENTERTAINMENT – move in High Society as you report from balls, council meetings and royal appointments!

EARNINGS – earn a good wage in gold for your toils and receive the numerous benefits of being a Herald!

If these elements sound enticing, then a place within the Herald may just be what you are seeking. We currently have openings in all departments, including:

REPORTAGE – use your skills with words to bring truth and mirth in equal measure to the good folk of the Grand Alliance!

EDITORIAL – voice your opinions to the entire Alliance on subjects close to your heart, or just tell the world what an exciting life you lead!

ARTISTRY – use your skills with pen, ink, brush and paint to bring colour to the Herald and display your creations to the entire Alliance!

DISTRIBUTION – perfect work for young lads and ladies, darting around the city selling copies of The Alliance Herald to all and sundry (and get tips)!

Membership of THE ALLIANCE HERALD can offer you a whole new way to view the world, introducing you to new and exciting people and showing you things you’ve never seen before. If you are LITERATE, INTELLIGENT and above all SEEKING A NEW EXCITEMENT IN YOUR LIFE, then apply to join the Herald today. Simply mail your application to our offices at the address below. Tell us something about yourself and we will contact you in due course for an interview luncheon.

LET ALL AZEROTH HEAR YOUR STORY – JOIN THE ALLIANCE HERALD
TODAY!

These were the main ideas for format. Maylna, if you could comment on feasability and potential timescale, that would be great. Duston, Radzi, and everyone else that wasn't listening in, here's where you chip in. Remember our concerns are getting the Herald out quicker and with more regularity and getting more guild members.

Over to you guys

[Sparkyle]

Another thing quite rightly voiced by Duston is that no-one really understands the posting system. While I understand that the login function for this is a mite uppity at the moment I do concur that a guide is what we need. What I’ll do is write up a guide tonight (while I prep the new issue) and do some of my patently bad diagrams to go with it and post it in the Heralds Only drawer, so information is only there for guildmembers for the meantime at least. Once it’s up I suggest you familiarise yourself with it ASAP.

[Duston]

Here's the suggestion I gave in the 'meeting-type-thing' for the format. I'm sure this'll never get implemented but here it is all the same:

We do something similar to the Quill & Cobble, Steamwheedle Cartel's IC newspaper, i.e. we set up a blog system somewhere on the site (could be part of the front page or as a sub-section like blog.theallianceherald.co.uk or theallianceherald.co.uk/blog). As each  article is written we can post it straight into the blog for everyone to read. It would be a pretty quick way of getting our news out when it matters rather than holding it back for weeks at a time. If we use a ready-made system like Wordpress then the posting method won't be at all complicated (it's like using a forum) and readers will be able to give instant feedback. This should speed up our turnaround and relieve some of the stresses of having deadlines. Plus, as the system comes ready-built development time will be cut down and all it'll really need is a new skin-job.

At the end of every month, we use the current system to collect the latest articles together into an issue and advertise it on the forums. As some of the articles will have been out a while already, we could include updates on what happened since, add reader opinions gathered from the article's comments, fix mistakes and such.

Something else that would be good is to add a page to the site devoted to recruitment and how to get started with reporting. Lots of OOC info about who we are, what we expect, how to write your first article, that sort of thing. At the moment its all hidden away in the forum so it would be nice to put the information somewhere prominent and easily accessible. The biographies page isn't doing much at the moment, so we could put it all there instead.