In late 2003, the TSA sent out a questionnaire with the annual officer
election ballots that addressed the issue of digital vs hardcopy formats for
the
Texas Caver. 87 ballots were received by the TSA. These were the results :
1.) Given the choice, would you prefer to :
a) Receive the Texas Caver in its present, hardcover format
29
b) Receive the Texas Caver in a digital format via the internet
9
c) Both A and B
24
2.) If you prefer a digital format, would you rather:
a) Download the Texas Caver from a password protected site on the web
19
b) Have the Texas Caver e-mailed to you
32
The majority indicated that they either did not prefer a digital format, or
wanted to have both a hardcopy and digital version sent to them. That said,
times change and it would be useful to re-poll the membership as to their
preferences. We'll need to determine what the current membership would prefer
while
also addressing whether a digital format would attract those cavers that are
not TSA members <over half of the participants in the recent thread were not
current TSA members>.
I am an advocate for a digital version of the Texas Caver as I believe it
may solve some of our ongoing problems of timeliness, cost, and editor burnout.
I appreciate the fact that not all members may have internet access or fast
cable connections. I would point out, however, that only 11 of the currently
active 166 TSA members do not have email addresses. Cavers must also weigh the
pros and cons of a somewhat lengthy download time for a timely Texas Caver vs
no Caver at all for months at a time.
The TSA officers have been following the recent thread regarding the Texas
Caver with interest and will be addressing the issue at the upcoming Winter
Business Meeting in January. Please attend the meeting if you have an opinion
on
the subject, or send an email to one of the TSA officers if you cannot attend.
Jerry Atkinson.
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