Grapevine Editor
Job Description
Peter Bloch 9/2004

The Grapevine newsletter is the primary method that the Conference has of communicating with the entire community throughout the year. Other methods include the eGroup and attendance at various meetings and events, but only the Grapevine reaches every member.

For each issue, the Grapevine Editor collects articles, reports and info from:
1. The Executive Committee (EC)
2. The Program Chairs (PC)
3. Other individuals and groups that provide articles
In addition, each issue should include a calender of upcoming Northfield events

Normally the Grapevine is published 4 times per year, although exceptions may be determined by the EC allowing for more or fewer issues. Dates for issues will be set by the EC. The usual schedule for each issue will be:
1. Submission deadline
2. Printing deadline two weeks after that
3. Mailing deadline one week after that

Unless authorized by the EC, the Grapevine is limited in length to 4 sheets of paper, printed two sides. This keeps it under the one ounce limit for a first class postage stamp. Any Grapevines that are sent out of the country must be contained in an envelope.

The printing and mailing of the Grapevine may be done by the Grapevine Editor, or that part of the job may be the responsibility of another person designated by the EC. The return address is that of the editor, who then communicates any address corrections to the Database Manager. The mailing labels for the Grapevine will be obtained from the Database Manager. Coordination between the Editor, the Mailer, and the Database Manager can be problematic, it is important to communicate amongst these three people well in advance of deadlines.

An alternate form of distribution for the Grapevine is by email, and this is known as the eVine. The methodology for publishing the eVine is evolving, but in any case, the Editor should work with the managers of the eGroup and/or the Database Manager to insure that the eVine gets distributed.

The content and layout of the Grapevine is to be primarily focused on the important organizational news of the Northfield Community. Personal news and notes, if included at all, would only be included on a space-available basis, and in secondary positioning in the layout. The eGroup is often a more appropriate location for such materials. The graphic format for the Grapevine is up to the editor’s discretion, taking in to account advice given by the EC.