Spring · Volume 11 · Number 1 · 2000 | Table of Contents
Millennium Make-over
Millennium Make-over
A new millennium, a new face, a new place. Glassworks hopes that you will find these changes result in improvements to the quality and quantity of information provided and ease of access for you. You will note in our new masthead that we are focusing more and more on our website and Internet based resources. Why is this?
There are a number of reasons.
Expanding our reach
One, we can reach more people through the Internet than we can with hard copy. We publish the newsletter semi-annually and mail to about 8,500 entities, some with multiple readers. We estimate we reach somewhere upwards of 20,000 readers each year. Exactly how many more we cannot say. Some copies go to places where we know there are multiple users, such as libraries, school boards and other large organizations. There may be between 1 to 100 readers per issue at these locations. We also know that Glassworks is archived by some readers, as we occasionally get requests for information from issues that were published before the electronic version was started. It's nice to know that the publication is reused again and again.
Expanding information source
Two, in applying our resources to an on-line presence we have evolved Glassworks from being a periodic newsletter into being an on-line connection to more frequently updated information. By establishing www.glassworks.org we have tried to create an opportunity for more fluid and continuous communication. The intention is to make it easier for you to get the information you need, when you need it, in a form that is useful, and that you can access it at your convenience - from your home, office, school, local library or an Internet café.
The Idea Centre
Three, www.glassworks.org takes our two-way communication vehicle and changes it into a burgeoning network; we are becoming facilitators of a broadening information exchange. In particular, this was our hope with the creation of the Idea Centre. (We note that it hasn't quite caught on yet.) Our objective was to provide an open forum for Canadians to discuss issues relating to recycling glass containers and multi-material recycling. We hope that as more visitors understand that this opportunity exists, the use of the Idea Centre will increase.
Whether you want to find solutions for problems, build consensus on establishing definitions for waste management terms, find new markets, or table new ideas for using container glass as a sustainable product, the Idea Centre is an open door for your benefit.
Four, there are environmental benefits we believe, as more people can get information without using paper, or oil and gas.
Five, while our mandate area is Canada we have been receiving periodic information requests from all over the world, and in switching to our new server we have noted a 33% increase in visitors.
The Stats
Facts and Figures about www.glassworks.org
While business is our biggest customer, followed by the public (networks), we were wondering, if we changed the name of the Idea Centre, would this make it more attractive to you? Maybe we should rename the Idea Centre the Coffee Shop? You tell us.
We hope that our readers, both near and far, find that looking through the eyes of glass continues to give you a clear view. As always, your suggestions are welcome, drop in any time, we'll keep the coffee hot.
Glass Works is a publication of Consumers Glass
Copyright © 2000 Glass Works