Sponsor Spotlight

A fairly new feature in the Nebraska Family Times is the Sponsor Spotlight. Every month, a sponsor or advertiser is featured in an article about how that business was started, what makes that business unique, and so on. Readers are eager to read about and support Christian businesses, and we are happy to learn more about these businesses and give them some publicity.

Would you like your business to appear in the Sponsor Spotlight? We would love to feature you! Please e-mail shelly@shellyburke.net and I will send you a brief questionnaire and set up a time to talk with you about your business.

Do you know a business that sponsors the Nebraska Family Times and you would like to see in the Sponsor Spotlight? Encourage them to contact me, or contact me with your suggestion and I will contact them!

We appreciate your support!

Fall Advertising Special

Would you like to reach almost 3,000 Christian readers throughout Nebraska? Consider advertising with the Nebraska Family Times!

Our Fall Special is; purchase any size ad for three months, receive one month FREE; purchase an ad for six months and it will appear for an additional two months FREE, and purchase an ad for a year and receive four months FREE! (call to request an ad rate sheet)

The deadline for the November issue is October 27th. When you take advantage of this offer, you can advertise Christmas and New Year specials or events.

We can set up an ad for you (at no charge) or use one you already have set up.

For more information e-mail me at shelly@shellyburke.net or call (402) 750-3496 or (402) 993-2467.

Picking up the Paper

I went to Wayne to pick up the paper today. As I’ve said before, it’s always fun to see how it turned out in “real life.” I know the trend is for newspapers to appear online and “real life” print newspapers are becoming fewer and fewer. But I, for one, will never stop reading an actual book or newspaper. One of my favorite things to do is lie in bed, eat popcorn, and read a book . . . I can’t imagine that it would be quite the same “turning pages” on a computer, as it is turning actual paper pages!

I think many others feel the same way, at least I hope they do! There is just something about reading a newspaper that you can feel, and see more than one article at a time, and clip article and cartoons out of to look at again later. I hope that people feel that way about the Nebraska Family Times!

As always, if you have any complaints, compliments, or suggestions about what appears in the paper, or what you’d like to see in it, please let me know! I appreciate your comments—they help me print and write articles that you want to read

Finishing up Another Issue!

I'm just finishing up the December issue of the Nebraska Family Times! I think it will be a great issue, and hope readers agree. It was fun to search for articles related to the Christmas season--the paper will contain articles about unique ways of celebrating Advent and Christmas, a challenge to read the whole Bible in 2009 (with suggestions for how to go about doing so), and suggestions for capturing information about a relative or friend's life during a Family Day of Remembering, issues to discuss with your daughter if she is reading the Twilight series of books--and much, much more!

I enjoy researching, writing, and finding articles for all of the different subjects the paper covers. I always learn something and get new ideas when I'm working on the paper. (I'm glad Vyckie is available for questions; I am definitely confident about what I'm doing but it's nice to have her to bounce questions off of. Her experience is more than valuable to me!)

I choose the articles with you--the readers--in mind. In my mind, every article should have a purpose--to provide you with information, teach you something new, give you something to think about, or provide you with a reason to laugh.

Jennifer will get the paper all layed out tomorrow or Thursday and email it to me; I'll proofread it by Friday around noon. She will make any changes and send it on to the printer. It will be printed Monday, and I'll pick the papers up at Vyckie's house on Tuesday. All copies should be mailed out and delivered by the end of next week.

I want to learn more about the readers of the Nebraska Family Times. In January, there will be a short survey in the paper and on the website. There will be questions asking basic information (your age range, number of children in the home, etc.) and ask what you would like to see more (or less!) of in the paper. You won't have to give your name . . . unless you want to qualify for one of the prizes I'll be giving away to several people who fill out the survey. During the next month, jot down your thoughts about what the paper should contain; I appreciate any and all suggestions.

December Nebraska Family Times

It's hard to believe another month is almost over and articles for the December issue of the paper are due next week!

When I put together "my" first issue of the newspaper, the task seemed almost overwhelming. As with most seemingly overwhelming tasks, however, when I was able to break it down into smaller tasks it was "doable."

This week I will e-mail regular columnists, reminding them of a Monday deadline. I talked with several people/businesses about advertising, so will also remind them of the deadline. Over the weekend I will start researching articles to include in the paper. I really enjoy searching different websites for information that I anticipate readers will enjoy and that will benefit them in their lives.

One of my goals is to give you information that you probably won't find in any regular, mainstream publication. I also want to provide information that you can apply to your life, your family, immediately.

Friends who know me well will not be surprised to learn that I have a detailed checklist (although not color-coded, as some of my lists are!) of articles needed and things I need to do to complete the paper.

This month also marks the debut of a new column, "Stupidity 4 Dummies." You'll laugh, or just shake your head, when you read of the antics of some people!

The paper will be printed Monday, Dec. 8th, and mailed out that week.

If you would like to see articles on a certain subject, please let me know! The paper is for you!

November Issue

The November issue is done! I did it all myself this issue . . . with a little bit of advice from Vyckie on the front page articles. She liked my ideas and I really value her opinion, and I felt good that she liked the articles I picked.

The process goes like this. I pick out and write articles that I want in the paper, and post them to an e-mail account. Jennifer, the lady who does the layout, then puts the articles and ads in "newspaper" format, fitting everything in, getting graphics and pictures, etc. When she's done with that, she (somehow!) e-mails a file that includes the paper, to me.

I then look it over, proofread it, and e-mail any corrections back to Jennifer. I can also see if there are any spaces for which I need to find more articles. Last night I e-mailed Jennifer just a few corrections, and then looked for a several more short articles, which I found very quickly.

By the time I e-mailed Jennifer the articles, she'd already made the corrections! It's neat to get that "sneak peek" of the paper on the computer screen, although there's nothing like holding the "real" paper in my hands. One of the articles in the paper is about a newspaper that is no longer going to be published in print form, only on the Internet. While it's nice to be able to do research and read papers online, I still enjoy reading a "paper" copy of the local newspapers!

I'm very happy with the November issue; I think it contains a nice mix of articles that will inform, educate, and entertain readers. (My mom and dad, grandpa, and sister don't know it, but there are photos of them from last Thanksgiving with the Editor's letter!)

Jennifer e-mailed/uploaded/downloaded (I'm not sure quite which one, but somehow the paper got there!) to the place where it's printed. The actual printing will take place in Wayne, NE, on Monday. Monday afternoon it will be delivered to Norfolk, where I will pick it up on Tuesday!

It will be mailed out/delivered to sponsors next week. And then we'll start all over again!

If you would like a sample copy of the paper, or would like one sent to someone, please e-mail me at shelly@shellyburke.net.

As always, if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please e-mail me at shelly@shellyburke.net. I love hearing from you!

Computer Accounting Work

When I took over the paper from Vyckie, she gave me the program she had been using for doing the accounting. She also gave me an update for the program. For technical reasons I'm going to have to get all of the information from her program and then re-enter it on the updated program that she gave me (don't ask me to explain it . . . the technician on the phone explained it to me but I don't have the technical knowledge to explain it to anyone else!).

I'm about a third of the way done with getting the information off of the old program. It has actually been a good thing to do as I'm learning about all of the sponsors and advertisers. I've also been reading the book about the new program, so hopefully entering the information and using the program won't be too hard.

One of the reasons I really enjoy publishing the paper is that every week is different! No two days are the same. This week I'm going to focus on the computer bookkeeping aspect of it, as well as start to research and collect articles for the next issue--the deadline is already approaching! Just when I'm getting a little tired of doing one thing (whether it's doing research, preparing the mailing, billing, or paperwork), it's time for the next thing.

Mailing

The printed papers filled 16 boxes, which jjjuuussstttt fit into the back of my Envoy. They weren't too heavy . . . just heavy enough for it to count as "exercise" when I loaded them into the Envoy . . . took them out and to my office . . . carried them to the kitchen where the 'get-the-papers-ready-to-mail' assembly line was set up . . . loaded them back into the Envoy for the trip to the Post Office . . . and carried them one more time into the post office.

To qualify for a bulk mailing rate, the papers had to be arranged according to the first three numbers in the zip code of who they were addressed to. It wasn't as hard as it sounds; I just made a database of all the addresses and asked the computer to arrange them according to zip code. Then it was just a matter of sticking the labels on the papers and bundling them into groups.

Many businesses and individuals are "sponsors" of the Nebraska Family Times, meaning they purchase 10 (or more) papers to put in their own, or another place of business, or another public place (their church, for example). These complimentary copies are then available for customers or members to enjoy.

Multiple copies of the paper are mailed to sponsors in manilla envelopes, and as well as an address label require a return address label AND a bulk mail label. I become very friendly with the label-making function on my computer this week!

Finally the papers were all labeled, return-address labeled, bundled, stickered, arranged, and made another trek to the Envoy. I was a bit nervous about taking them into the post office . . . I was concerned that a label would be in the wrong place, or the papers would not be arranged quite right, or I'd have done something else wrong. But the man in the post office could not have been nicer, and sending the papers off was quick and easy.

Now I envision the papers on their way to their destinations thoroughout Nebraska . . . to Iowa . . . California . . . Missouri . . . New Mexico . . . Oklahoma . . . and even several to Canada! I hope they are enjoyed by everyone who reads them!

First Issue

WOW--it was soooo neat to see "my" first issue of the Nebraska Family Times!

It was very satisfying to coordinate notifying columnists, obtaining permission to reprint articles, searching out news and interesting nuggets of information from various websites, finding cartoons, and writing my own articles for the paper. My goal was that every element of the paper would provide something for the reader--be it encouragement, reassurance, useful information, or a laugh. I hope I've accomplished that goal!

I'd never thought about how many peoples' skills are a part of creating a newspaper--the columnists; Vyckie, who answered my questions and gave helpful advice; Jennifer, who laid out the paper; Al, who printed the paper . . . all of my friends and family who encouraged me . . . thanks so much to everyone who was a part of it.

Today I mailed the paper (see the next post), so the next step is to hear from you, the readers. I look forward to hearing what you think of the paper--what you like, what you don't like, what you'd like to see more of . . . the paper is for YOU!

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email me at shelly@shellyburke.net, or call me at (402) 750-3496.

Stop the Presses!

"STOP THE PRESSES!"

Not really, I've just wanted to say that ever since I took over the paper.

I'm so happy to say that "my" first issue of the paper has been printed! I haven't picked it up yet; I'll do that tomorrow. But I've seen the first issue; the lady who lays the paper out sent a copy of it to me via computer. It was really neat to see the articles I'd picked out all together in their appropriate place in the paper. I'm sure it will be even more of a thrill to hold the actual paper in my hot little hands!

My goal was to find a wide variety of articles--for information, for fun, for inspiration--about a variety of topics relevant to Christian Nebraska families. And I think I did! Some of the articles will give you an insight into current American culture, and this is information you probably won't find in any mainstream news source. Several articles will provide you with information you can put to use immediately! And some articles are just plain fun--we all need more of that in our days. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments! Please email me at shelly@shellyburke.net.

Speaking of news . . . there is plenty of "bad" news these days. I would like to remind all of my readers that it is the motivation of most news sources is to get the most viewers; the best way to do that is to present the "news" in the worst possible light. Choose your news carefully . . . and in small doses.

Realistically, there is very little that we, as individuals, can do to change the financial situation or what's going on in the world. Please consider using your time and energy to make sure your personal or family financial situation is the best it can be.

To ultimately affect national and world events, take advantage of a privilege we have in this country and VOTE! Become an informed voter. We know that no candidate is perfect, but vote for the one who is the closest to your ideal, whether it be for president, senator, governor, school board member, mayor of your town.

October Issue

The October issue of the Nebraska Family Times will be at the end of next week. It will be printed the first part of the next week (the week of Oct. 6th) and will be delivered and mailed to sponsors and individual subscribers later that week.

I am so excited about publishing "my" first issue of NFT! Vyckie has been answering my questions and helping whenever I ask--thanks Vyckie! The paper will contain cartoons, information about recent developments in the "safe haven" bill, financial advice, and a voter's guide, as well as the regular columns that appear in the NFT.

I better get back to research and writing!

E-Mail from Vyckie

When I got home from work today (I work as a private-duty nurse a few days a week) I had an e-mail from Vyckie, the current (just for one more day!) owner of the NFT (Nebraska Family Times). Vyckie and I are meeting tomorrow for the "official" hand-over of the NFT. I am very greatful that Vyckie will be working with me and answering my questions for as long as I need her. Without her support and help I would not have taken on this venture! The learning curve was steep, but I'm confident I can continue the paper in the same tradition as Vyckie and her family . . . with the focus on family and conservative, Christian values.

Vyckie and I have talked about making a few changes in the paper; changes that will give readers more valuable (and fun!) information in every issue. I'll keep you updated on the changes as I make them.

Anyway, as I read through Vyckie's e-mail, I had to laugh a little bit. In the e-mail she answered several questions I'd had in my head and was meaning to ask her, and she listed some of the things I'd have to do for the "changeover"--and again, I'd been making the same list in my head! THANKS, VYCKIE! As I told her, our great minds think alike.

As I wrote in my first Editor's Letter, the newspaper is for you--the readers! If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, please e-mail me at sburke@nebraskafamilytimes.net or comment here on the blog.