PRA to Debut E-Mail Newsleter

[PW_Plack]

I volunteered in early August to produce an e-mail newsletter for PRA, along the lines of what EAA and AOPA send their members. This one, however, was to be free to anyone, with modest hard costs completely covered by sponsors. It will NOT overlap with the purpose or advertiser revenue of Rotorcraft magazine.

I got the green light last week. It will be called the PRA E-Alert.

It will take two industry partners to each buy a $180 bulk ad package... (edit 11pm PDT 8/31: Sold!)

Chapters will be able to have meeting and event notices posted at no cost, and other aviation organizations may do so for a minimal fee.

Chapter members! What I thought would be the easy part is turning out to be the hard part! Each edition will have an events calendar, and most PRA chapters do not have current info available on the web. If you're a chapter officer, please take a moment and E-MAIL me info on your next meeting and any upcoming events, including:

Date, Start Time, End Time. If you have a meeting, and then fly afterward, give me a reasonable estimate of when someone driving in would actually find someone there to talk to.

Chapter Name, Chapter Number, Chapter Web Site URL.

Brief Description. "Potluck & Meeting." "Monthly Fly-in".

Location. If you have directions to your meeting place on your web site, give me the URL of the page. If it's an airport, I'll use a link to Airnav.

If you have someone who's willing to list his e-mail or phone for those seeking more info, give me that as well.

Other organizations: Same requirements, along with a small check. Contact me for details.

I eventually hope to have an e-mail address "@pra.org" for this undertaking, but until that can be arranged, e-mail submissions to:

PRA_EAlert@voiceswest.com

...or call my office at (503) 352-4395.

NOTE - Please don't e-mail me, or PRA HQ, asking to be placed on the list. Once we get the privacy policy posted on the web, and get the software configured, this will be totally automated with no extra work for the PRA office staff.

And a huge thanks to those who've lent a hand already! The first issue is (edit: 9/1 8pm) now slated to go out to PRA's existing e-mail list of about 2,400 on Thursday, September 14th. Immediately afterward, it will be opened to everyone.

[Timchick]

Paul,
Sounds great! Will guests visiting PRA's website be able to register for the newsletter? Will it be an html email or something like a pdf file?

[PW_Plack]

Tim,

As soon as we can update the PRA site it'll be there.

HTML, with links to event and chapter pages, etc.

[Heron]

More power to PW and a plaque too!! :D
Good thing, thanks a million . . .
heron

[Paul_in_Ohio]

Sound Great!!!! I can see this helping spread the work about Rotors.

[gyroplanes]

A member of our chapter, who does web sites for a living, has officially volunteered to re-do the PRA site.
Unfortunately, he has only been contacted once since he volunteered at Mentone. That contact was to put him on hold.

[rustynance]

Tom,
If you don't mind, who is this individual and who contacted him to put him on hold?
Would you have him contact me to discuss this?
Thanks,
Rusty

[dragonflyerthom]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooH


Sounds serious. This gets my attention.


Thom

[Dean_Dolph]

Paul, I'm glad that you are ready to get this under way. I was having a hard time keeping this to myself!:D

You have done a great job from taking an idea, getting it BoD blessed and on to the creation of the newsletter. And now I have an example of a non elected PRA activist who stepped up and helped the organization without being asked.:) As a PRA member I appreciate your effort and I thank you.

[Hognose]

Paul --

OUT-flippin-standing.

Looking forward to my first issue!

cheers

-=K=-

[PW_Plack]

The first edition of the PRA E-Alert is almost put to bed, waiting only for two chapters with events to proofread their blurbs and reply. It's really interactive, with links galore, so you can get extra info on everything mentioned from one page.

Charter sponsors Sport Copter, Inc. and Carter Aviation Technologies, LLC both stepped up immediately with checks and, together, have underwritten the first year's costs up front. Both companies have plans for the coming year which will make their ads fun to read!

The first issue will be sent to a test list including the officers and board, and after any corrections, on to the PRA's e-mail database (late Thursday night).

When we analyze the bounces and remove the obsolete addresses from that list, subscription links will be posted on the PRA web site, here on the forum (thanks, Todd!) and elsewhere to provide as many people as possible the chance to subscribe.

The only bad news, so far, is that I found a vast majority of PRA chapters have no place on the web, including their own web sites and the PRA site, where a newcomer can get accurate info about the next meeting or event. Guys, if you get one thing right in your chapter, get this right!

I've tracked down info on several chapter events to flesh out the calendar in the initial edition. Thousands of people interested in rotorcraft will get this thing. As a PRA chapter, these listings are free to you. Use 'em!

Off the soapbox! I'll be anxious to read critiques and suggestions for improvement on Friday.

[M. Pearce]

PWP,

Wow, already sponsors set up and all.

Sounds great and I can't wait.

It's gonna be great to have a newsletter with all this up to date chapter info in one location.

This is gonna get some chapters to working on updating and improving their sites.

The links alone sound like a wealth of info especailly for the newcommer.

This is gonna stir a lot of attention towards the gyro community.


Thank You! Thank You!

[Heron]

A small step for some . . .a giant leap for all! :)
Kidding apart this is very good, it will convey information and make it semi-official, in time it will be the Official Word on many subjects.
thanks Paul and all the crew behind it.
thanks GB and CArter, may others follow suit
Heron