S2C2 communicates to its members through its publications and conferences and meetings. As a society it is also always looking out to bring others into its community.
Considering ‘The Cleanroom Monitor’ (TCM) – like most good magazines it aims to satisfy and attract its readers with a range of types of article. It’s a trade paper, a scientific journal, discusses technical developments, shows examples of good practice, and not least gives social news of people in the business. Hopefully also, anyone who comes across a copy and who is not a member will be led to think ‘I would like to be a member of S2C2’.
Through adverts in TCM and the entries describing members’ businesses in the handbook there is an opportunity to get information about the services and products which members can provide.
Is S2C2 getting into electronic publishing just because everyone else is, or does it see some positive benefits to members and to the Society itself?
The first thing to say is that nothing of the old system will be lost – the Handbook will still thud through your letterbox once a year, TCM will still arrive each quarter.
There are two main benefits of using the Internet, and currently one drawback. The drawback is the low level of access in the UK, whether commercially/industrially or privately. However, this is changing rapidly. The more people use the Internet, the more efficient it becomes as a way of communicating.
The first benefit is its immediacy. The Handbook only comes out annually. The same data on the Internet can be updated weekly, daily, hourly. There is no excuse for out-of-date information on the net.
The second benefit is its scope. Perhaps the average spotty surfer is not going to be attracted to our site, but it is there for anyone, anywhere in the world, to look at. It widens the range of those who are aware of S2C2’s activities.
You may ask ‘We print this, why publish it on the Web?’ There are two reasons.
The first is that the information it contains can reach a wider audience. By sharing outside the membership, the opportunities for feedback are also increased. Some may think that there might be a fall in membership – if anyone can get the information from the Internet, why bother to pay a membership subscription – but the experience of other organisations demonstrates that this is not the case. People are more likely to say ‘this is something I want to be a part of’, and anyway, a lot of people – myself included – like to have something on paper which can be put into a briefcase, read in a bath or train, and can be annotated.
Number two reason is that, while all members receive a copy of TCM, others may want a copy of a particular article, or you may want something from an out of print issue. There’s no problem getting extra copies or printing parts.
How often do you read in a magazine of a seminar or meeting you would have liked to attend, two days after it happened? This section will have the most regular updating. We should be publishing information on courses, conferences and publications here.
Most of the members of S2C2 either make something or provide a service. You want as many people as possible to know what you offer. By presenting lists based on categories of provision, we have tried to make it easy for people to see what is available. Any inaccuracies here can be corrected immediately, and developments or changes can be incorporated.
All of this needs some support from you, the members.
Your suggestions for improving the site will be welcomed. Let us know what you think.
As subscriptions are renewed, you will be asked for your e-mail address and Web address if you have them. These will be included in the lists (as they have already for those we know), so potential customers can go directly to your web site to see what you offer.
The web page is at http://www.s2c2.co.uk
The office can be reached by e-mail
For anything to do specifically with the Web pages, contact