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Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 24 Dec 2008, 15:15
by Julie2owlsdene
Philip Mannering wrote:Joining the society is actually quite a delicate matter, Julie - when you have a country which has so bad postal services - but I will look into the matter in February.
It's a shame you didn't receive your journal, Philip, but a least you can enjoy the benefits from the Society website, and read the continuation novels. :D

8)

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 24 Dec 2008, 15:30
by Philip Mannering
Julie2owlsdene wrote:It's a shame you didn't receive your journal, Philip, but a least you can enjoy the benefits from the Society website, and read the continuation novels. :D
You hit the nail on the head here! And for this I have no one to thank except Tony. :)

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 24 Dec 2008, 20:52
by Ming
Philip, you could do as I do, and have your Journals shipped to some country other than India, where you have relatives. I seem to remember you saying once that your father lived in Saudi Arabia - you could try having them shipped to him? Then he can bring them back when he comes to visit you, and you're thinking of going there too, sometime in April, wasn't it? :)

I have my stuff shipped to Hong Kong, and yes, it is annoying having to wait so long, but it is worth it, because you have such lovely things to read. It was difficult for me to renew my subscription each year (because of various reasons I won't bore you with), so I sent Tony £44 for a four year subscription sometime in the past. Don't remember when. Tony, please do remind me when the four years are up! :D

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 24 Dec 2008, 23:28
by Keith Robinson
The bad postal service issue makes me think that it might be a good idea to have the current Journal available online, as a PDF, for members only of course. Tony? Presumably you send the Journal to the printer in PDF format, so it would be a very simple thing to upload the same document to the site.

Or did we discuss this already? :?

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 24 Dec 2008, 23:31
by Ming
Keith Robinson wrote:Or did we discuss this already? :?
We did, and if I remember correctly, Tony said he sent it to them in a printed format, not PDF. Most people prefer the hard copy, since it can be added to the shelves and displayed proudly among the Blytons, and if it's in the computer, no-one really knows about it. And personally, even though I do not get the Journals, I prefer the hard copy. :)

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 24 Dec 2008, 23:35
by Ming
More to be found here.

Before anyone pulls me up, I'll admit it, yes, my opinion has changed. :lol: :roll:

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 24 Dec 2008, 23:37
by Tony Summerfield
Unfortunately not. The Journal goes to the printer as hard copy and I print out each article separately, it doesn't exist as a complete entity. One of the snags of having a whole Journal is that you make a simple correction early on and it can muck up every page that follows.

Another slight snag, computer caveman Tony doesn't know how to make a PDF file! :oops:

You should be resting that left eye, Keith, so that you can watch Lily opening her presents. It is the website's fourth birthday tomorrow, as it went on air on Christmas Day in 2004 - Barney will post on the Message Board!

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 24 Dec 2008, 23:41
by Ming
Since it's quarter to 5 am here, it's Christmas here already, so...

Image

Happy Birthday, Society Website! And good luck Barney, with managing all the wishes!

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 24 Dec 2008, 23:44
by Tony Summerfield
I can't make up my mind if you are an insomniac or just an early riser, Ming - but as usual you were quick off the mark and have beaten me to it! :lol:

Yes I can - you're an insomniac! :lol:

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 24 Dec 2008, 23:52
by Ming
Right you are, Tony, I haven't slept yet, and probably won't till 6! :roll: :lol:

I certainly am no early riser, I've been getting up at 12 or thereabouts these holidays. Once school starts, I'll have to manage with 2 hours of sleep for the first few days and then perhaps will get my usual 7 hours afterwards.

Anyone would think I lived in the UK - my sleeping habits are more suited to the GMT than GMT+6! :roll:

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 25 Dec 2008, 01:52
by Keith Robinson
Oh yes -- I remember now that the Journal is in printed form, not PDF. Well, I can't begin to argue this one as I've never put together a Journal, but it's a shame. Ming, I wasn't suggesting an online version would be preferable, because it certainly wouldn't! -- but it would be an option for those who a) can't wait for the printed one to arrive, or b) don't actually receive it at all!

Tony, in case you want to know, you can create PDFs very simply as long as you have some simple software. There are a few different versions. A common type is a PDF "printer." You create the document in Word (for example). Then you go to print the document -- but instead printing to the usual printer (ie, to paper), you print to the "PDF printer," which is like exporting it. The document gets converted and saved in PDF format.

So if you have the Journal in Word format, you could perhaps cobble everything together into one document and then "PDF" it. There are many free programs for this, but this looks like a good one:

http://www.download.com/PDF-Printer/300 ... ?tag=mncol" target="_blank

Just in case you wanted to know!!

By the way, I find that Jack Daniels helps my vision somewhat. It doesn't help the bad eye, but it makes the good eye see double, so my vision is equally bad in both eyes. :D

Happy Christmas everybody!!

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 25 Dec 2008, 08:13
by Philip Mannering
Ming wrote:Philip, you could do as I do, and have your Journals shipped to some country other than India, where you have relatives. I seem to remember you saying once that your father lived in Saudi Arabia - you could try having them shipped to him? Then he can bring them back when he comes to visit you, and you're thinking of going there too, sometime in April, wasn't it? :)
A good idea Ming. I could try that. Yes, my father does live in Saudi Arabia - but he's currently here, on holiday. He comes once a year to India. But I don't know if Saudi Arabia's postal services would be good or not. I will ask my father later on. If it works, it would be wonderful!

Merry Christmas everybody, and Happy Birthday Enid Blyton Society Website! :D

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 26 Dec 2008, 13:04
by Lucky Star
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ENID BLYTON FORUMS. :D

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 27 Dec 2008, 14:54
by Lenoir
Tony Summerfield wrote:with recent increased costs the Society actually makes a loss on each journal sent outside Europe.
The subs haven’t gone up in years and the postage costs probably go up almost every year, so we overseas members are indeed getting a very good deal. I don’t like to think that the Society is making a loss because of us, but I’m sure the finances are in good hands!
For these changes to be implemented would go along way to improving the standard of customer relations.
I don’t regard myself as a customer of the Society and I don't think many people do(?). I know we are customers in a sense, but I see the relationship as less formal than that. It’s not like a shop or a bank relationship.
I had better make a New Year's resolution to get less sleep so that I can put in more time on Society business.
Barney might have something to say about that!
(He wants to go for a walk, and maybe the Bumpy Dog will want to come too!) :)

Re: Christmas Greetings?!

Posted: 28 Dec 2008, 03:24
by sixret
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ENIDBLYTONSOCIETY!

:P