One Family Shared ValuesOne Brand

Value and visibility in a cross-generational world

Paul Brayford chairSpencer Carter editor

Aims today Overview of web and publication presence Identify wins, risks, opportunities Share ideas, best practices, needs Create a debate

Paul Web and

social media

Spence To print or

not to print?

Web presence

Social media 143 Facebook followers >2400 Twitter followers

Print history

Annual bulletin A4 stapled, 40-80 pages Spot “archaeology”? Inconsistent branding Mixed content, partial coverage

Periodic newsletters by post Onerous to produce, costly to post Out of date almost immediately Gap since 2010 Superseded by Social Media? | Email, Facebook, Twitter Leverage e-Campaign freeware e.g. Mailchimp?

To print or not to print?Pros Tangible value by weight! People still love paper? Only 47% ordinary members are “online” Support 2013 increased subscription rates Many funded projects require publishing

Cons Print and postage costs Editorial resource and time

Questions Alternatives to print without eroding value?

(e.g. e-magazines, issu, etc.) Where do we fit it? Competition? Trends? Uniqueness? Can we get subsidies? Leverage economies of scale?

Where do we fit?County journals Peer-reviewed, backlog queues (2+ years) Multi-subject content trending away from archaeology Limited community project coverage Expensive, open access for a fee

Local and specialist bulletins Sometimes struggle for content, periodic gaps No economies of scale, sometimes subsidised Thematic or local coverage Paper still rules

E-journals and student press Increasing popularity with students Web-enabled audience, print on demand Academic focus, limited local coverage

Decision to “up the game”Where we fit Semi-peer review (assisted authoring) as a service:

broaden the contributor community, build confidence Shorter lead-times, “agile” publishing Archaeology focus

Cost and quality Increase the spec, “spice it up”, attract quality content Wider audience appeal and visibility (marketing vehicle) Leverage CBA National re-brand/image Consolidate CBAY Regional brand and identity

Questions and challenges E-copy availability policy, fee or free? Mechanisms? Sustainable content? Affordable cost?

ResultsCost 120pp, 750 run, £50 graphics, £3.20 ea, £1.20 postage Set-up is main cost, run volume is main driver E-copy free (PDFs) However! >150 hrs editorial time, need proofers

Coverage 14 papers avg 8pp (2 up to 18 pgs) Comprehensive coverage: regions, methods, periods Academic, Commercial, Community, Education

Volume 2 Seeding programme is yielding results (quality wins?) Back copy for new members “offer” Asking, not mandating, £20pp subsidy

Opportunities and needs

Cost FORUM as an umbrella publication for smaller “partner”

societies, at cost, capitation fee? Enough differentiation? Economies of scale, run-ons, co-branding? Any scope for collaboration across CBA Regions? Advertising? Retail presence e.g. Museums?

Coverage More on best practices and methodology (Community) Younger contributors, community groups and students More comprehensive archaeology “register”? (cf. Grey Lit)

Needs Hard-copy and E-copy payment and distribution mechanism Web platform that allows e-bus and consistent branding

Thanks for listening!

Research, Fieldwork and Excavation

CBA Yorkshire Annual Review

Education, Community and Commercial