Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
With mobiles, tablets and e-readers taking over, delivering pdf files has become difficult. I have created epub and mobi versions of all monthly newsletters which can be seamlessly delivered to all mobiles (iOS, android), tablets and readers (Kindles, ,mobi). This is the story on how it was done.
Citation preview
Name of the programme: Forget boring pdf newsletters: epub, kindle versions on every deviceCategory: Digital FirstNews publisher/ Sponsoring Publisher: Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand Project Director: Bajinder Pal SinghSenior News and Media SpecialistMedia and Communications UnitAsian Institute of Technology.+66 2524 5877 (work)[email protected] of online site: Alexa Global Rank is 162,964A one-sentence description of the project: We just created boring pdf newsletters into a young, jazzy, and peppy productTarget Age: 18-30 (50 % of 2000 students are less than 25)
In an era of news junkiesNewsletters are passé
15 July 2014
The Issue
How to get studentsto read the Institute’s Newsletter ?
The Issue
A pdf version is emailed on the 1st of every monthBut…………
The Issue
But…………students ignore the Newsletter
Why ?
Students no longer check their emails regularly
Students associate computers withcoursework (tablets/phones are fun !)
Pdfs are associated with research papers, lecture scripts, academics
The Target
Get the Newsletter into theMobilesand tabletsof students
Challenges I
Multiple devicesMultiple Operating SystemsDifferent aspect ratio
1024 x 768 4:3 iPad, HP Touchpad1024 x 600 5:3 Blackberry Playbook1280 x 800 8:5 Galaxy Transformer, Xoom
240 x 320 4:3 Blackberry, HTC, LG, Nokia,Motorola480 x 320 3:2 iPhone
Size Aspect Ratio
Model
Page LayoutImage displayInline graphicsMetadata
Challenges II
How?
to bypass multiple devicesto bypass multiple operating systemsto reach everyone, particularly students
Option 1 : pdf Readers
a. Use existing readers e.g. Adobe
Option 1 : Readers
b. Create own pdf reader app
Option I : Did not work out
User behaviour issues 1. Platforms change
2. iOS / android ?3. Future proof ?4. Worth the effort ?
a. Readers b. App
Option II : Converters
Option II : Converters
a. Desktop software converters
Option II : Converters
b. Online software converters
Option II : Did not work out
Final product not professionalClumsyTime consuming
Reliability issuesHigh failure rate
a. b.
Option III : ePub ?
Option III : ePub ?
But ePub is for books, not news.
Right ?
Option III : ePub ?
Does anyone else do this?
Oxford University IT Services publishes its Annual Report in pdf, epub and kindle
European Central Bank Annual Report (since 2010)
Sourceshttp://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/internal/annrep/https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/annual/html/index.en.html
But no one does Newsletters in ePub (*) !
(*) – to the best of our knowledge, and 2 years later, we still haven't found any example
Option III : ePub ?
Project began in Jan 2012With 6-month deadline
Option III : ePub ?
First trial using InDesign
Option III : ePub ?
InDesign is used to produce pdf versions
First trial was to use same file to produce ePub
Option III : ePub ?
Problems arose
Resulting file size was too huge A six-page newsletter was 9.5 MB (too much for an entry-level mobile)
Resulting format options were limited toepub, html, XML, flash
Option III : ePub ?
Second trial using software Sigil
Steps1. Create html file first (using Kompozer software)2. Add html file to Sigil and use convert function
Success !
Option III : ePub ?
Second trial using software Sigil
But1. For Kindles, mobi
format is required. 2. This required
another software3. Use software
“Calibre” to create .mobi file
Option III : ePub ?Why not use Calibre alone ?
Calibre can convert simple html file into 15 e-formats including: Epub, mobi, AZW3, FB2, HTMLZ, LIT, LRF, PDB, PDF, PMLZ, RB, RTF, SNB, TER, TXT
Option III : ePub ?
Two simple steps
Create html in Kompozer (or any other software)
Load html file in Calibre and convert to epub, mobi etc
Text-to-speech feature in Kindle allows Newsletter to be read aloud
Bonus !
It also becomes an audio newsletter !
Please Note: The newer PaperWhite version of Kindle does not have this feature.But now Kindle apps have this feature. So even iPhones/Ipads and android can benefit from this.
News item published on Website
Marketing and Promotions
url is here: http://goo.gl/5SBzeJ
1
Marketing and Promotions
Announcement by Institute President on 7 May 2012
2
Email: announcement is sent on 1st of every month to the entire community of students
Social Media: Screenshots / Links of epub are shared on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn
Marketing and Promotions
3
4
QR codesSeparate QR codes are generated for pdf, epub and mobi versions for easierdownloads
Marketing and Promotions
5
Repository:A one-stop repository of all versions has been created
Marketing and Promotions
url: http://www.ait.ac.th/news-and-events/newsletter/#.U8PCFkCj88l
6
Evaluation, Results, Feedback
Increased Readership from internal to external: Initially the Newsletter was only sent within the AIT community only to 2000 students, & 500 faculty and staff.Today, following requests from our partners, the Newsletter is sent to: 10,000 alumni 15 Ambassadors 72 embassies 181 institutional partners 127 School partners 26 Board members, Thai Government Ministry of Education and Foreign Affairs.
1
Evaluation, Results, Feedback Audience differentiation:
Elderly prefer to take printouts & pdfs
Pdf printouts are still used as promotional material for visitors
Youngsters prefer android and iPad editions. iPad editions have options like changing font and colour. (iPhones being costly, some students may not find it affordable)
Kindle editions are least popular
2
Evaluation, Results, Feedback Retro fitting: Portability of devices meant that many wish to refer back to previous versions of newsletters also.
Hence, in April 2014, all previous pdf versions were also retroactively converted into ePub and mobi versions – an indicator of popularity of ePub
3
Evaluation, Results, Feedback Outreach: The Newsletter has emerged as the single biggest outreach activity of the Institute
PopularPlatform independentPeriodical (every month)
4
Evaluation, Results, Feedback Branding: The technology component in the Asian Institute of Technology gets highlighted
First to launchFirst to innovate
…helps in attracting younger students
5
FinallyThis act has made the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) perhaps the only Institution globally to deliver its newsletter across all platforms, all devices and all operating systems. It is Simple, Sustainable and Replicable.
Who said newsletters were boring ?
Watch the one-minute video prepared by AIT students Fawad Ahmed Najam and Adnan Nawazhttp://youtu.be/jkKSEEyl2AE
THANK YOU -- Submitted by : Bajinder Pal Singh
Dishing out digital newsletters
