News Release, Educational Materials Guidelines on the Web

Agriculture and University Extension's educational materials guidelines help walk staff through the process of getting publications and similar materials developed. The guidelines include writing hints, general deadlines for getting material to Ag Communication and advice on how to avoid copyright problems. See

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/ext-emp/emp-edumatguide.htm.

The news release guidelines spell out the type of information Ag Communication will distribute as news releases. The guidelines include deadlines for getting the information for the releases to Ag Communication editors. See

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/ext-emp/emp-newsguide.htm.

"Not Another Meeting" Videoconference Feb. 9

A free seminar on using videoconferencing to make your meetings work will be offered 2:00-3:30 p.m. CST, Thursday, Feb. 9, at campus sites of the N.D. Interactive Video Network. You'll learn how to organize; engage the audience; use audiovisual materials; and save time, energy and money by making meetings more productive.

See program details and sites at http://www.ndivn.nodak.edu/  . Register with june.piper@ivn.nodak.edu  by Feb. 6 with the names of people attending at which location.

Postage Increases

Be sure to budget for the postal increases that took effect Jan. 8. All classes of mail increased in cost, with most more than 5 percent. Some classes,  such as Library and Media Mail, increased by more than 12 percent. 

For a full rate schedule, go to www.usps.com  and select the button marked "New Rates and Fees."

Sharon Lane, 231-7883, slane@ndsuext.nodak.edu

Licensed Software

If you have ordered software through the NDSU/HECN licensing program, remember to install the software as soon as it arrives and

return the disks. Other users need to have software, and a quick turnaround ensures others will not have to wait too long.

Also, do not copy software to keep a disk in the office. We know this is inconvenient at times, but we're required to keep track of the

software. Unauthorized disk copying is not allowed.

Blair Johnson, 231-9666, bjohnson@ndsuext.nodak.edu

Technical Q&A

Q: Why are some people still using the @ndsuext.nodak.edu e-mail addresses?

A: The Ag Info Center, Extension Quarterly Program Reports, Extension Accountability Reporting System and several other interactive Web systems revolve around the ndsuext accounts, which were developed when NDSU had plains, badlands and other e-mail addresses - long before one NDSU system. Roger Egeberg is exploring how to convert all the ndsuext databases to NDSU, but it's a time- consuming task. In the meantime, Agriculture and University Extension faculty and staff should publicly use their NDSU address and have it redirected to their ndsuext account if that's their primary account. Go to http://enroll.nodak.edu  to manage your e-mail delivery, or contact the help desk at 231-9666 or 231- 8685 if you need help.

Q: Why are we getting so much spam all of a sudden?

A: Mainly because spammers are getting better at figuring out how to get their messages through the filters.

What are Ag Com and ITS doing about it?

* The SpamAssassin software on the @ndsuext.nodak.edu system (which is the same software ITS uses for @ndsu.edu) is set to automatically delete about 85% of the spam that comes through. We don't want to set it any higher because then some e-mail you need might be automatically deleted.

* If @ndsu.edu is your primary e-mail, go to http://enroll.nodak.edu  , select the Spam Filter option and select which of the four levels of service you want.

* Everyone should have a spam folder that automatically puts all e- mail that might be spam in a separate folder. You still need to check this folder to see if the messages really are spam, but the junk mail doesn't fill up your new mail folder as quickly. If you don't have this folder and need to know how to set it up, call the help desk at

231-9666 or 231-8685.

* The Ag e-mail lists are now hidden under the password-protected

Ag Info Center, but once they've been out, spammers know how to

"recycle" them.

* We could close all our e-mail lists, which means you could only send to the list if your exact e-mail address on the list is sending the message. However, that means you couldn't send from a home e- mail address and we'd have lots of confusion between @ndsuext and @ndsu addresses.

Spam is a way of life. We'll never be able to automatically filter

all of it. Each of us is responsible for dealing with the remaining spam as efficiently as we can.

Write the Right Word

Here are some words that sound the same but aren�t interchangeable.

Fare/fair - "Fare" can be the price of something (Northwest Airlines is having an air fare sale), food or diet (The bed and breakfast served a hearty fare) and a good or bad experience or fortune (I hope the team will fare well in the tournament). "Fair" is free from bias (We think the council�s decision was fair), proper or legitimate (This was a fair fight) and neither excellent nor poor (She was in fair health for several years). A "fair" also may be an exhibition of farm products and livestock.

Through/thru - "Through" is the proper spelling. She looked through the glass. I always use the drive-through window at the bank. "Thru" is an informal, simplified spelling that�s great when you�re taking notes, but that�s where it should stay � in your notebook.

Pour/pore - "Pour" is setting fluid flowing or falling (I poured the milk into the glass), emitting or propelling (The soldiers poured bullets into the enemy position) and raining heavily (The rain poured for more than 20 minutes). "Pore" is to read or study carefully (He pored over the historical records for information about his family). A "pore" also is a tiny opening in the skin.

LET'S COMMUNICATE

If you have questions or comments, or would like to submit information or make a suggestion, contact:

Agriculture Communication
Attn: Becky Koch
7 Morrill Hall
Phone: 231-7875
FAX: 231-7044
e-mail: bkoch@ndsuext.nodak.edu

Go to Let's Communicate Index