LET'S COMMUNICATE
Agriculture Communication Newsletter
November 2006, No. 131

Contents

Tweeten to be Honored Dec. 13 as Communicator of the Year 
File Formats for Graphics and When to Use Them
MPEG What?
Write the Right Word
Agriculture and University Extension Calendar Helps Avoid Conflicts

Tweeten to be Honored Dec. 13 as Communicator of the Year

The Agriculture Communication department and Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) have named Kathleen Tweeten, NDSU Extension Service Center for Community Vitality director, as 2006 Communicator of the Year. A luncheon in her honor will be at noon, Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Research 1 on the NDSU campus.

Rick Killion, editor of Prairie Business magazine, will speak on the importance of being an effective communicator.

Reservations are due Dec. 4 by paying $7.50 (checks payable to ACE) in Morrill 7.

File Formats for Graphics and When to Use Them

Have you wondered which format for a graphic is best to use for your project? Here are five common formats and information that might help.

GIF - This format is used for Web graphics and is designed to be viewed on a monitor. The file size is small and the colors on the edges are blended to appear smooth onscreen. GIF files are easy to copy from the Web but are not good choices for printed materials because the graphics look blurry and usually print blurry.

WMF - Windows metafiles (WMF) are vector graphics. This means they can be resized in any Windows-based program and not get jagged edges. This is your best choice for materials you print or copy in your office. It's a good choice for logos, clip art and line drawings.

JPEG - This file format is commonly used for photographic images (bitmap images) and works well for photos on the Web because it compresses the file to a smaller size. It can also be a good choice for print materials. If you need to edit a photo a lot, first save it as another format such as TIF, then do your editing and convert it back to a JPEG. This will keep your file from losing quality. You will also find graphics such as logos and clip art in the format, but they don't resize as well.

TIF - TIF is another format used for photographic images. This is a good choice for materials being printed at a commercial shop. Something to think about: keep your original photos as TIF files and convert them to JPEG for the Web or print. That way you will always have the highest resolution available of the original image. Once you've made a file smaller, you can't make it bigger again.

EPS - Commercial printers often request this format for graphics. Unless you have a postscript printer, it's not a format usually found in our offices. If you get a request for an eps file, contact us and we will help you.

For best results, choose a file format for your graphics depending on the final product, such as Web or print. If you don't have the best format available, contact the organization to find out if the format you need is available.

Ag Comm has most of the graphics found on our Web site and can provide the images in other formats. We can also re-create a graphic if needed and e-mail you the format you need. Extension and Experiment Station logos are available in most of these formats at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/policy/.

Contact us if you have questions or need help with a project.

Deb Tanner, deb.tanner@ndsu.edu, (701) 231-7891

MPEG What?

With all the changes in video, it´s hard to keep the new terminology straight.

Here are just a few digital video terms you might run into when buying a video camera or TV.

Mpeg refers to a kind of codec that compresses analog and digital video. It stands for Motion Picture Experts Group and has the extension .mpg.

Mpeg1 is the first of the .mpg line of codecs created and is great for compressing to a CD. The video can look as good or better than VHS.

Mpeg2 is the compressed file found on a DVD.

Mpeg4 is a standard that can be used for Internet, broadcast and storage media. It has better quality than Mpeg2 and is used for some new devices like iPods and is the standard for high-definition TV.

High Definition (HD) is the new digital TV standard that offers at least twice the resolution of your old NTSC television set. There are two common formats for HD: 720p and 1080i.

Randy Wald, randall.wald@ndsu.edu, (701) 231-7086

Write the Right Word

Stamp out repetitious redundancies! You don´t need words such as "currently," "now" and "previously" when the verb tense clearly indicates the action is taking place or already happened.

For example, in I am reading a book, the present tense "am" indicates the reading is happening. You don´t need to include "currently" or "now" because they just overstate the obvious. In I was reading the book, "was" is past tense, which means the action took place at some point in the past. Adding "previously" is a waste of space.

"Close proximity" is another example of unnecessary repetition. I know, everybody says it. However, "proximity" means nearness in place, time or order, so adding "close" is like saying "close nearness" or "closely near."

Also, here are more words that sound the same but have different meanings.

Ensure/insure - Ensure means to make sure. We proofread our work to ensure accuracy. Insure refers to insurance. She bought a policy to insure her artwork and jewelry.

Affect/effect - Affect, as a verb, means to influence. The weather will affect our travel plans. Avoid using it as a noun. Effect, as a verb, means to cause.

The recent election will effect many changes in Congress. As a noun, effect means result. Drought conditions had a major effect on this year´s corn crop.

If in doubt about whether to use affect as a verb or effect as a noun, substitute the word "impact." The weather will impact our travel plans.

Drought conditions had a major impact on this year´s corn crop.

Ellen Crawford, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu, (701) 231-5391

Agriculture and University Extension Calendar Helps Avoid Conflicts

Crop update the same day as 4-H training? Field day on top of the local fair?

Spring conference at the same time as regional animal science meetings?

The main goals of the Ag calendar are avoiding conflicts and informing others of events, but this only works if everyone uses it.

All Agriculture and University Extension events that impact staff outside a single county should be entered on the calendar. Regional or national meetings that affect only a couple staff should not be entered.

Do not enter beginning and ending dates of ongoing programs. For example, instead of "Annie's Project -- Jan. 15 - March 30," each individual date must be entered for the calendar to serve its purpose.

To enter an event in the calendar, go to the Ag Info Center, Ag and University Extension's Intranet, at http://info.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu. Use your @ndsuext.nodak.edu, not your @ndsu.edu, username and password to login. Click on Calendar at the top of the left column, and follow the step-by- step instructions. Click on the links for clarification, especially the "Show this event on the External Calendar?" at the end.

Even if it's a meeting not organized by someone at NDSU, include a local contact somewhere, perhaps in the description. This helps, for example, if staff wonder who else from North Dakota might attend.

Only the person who entered a calendar event can edit or delete it.

Becky Koch, becky.koch@ndsu.edu, (701) 231-7875

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: becky.koch@ndsu.edu

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