AlphaGalileo News 25 June 1999


Please accept our apologies for any cross-posting.

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Contents

Omnibus alerts
Using the press release input forms
Translation software
Project Development
Site statistics
And finally...
Email addresses of the AlphaGalileo editorial team


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Omnibus Alerts

Journalists can now opt to receive daily email alerts or individual ones. The daily alerts are mailed at 13.30 hrs and cover the previous 24 hours postings.

If you'd like to change to daily alerts please send an email to [log in to unmask] and the change will be made for you. We hope that the next modification to the alert system will be the ability to see only items in your preferred language. This will have to wait though until the bi-lingual site has gone live in July.


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Using The Press Release Input Form

The data put into the press release forms defines how the release is displayed and the wording that goes to journalists in the email alerts.

Please ensure that the title of your release is self-explanatory. Journalists complain that too many are so cryptic as to defeat analysis. So please leave word games to sub-editors. Can you also avoid putting the title of the release into capital letters. In the lists of releases large amounts of capital letters are not as legible as initial caps and lower case.

The first paragraph of your release is used as a summary in alerts and is displayed directly above the main text on the site. It should explain the 'who, what, where and why' of your release and should not be repeated in the main body text box on the form. Nor should the main body box include in it administrative details like the number of your release or contact information. Contact data is automatically provided by the site and other house keeping information can be put into the notes for editors section. If you're concerned about any of these points please email the site editor at [log in to unmask] or check  how your releases compare with others on the site.


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Translation software

One of the challenges of working in Europe is language. English maybe the common language of science, but there are still times when using national languages  is important and we encourage contributors to post news in their own language and in English. If a release is only posted in a national language and you're not able to read it, then translation software offers you a quick way to check if the news is of interest. The easiest way to try out translation software is to use Babelfish at http://babelfish.altavista.com/.

It is definitely not perfect, but in a matter of a few minutes it will give you the gist of the story.


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Project Development

The present site is a pilot service designed to prove the need for the service to potential funders. The pilot must end by Spring 2000 and so we are now working to refine our costs and prepare the way for bidding for support through till at least 2003. We are in discussion with German and Dutch colleagues as to how they can join the pilot project and in the autumn we are hoping to meet representatives of all the European Union's member states to prepare the way for a full-scale service.

In the meantime we are keen to  meet begin to meet potential commercial sponsors. Organisations who could perhaps support the project beyond 2003. If you are aware of any you think we should meet please let us know.


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Site Statistics

On 25 June the site had: 
Registered journalists: 715
Registered contributors: 518
Press notices: 1368
Calendar events: 219.

June saw the site's busiest week so far with 7,341 page accesses for the week beginning 7 June. This translates, in yearly terms, as  over 300,000 page accesses.


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And finally...

Sabine Louët and Peter Green will be at the International Science Writers Congress in Budapest at the end of this week. They look forward to putting faces to email addresses, so please try and get in touch. We are making a short presentation about AlphaGalileo on Saturday 3 July.


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Email addresses of the AlphaGalileo Editorial Team
If your message is urgent you should avoid a emailing a specific editor, who may be away from the office, and send the message to the duty Site Editor at [log in to unmask]

Peter Green (Project Director) [log in to unmask]
Alun Roberts (UK Editor) [log in to unmask]
Sabine Louet (International Coordinating Editor) [log in to unmask]
Site Editor (Duty editor) [log in to unmask]


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AlphaGalileo is the Internet-based press centre for European science, engineering and technology. Our aim is to increase awareness of the excitement and significance of European research amongst young people, industry and tax-payers via the mass media. The financial support of the UK and French governments, and some of the UK's medical charities and Research Councils is gratefully acknowledged, as is the encouragement the project is receiving from the British Association, Euroscience and members of the European Union of Science Journalists Associations.

If you are not yet registered you can find out more about the service and access all releases and event details that are out of embargo by visiting http://www.alphagalileo.org.



Peter Green
Project Director
AlphaGalileo: the Internet press centre for European science, engineering and technology
www.alphagalileo.org

peter.green @alphagalileo.org
44 1793 496200 (answer phone)



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