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AlphaGalileo News Please accept our apologies for any cross-posting. ----------------------------------------- Contents Over 1,000 journalists registered AlphaGalileo and the millennium Results of Expert Service questionnaire Site statistics And finally... Email addresses of the AlphaGalileo editorial team ----------------------------------------- Over 1,000 journalists registered The number of journalists registered with AlphaGalileo passed the 1,000 mark in early October. We now have almost 1050 journalists from around the world registered with the service. A common comment from contributors is the speed with which their news releases reach journalists and the variety of media and countries that respond. If as a press officer you only have occasional science or technology stories to handle, register with AlphaGalileo and let us provide you with the specialist journalists missing from your mailing lists. ----------------------------------------- AlphaGalileo and the millennium Not the bug, but the challenge of finding long-term funding for the service beyond the Spring of 2000. This was when the original and predominantly UK-funded pilot stage was planned to end and the first stage of the full-scale service start. We hope to be able to announce before the end of the year that our search for funding until 2003 has ended successfully. There are two parts to this. We still plan to make a bid to the European Commission in early 2000 for support from the electronic networking line of DG XII's Framework V funds, but because any money secured in this way would not be available until the end of 2000, our immediate priority is to bridge the gap until then. Discussions are taking place with several organisations and we are cautiously optimistic that funding will be found. ----------------------------------------- Results of Expert Service questionnaire During September we asked our journalist users there views on the need for finding researchers who could provide background to news stories. Their response was overwhelming. 92% thought such 'Expert Services' a high or medium priority, with 60% opting for high. Not surprisingly for AlphaGalileo users 55% wanted such services to be web-based, however 20% also asked that the service either be phone-based or include a phone element. Similarly fax (11%) and printed directories (10%) were important sources for the media. But with 91%of journalists telling us that they'd use a web-based service more than their present methods, we are now considering how best to respond. We hope to start discussion with colleagues across Europe, including the Media Resource Service, ExpertNet and Informationsdienst Wissenschaft, to see how best existing services can work together to promote European science and technology expertise more widely. Any proposals that come from these talks must reconcile journalists' needs with those of science experts who do not want their lives disrupting by constant emails or phone calls. One solution would be for university and research institutes' press offices to act as an interface between the experts on any database and the media, whilst at the same time providing journalists with enough information directly for them to be sure they are going to put in touch with exactly the right person. Subject to funding becoming available Expert Services will join the provision of pictures as major enhancements planned for AlphaGalileo from 2000 onwards. ----------------------------------------- Site Statistics On 15 October the site had (figures from 20 September in brackets): Registered journalists: 1047 (945) Registered contributors: 634 (604) Press notices: 1,874 (1,779) Calendar events: 269 (246) ----------------------------------------- And finally... The BBC Education web guide selected AlphaGalileo as it's pick of the week for early October. It was a timely reminder that although AlphaGalileo's primary role is to act for the media and science public relations staff, the site is also a useful resource for science teachers and older pupils. The BBC site is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/webguide ----------------------------------------- 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] Sabine ėtLou (International Coordinating Editor) [log in to unmask] Site Editor (Duty editor) [log in to unmask] ----------------------------------------- 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) 07867 787889 (mobile) %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%