SIPA task force to envision publishing strategy

Today, in my first official act as President of SIPA, I am announcing the formation of a task force to create and plan the association's publishing strategy. This is the highest priority I see for this association and my goal is to have the work of the task force wrapped up by the end of the calendar year.

This task force is going to be a quick-hit group that will meet by phone and email a handful of times over the coming months to develop a plan that addresses:

• What are the current and emerging information needs of our members?
• How do members want to access this information?
• What sources are most valuable -- industry experts, other members, people from other industries?
• What role, if any, is there for blogs, wikis, Twitter, Facebook, web conferencing?
• What, if anything, do we still want to have in print?
• What is the staffing we need to implement these plans?

These are essentially the same questions each of us is asking in our own businesses every day. Members of the task force will have to commit a modest amount of time to this effort. The return for this effort, aside from helping to ensure the continuing vitality and value of SIPA, is the opportunity to think through this issue with smart colleagues from your industry who get it. It's like a hands-on workshop training program. And it's free.

I want this task force to include a wide range of perspectives and experience. I'd like some industry veterans and some newcomers, traditional publishers and digital natives, large companies and small.

If you're interested in taking advantage of the opportunity to join this effort, please contact me at Ed_Coburn@hms.harvard.edu.