A full version of Sarah's Not So Big Minizine is available through the link below. Here is the introduction:
A Different Kind of Newsletter
This is a Not So Big newsletter with a difference. It contains content about both Not So Big House and Not So Big Life subjects, and it is an experimental preview of things to come. I call it a “minizine” (as opposed to its larger and more familiar counterpart, the magazine), and as you’ll see, it is longer than a newsletter, and more informal than a magazine. But like a magazine, it is intended to be referred to periodically, rather than glanced at once and discarded.
You can use the “In This Issue” menu in the right hand column to navigate your way around, and you’ll be able to view all the previous issues on the Sarah's Column page on the Not So Big Life website, and on the Books and Articles page on the Not So Big House website.
One of the reasons I’m doing this, as you’ll see from one of the links to the Community Bulletin Board in the Website Features article, is that I have been asked many times of late if I ever plan to create a Not So Big magazine. Although I like the idea, I find the medium of a printed magazine to be limited in this fast-paced culture, and judging by the fact that so many magazines these days are struggling, I suspect that I’m not alone in feeling this. I’m looking for a better format, one that acknowledges the way we absorb information today, and one that responds to the needs of the moment, morphing as interests change, and allowing almost instant access to the connections and references it contains.
But in order to know what content you are interested in, I need your help. At the end of the minizine, you’ll see that I’m asking for feedback about how this new format works for you. By reviewing your comments from each issue, I’m hoping to be able to gather information about what I might include in future Not So Big Minizine issues. If you are willing to help me understand what you’d like to read about, I believe we can collectively make this into a medium that is both informative and useful --- and an excellent tool for spreading Not So Big sensibilities.
We received some great feedback to Sarah's first minizine, and we'd love to hear more, if you have comments to share. Below are some of the responses we've had so far.
The minizine is a nice resource; it’s great that it has so many links to works by related authors/thinkers. The home/life metaphor works so well, and it is wonderful to see both ideas brought together and explored. The articles tempt deeper exploration.
The format, however, with the black space on the outside and very small print, makes it difficult to read, and it would be nice if the titles of the articles would scroll separately so that you could navigate easier between articles without having to scroll all the way up and down. Page breaks might be nice for this reason as well.
If you would be so kind as to indulge a side play to your main thesis:... The automobile, a transportation appliance, is our most expensive appliance, for initial purchase and for ongoing usage. In the spirit of our most recent culture, I sold my 9 year old minivan and was lucky enough to locate a 15 year old Volvo 740 with ONLY 58,000 miles on it. To promote the vision of "cradle to cradle", my plan is to keep this vehicle for ten years, at which time it will have between 250,000 and 300,000 miles on it. There have been occasions when I have exceeded 30 mpg with this vehicle. When I finally part with it, the car will be 25 years old. I will have deferred hundreds of thousands of BTU's embodied in the production of a new vehicle every four years. Please note, the '92 Volvo has no cup holders. I consider this a Not So Big sacrifice for the principle of Cradle to Cradle. Opportunities for restraint are all around us.
My major concern is that the font size is so small.....I really have to strain to read it.
But the format is great. I skim thru, click on those pieces that I am especially interested in. I don't print out to read later....BUT, I already own your books.
Like many, I get far too many e-mails. However, I'm always happy to get yours. I thought of printing this issue, but then realized I'd lose the links and would have to type them in the future should I want to "go there." I've decided to save the post to a file on my computer for now. Problem: type is quite small. Yes, I could save to Word and then enlarge font. Just thinking out loud.. I'm intrigued about your treatment of "time." Despite having been retired for some years, I haven't quite shoehorned your article into my present overstuffed time "folder." Thanks!
Great idea for producing a Minazine! I like the Topics listed on the right side. If I may suggest, can you list small summary or blurb with a link to the full article? At the end of each article, it would be great if you could have a return to table of contents as I tend to read just those articles that intrigue me versus reading from top to bottom. This would allow me to jump from the Table of Contents to the article and back without having to scroll all the way back to the top of the page.
Will I receive these Minazines monthly? If so, I look forward to my next one.
Please keep in mind the interest areas of the semi-retired Boomers. I want to suggest nearly ALL so called “Boomers” will be semi-retired for quite awhile. In many cases it’s not about money, it’s about being worthy. With a spouse, when or if not working, separate interests/hobbies are important. This suggests space is needed for the interest(s).
How about those of us who live in middle-aged (c 1977) tract homes and need to see and evaluate them through the lens of the Not So Big House, seeing how they support (or don't support) the Not So Big Life.
It’s engaging, visually interesting, and easy to navigate. It’s enrolling, i.e., it creates enough pull to get me from the top to the bottom, regardless of whether I read every article, book review, or comment.
Finally, the content is what I’ve come to expect from Ms Susanka. Ideas worth considering that open up something new and unexpected.
I read lots of things online and I’d tend to read it directly as an email, for the most part.
The font choice is "not so big" and a little bit hard to read.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed the minizine and will look at it in more depth from time to time.
We are taking all of this feedback into consideration, and will use it to make the next issue as user-friendly as possible. Feel free to reply to this thread with your own thoughts, suggestions, and comments about the minizine. We'd love to hear from you.
NotSoBig --- go up to "View" in your header and click it. When the pop-down menu pops down, there should be an item called "text size". click that, and it should allow you to make the text larger so you can read it more easily.
Posts: 40 | Location: Northern California | Registered: 07 January 2008
Thanks Kim. I never noticed that option before for the web. That does help.
I think though that we're going to look into increasing the font size on the original for next time, so people don't have to make that adjustment themselves.
Thanks for asking. There have only been a few short newsflashes since the first minizine, though we intended for it to be a quarterly thing. It's amazing how quickly time flies when you have a full schedule. Sarah's been finishing up her new book, Not So Big Remodeling, due out in March of 2009, so has been pretty occupied with that. Now that her writing facilities are freed up for a bit, she'll be able to do some other things. We're hoping to put out another one around Christmas time, so keep an eye out.
We're posting the links to the archived minizines and newsflashes on their own page, accessible through the bar at the top to the left of this forum. The last minizine was in December. If you're not receiving it, sign on to our e-mail list on the home page of this website, and make sure your spam blocker isn't filtering out the address newsletter at notsobig.com.
