Date: Thursday, April 28, 2015
Location: Salma’s Place, 500 Clinton St., Toronto, ON
Present: Lianna Vargas (SM)(BoD), Elena Pintille (SM), and Salma Al Atassi (SM).
Report back on Keith Stelling’s status to contribute -> not interested at this time, we need to create our own current content.
Asking ourselves a few key organizing questions:
Who will be our regular contributors?
We need a strong group (3+) of writers to come up with some (1+) new content every month, and irregular contributors.
-> Ask to issue certain blog posts that are article-worthy?
Check-in with members regarding events and workshops or new articles, for web-content.
Piece sizes and scopes can vary, as we ultimately need content for
the general public (short, simple),
the students still learning the art (detailed),
and for sharing with other educators of the arts (personal insight, case studies?).
Need to draw upon our networks and branch-out. People with accreditation.
-> Who do we know who may be willing to contribute?
How can we engage past authors?
When possible, in-person, otherwise email and form*, if no answer in a few weeks, maybe trying phoning them
*google forms? ->check into it
What categories of viewpoints will be focused on?
Environmental Awareness
Political Status and Representation
What will be our “filler” content?
General public aimed
->(Visual Stimuli)
Hot topics: Cosmetics, natural Cleaning products, Digestion, Probiotics, Healthy Weight Loss, Herbs as ‘serious’ things(self-medicating) ->Whole plant extract vs pharmaceutical extract, Endangered Herbs!
Interviews with Herbalists/Herbalist Profiles
How will we conduct them? Space, equipment (does the videographer have this?), video editing. Ideally they should be dynamic/interesting(fun) and informative to entice modern trends of video-watchers (clients, subscribers, students and future professionals).
What (questions) will our viewers want to know? -> Send out survey monkey about this (to general members and special-call).
Other Discussion Ideas:
$!Selling CJH back issues for $5 at Heartwood$!
-> Check around for botanical illustrators:
Ideally, we should feature full-page artwork and a credit a space for the artist’s poster ad (half page to a page, depending on contribution). If we can pair the information about the medicine we are trying to convey, with visual imagery that speaks to the same meaning, there may be potential for putting some for of physical publication out again. It needs to generate income enough to pay for itself, thus pricing should be minimum cost of production ($5, +tax, +shipping… 8$ a copy?)
->begin gathering author contact information for the author release database, and set potential for first contact.
-> Need forms (LV), standard email (?).
LV will continue to work on functionality and appearance of website.
We need content.