Mailbox

A round-up of the latest news, gossip and other information from members. Health warning: Anything in this article should not be relied upon as gospel. 

Got something to share? Send it to mailbox@bscw.co.uk


BSCW INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Don't forget to check the website for the latest details of the conference, and to book by August 31st 2001 to qualify for an early booking discount.


SCRIPTWRITERS FORUM
From: Penni Gillis

Next Scriptwriters Forum is on 6.9.01 at 7.00 in Amici Mai's backroom in the Light House courtyard. About 12 people are pitching film scripts - drama and comedy.


MEMBER UPDATE
From: David Hoyle

New Surreal Comedy Novel.

Hi...  I will have the pleasure and utter surprise of having my debut surreal comedy novel pusblished later this month. The title of the book is Grint's Gate.


ABC TALES - INFO & UPDATE
From: Emily Dubberley - emilyd@abctales.com

ABCtales.com update: July 2001

Thought I'd drop you a line as there have been a lot of developments with ABCtales recently that I thought you might be interested in. Here are just some of the exciting things happening at ABCtales:

1 ABCtales.com wins major award
2 Traffic update
3 E-mail added to ABCtales
4 SMS services added to ABCtales
5 ABCtales Directory
6 ABCtales Magazine
7 youngABCtales.com set to launch
8 Letters Academy Writing School
9 New ABCtales venture: Dr Checkoff
10 Promotional Partners


1. ABCtales.com wins major award

Last week, ABCtales.com won the prestigious New Stateman Online Communities Award and were runners-up in the BT Overall Merit Award. This was in part down to our 'ability to create something online which would be impossible to create offline' and in part because we are a social business (giving 20% of our profits to The Big Issue and helping people who don't usually get a chance to tell their story to have a voice)


2. Traffic update

Our traffic is growing massively. ABCtales is now attracting 250,000 page impressions per month and is growing at a rate of 25% per month. It has attracted tales and poems from as far afield as Iceland, Latvia and Namibia. We have got over 6,000 stories on the site, and over 7,000 posts on our discussion forums. Not bad for 7 months! Our audience is 70% female, primarily ABC1 and obviously interested in reading and writing!

Advertising and sponsorship opportunities on ABCtales.com include banners, buttons, genre sponsorship (including love, travel, humour and more) and promotions. For more information, mail emilyd@abctales.com


3. E-mail added to ABCtales

ABCtales users can now get a free e-mail account on the site by visiting http://www.abctales.com/mail. This is available for .sig file advertising. We are also looking at offering incentives to ABCtales e-mail users, so if you'd like to run a promotion to a 70% female audience of ABC1 literature lovers and writers, mail emilyd@abctales.com


4. SMS Services Added to ABCtales.com

ABCtales has joined forces with http://www.secretbear.com to add SMS services to the site. Users can now submit poems to ABCtales via text message. These are then added to a special section at http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewfeature.cgi?f=112 Users can also request an 'SMS Poem of the Day' This area of the site is available for sponsorship, so if you want to show what a forward-thinking company you are, get on board and mail emilyd@abctales.com for details of sponsorship packages.


5. ABCtales Directory

ABCtales has always added links to relevant sites. We then had so many that it seemed best to incorporate them into a Yahoo! style directory - so we have. It includes almost 500 great writing sites and reading sites, publishing sites, creative sites for kids and teens and much more. You can list sites in it for free by visiting http://www.abctales.com/directory. It is also available separately at http://www.litmate.com. If you'd like to sponsor it or incorporate it into your site contact emilyd@abctales.com.


6. ABCtales Magazine

ABCtales magazine is still going strong. It reaches 120,000 people per month via The Body Shop network and Hammicks bookshops across the UK. Sponsorship and advertising packages are available at a host of prices. We can also produce tailored editions for your company. For more information, mail emilyd@abctales.com


7. youngABCtales set to launch

As ABCtales.com has been such a success, we're launching a junior wing called youngABCtales.com, in September. This exciting new site, hosted by best-selling children's author Terry Deary will offer the same ABCtales service for 6-15 year olds. Obviously when targeting children, safety is key, so, with this in mind we won't be allowing people to e-mail the author or having discussion groups on the site. However, other than that, we'll be offering the same great ABCtales service, with a more child-friendly feel. The beta-version of the site is available at http://www.youngabctales.com

We are currently looking for sponsors and advertisers for youngABCtales.com. We are also seeking a promotional partner who can offer children free internet access.

If you would like to get involved with youngABCtales, whether through advertising and sponsorship or through running promotions, mail emilyd@abctales.com


8. Letters Academy Writing School

Also watch out for the 'Letters Academy' in which we will be offering summer schools, writing courses and one-to-one mentoring. We hope to feed this in over the next couple of months. If you would like to sponsor a mentor, provide teaching materials or even sponsor the entire Letters Academy, mail emilyd@abctales.com for details.


9. New ABCtales venture: Dr Checkoff

Our next ventures - Dr. Checkoff (two sites, one for the UK and another for the US) will be up and running soon. These comprise 101 useful lists that help people manage their lives, from insurance advice to planning a wedding. These lists are offer great content for sites, so if you'd like to add stickiness to your site, mail emilyd@abctales.com to find out about pricing. The main Dr Checkoff sites are also available for sponsorship.


10. Promotional Partners

ABCtales are always willing to discuss partnerships with relevant companies. Companies we have partnerships with include the following:

- The Body Shop - global skin and hair care retailer with more than 1,800 shops in 50 countries world-wide. The Company is committed to environmental protection and social change and actively campaigns for animal protection, human rights and women's issues.

- The Big Issue - News and current affairs magazine written by professional journalists and sold on the streets by homeless people. The Big Issue aims to enable homeless people to earn an income through self-help, invest profits to benefit homeless people, provide homeless people with a voice in the media, produce a quality magazine which interests and informs readers and provide an example of a socially responsible business

- OneWord Radio  - the first national radio station that is exclusively dedicated to the transmission of plays, books,comedy and reviews. Oneword broadcasts 18 hours a day, from 6am to midnight on the Digital One Network, and is now available on alternative platforms, including Sky Digital (channel 877) and the Internet at http://www.onewordradio.com.

- Secret Bear (The home of the reverse charge SMS Platform)

- Hammicks/thebookplace.co.uk - Nationwide bookshop chain

We have also worked closely with a number of other key companies and organisations, including EMR, Bloomsbury Magazine and the National Literacy Trust.

If you would like to discuss partnerships with ABCtales, mail emilyd@abctales.com

This is just a fraction of what's happening at ABCtales and there are new opportunities springing up all the time. If you'd like to find out more about how your company can benefit from working with ABCtales, mail or call me on the below number.

Thanks very much for your time.

Kind regards

Emily Dubberley
Business Development Manager, ABCtales
http://www.abctales.com
Everyone has a story: tell yours at ABCtales.com