Looking for Gold—
Prospectors' Woes

The task of an editor is not an easy one. It extends to journalist, contributor, formatter, printer, distributor, etc. One of my greatest frustrations was soliciting articles (hmmm, solicit really might be the right word — it's like being so desperate you have to stand on street-corners to get them). There might be some editors who do not have a problem, especially where the club is large and active, but that was not our case and is not the case for many clubs around the world.

Something that occurred to me several years ago was that there should be some facility for Mensa editors to share articles without fear of copyright infringement. I asked, but no such animal existed. This seemed incongruous for an international organisation with many publications and articles of very high quality, and a pity that so many had such limited audiences. The subject died.

Technology is a wonderful thing. At one moment you have an idea, but have no clue of how to carry it out. And then some tool comes your way, and you find yourself able to build something that provides a significant service for yourself and perhaps others.

That was the case with m-Editor. All of a sudden I had the technology to set up a service for sharing articles among newsletter editors. Editors just email articles of note to a single address, and these articles are sent on to all other editors who are subscribing. Each article is logged on the Internet, and at any point in time a person can search on a particular topic.

One of the major concerns that had to be addressed was copyright, and the biggest thing here is permission. Typically with Mensa magazines, that's easy, as we're dealing directly with authors. My understanding is that an article published in any Mensa magazine can be legally published in any other (same legal entity), but it's still wise to ask as there are exceptions with individually held copyrights. In almost every case, the author felt honoured at having been approached.

It sounds wonderful, and thus far it has been working. There are over twenty editors subscribed from fifteen countries, including India, Malaysia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, many non-English speaking countries — and even the International Journal. There are currently over one hundred articles loaded, with about ten new additions per month, including poetry, short stories, puzzles, humour, etc.

There's only one difficulty — I'm the primary contributor. My time is spent prospecting and seeking permission to publish those pieces that glitter. Very few submissions are received directly from editors or other members, gem-quality or otherwise. It's as though once an editor has put together a newsletter, the last thing on his/her mind is picking through it for articles to forward (just sit back, relax, and wait for the process to start again).

The request that I submit here is for help. As it stands, this service is a one-man-show that will die without broader participation. It needs to develop a life of its own. It needs the involvement of others to expand it into a gold mine containing the best of Mensa writing. Imagine the possibilities!

First prize is for others with an interest in prospecting to join me. It requires reading through Mensa magazines and developing relationships with editors and authors. If you're willing, and of sound mind and body, please contact me.

Second prize is if there is any article, story, poem, puzzle or what-have-you in your local newsletter that you consider eminently publishable across national boundaries, please motivate your editor to get the author's permission and send it to m-Editor@yahoogroups.com. If you wish to view the current collection and test out the facility, it can be found on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/m-Editor (look under messages).

—Raymond Anderson,
    m-Editor moderator
    raymonda@iafrica.com

[Author's Note: This article comes from much further afield than the bulk seen in Going Forward. The author is a Canadian living in South Africa for twenty-plus years, and a Mensa member since 1996. During that time he has been Chairman, Entertainment Officer, and editor of Johannesburg's 98 Proof newsletter — some of these positions simultaneously. Currently he is the Communications Officer for Mensa South Africa.]