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Technology Review Guidelines for Class Notes

The Purpose of Class Notes

The purpose of the Class Notes section of Technology Review is to strengthen the ties of alumni to each other, to their class and to MIT. The class secretary system is effective because secretaries have a special perspective and give each column a personal touch.

Print and Online Versions

Class Notes are published both in Technology Review magazine and Class Notes online. The online notes site, hosted by the Alumni Association, is password protected to ensure privacy. Only alumni who have an Infinite Connection account have access to the site.

One of the advantages of online Class Notes is that the word count is unlimited, whereas the print version has a limit of 1,200 words. This enables secretaries to cover news from more classmates in a more in-depth way. Some class secretaries effectively use the print version to write short “teasers” about classmates that refer readers to the Web for more coverage. However, there is no obligation to create two columns. Secretaries only need to submit a separate online version of their column if it is longer than the print version. If only the print version is submitted, it will be posted online as well as in print.

Gathering Information for Your Column

The Technology Review office gathers and sends to secretaries information about alumni from news clipping services, Alumni Fund mail and phonathon solicitations, news releases, and incidental communications. Classmates may also contact class secretaries directly. Classmates can send their news through an online form that is automatically e-mailed to the class secretary. The e-mails will come to you from your classmate's @alum.mit.edu account and the subject will be "Submit Notes."

Class Notes include news from alumni who attended MIT as undergraduates. The activities of alumni who hold only graduate degrees are reported in the Course News section. If you have information on graduate alumni, please forward it to Technology Review. Some graduate alumni feel connected to their undergraduate contemporaries and will change their "primary affiliation" to an undergraduate class year. News about these alumni will be sent to the appropriate class secretary.

Secretaries often come across news of alumni in classes outside their own. To allow publication in the proper class, please forward this news to the alumnus' class secretary or send it to Technology Review to have it included it in the next deadline mailing.

The Alumni Association Class Programs staff may be able to make practical suggestions to increase Class Notes submissions from your classmates. Many secretaries have found that e-mail makes news-gathering easier; one quick note to the class e-mail list can generate a huge number of responses to fill several columns. Contact Marilyn Finlay if you have questions about your class e-mail list.

Crafting a Class Notes Column

For the print version, every secretary is limited to 1,200 words per issue. This limit includes any captions for photos. However, the sign-off (your address, phone, etc.) is not included in the word count. If you are having trouble adhering to the limit, please see Technology Review's Guide to Succinct Writing written especially for class secretaries.

Please adhere to the special set of Style Guidelines that Technology Review has prepared for the Class Notes section. There is also an important set of Helpful Hints for use in writing a column.

For any questions about these guides, please contact the Technology Review class notes editor (see contact information below).

Submitting Your Notes

The deadlines for both print and online columns are the same. Remember, you do not need to submit an online version unless it is longer than the print version, or you would like to include online photos or classmate’s usernames for direct links to the Online Alumni Directory. If you just submit a print version, it will be posted online as well as in print.

How to Submit Your Column and Name Your Files:

Please send an e-mail to classnotes@technologyreview.com with your notes attached as a Microsoft Word document. File names should include your class year and the issue date. For example, notes from the Class of 2005 for the January/February 2008 issue should be named "2005JanFeb08". Please attach photos for your column to the same e-mail. Start your photo file names with your class year. Please include captions with the photo file name within the e-mail body. (see "Photo Guidelines") An e-mail will be sent to you within a day or two of receiving the notes. However, it is your responsibility to verify that your column has been received.

You may also send your columns via U.S. mail to:

Class Notes Editor
Technology Review
1 Main St., 7th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02142

Or, you may fax your notes to (617) 475-8043, attention Class Notes Editor.

Please be careful to follow these guidelines. Emails sent to the wrong address may be delayed or lost. Faxes to the wrong number are also often delayed or lost. Your attention to detail ensures your column will be published.

Suggestions for Your Online Column

If you know your class will be using the online version of Class Notes frequently, there are a few requests. Even if you do not have a longer version of notes to submit online, it would be helpful if you would submit an extra column for the online version that meets the following specifications:

• Instead of putting an asterisk in front of a classmates name, please surround their name with dollar signs (e.g., $Tim Z. Beaver$).
• Please make sure you use legal names instead of nicknames—if you do, the links that appear in your columns will lead to classmates' Infinite Connection Online Alumni Directory records, rather than to error messages.
• Instead of using smart quotes or curly quotes, use straight quotes.

These steps will speed up the process of putting notes online for the Web producer.

Photo Guidelines

Photos are included in the print version when space allows. The same deadlines apply to photos as do to your columns. Please submit captions with photos, and please include them in the body of the email to which the photo is attached. The caption will be included in a box with the photo. If you send your photo through the mail, please indicate if you'd like the photo returned and include a caption on the backside or on another piece of paper in the envelope.

For digital photos to be included in the print version, please send JPEGs. They should be high resolution: at least 300 dpi.

Please note, Technology Review does not guarantee publication of class photos. If you refer to a photo in the column, make sure that if the photo doesn’t run the column still makes sense. Photos may be omitted or held until a later issue if space is tight.

Submitting Photos for the Website
If you choose to include photos with the online version of your column, they must be submitted electronically and must meet the following specifications, or they will not be included:

• File size must be 40K or less.
• File must be JPEGs or GIFs.
• Images must be 300 pixels by 300 pixels in size (not resolution) or smaller.
  • Tip – to check image size in Photoshop, go to Image > Image Size, make sure "Constrain Proportions" and "Resample Image" are both checked, and under "Pixel Dimensions," adjust the size.
• Up to three photos can be submitted per class column.
• In order for us to know where to place your photo, include the notation "$image$" where you want the image to appear within the column text. If there are multiple images, include this same notation, "$image$" multiple times. At the end of your column text, list the photo names in the order they should appear. Each photo requires alternate text (a brief description of the image) and this should appear at the end of your column next to the photo names.
  
  

  Example:
  Submitted Class Notes for the Online Version:
  $Tim Z. Beaver$ received the Outstanding Achievement award for his many volunteer accomplishments. He has served on numerous boards and committees and been instrumental in the past 25 years of growth. $image$ $Mrs. Tim Z. Beaver$ was in attendance along with many other volunteers and friends. $image$

  Images:
  Tim's_Award.jpg     Caption= Tim Receiving his Award
  Audience.gif     Caption= The Audience cheering for Tim
  

How Technology Review Handles Columns

As columns arrive at Technology Review, they are compiled for publication. Technology Review will not edit columns for accuracy, so please be sure to proofread your columns before submitting it. Columns will, however, be checked for length and style. (See Technology Review Style Guidelines for style specifics.)

Class Lists and Data

As an authorized class officer, you can also download lists and labels online. You must first login to the Infinite Connection, then you'll find the download form. On the form, you can download a class list, missing classmates, or deceased class members. You can also filter your download by such categories as living groups, student activity or sport, and course. These downloads can be especially helpful for targeted communication to classmates.

If you have a custom report request, please use the data request form. In addition, if you have class information to report (such as a change of address, found alumni, deceased alumni, etc.), please send the information to Alumni Records.

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