[MR] the acorn - a primer

[Logan]

after breezing through many of the emails today regarding the acorn it is
very apparent that there is a lack of knowledge on how the publication is
handled.  i thought i would take a few minutes to educate those that
misunderstand the process.

the deadline to get things to the chronicler is the first of the month prior
(so decembers deadline was to be in hand by november 1st).

the acorn is produced electronically and sent to the printer on the 10th of
the month prior (so decembers was mailed november 10th).

the printer sends the physical newsletters to the mailing house on the 17th
of the month prior. (so decembers newsletter arrived at the mailing house
november 17th).

the mailing house is under contract to deliver the physical newsletter to
the post office by the 20th of the month prior. (so decembers was at the
post office november 20th).

the post office has to mail first class by the next day (the 21st) and the
post office delivers first class mail in 2-3 days (excluding sundays)

the post office doesnt really have a clear answer as to when standard mail
gets processed.  meaning, they dont have a clear policy on when they process
standard (bulk) mailings.

the addresses for the acorn are sent electronically from milipitas directly
to the kingdom chronicler.

the kingdom chronicler forwards that file directly to the mailing house.




what that all means is very simply this:

if you do not get your acorn at all you need to check with milipitas first
to see if your address is correct since the information they have is sent,
unchanged, to the mailing house.

if you are getting your acorn late and you pay for first class postage you
need to contact your post office directly to find out what the delay is.

if you are getting your acorn late and you do not pay for first class there
is little that can be done to expedite its arrival short of a change in the
way the united states postal service operates or paying the extra .83 a
month to ensure its timely arrival.  these things are not in the hands of
the kingdom chronicler.




most of the comments made thus far have been ignorant and pointless.  it
makes little sense to complain about something without knowing the process
behind it.  a lot of work goes into producing the acorn and it is a very
thankless job.  but it really doesnt need a public lynching by people that
are complaining about things either in their control or the control of their
postal carrier.  i have copied the kingdom chroniclers letter from the july
2004 acorn (see below) in which the process was clearly explained.
hopefully this will alleviate some of the angst some people are feeling.

regards
logan

www.ebonwoulfe.com

Some people are like Slinkies: not really good for anything, but you still
can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.


**********************************BEGIN
COPY*********************************
I have been getting quite a few questions lately about how the Acorn works
as far as delivery. So in a nutshell, here is how the process goes... The
deadline for the Acorn is the first of the preceding month (i.e. June 1 for
the July issue - there are exceptions for the April and September issues due
to Gulf War and Pennsic). I get mailing labels directly from Corporate
somewhere between the first and tenth of the preceding month (i.e. June 8
for the July issue) - this is especially important when it comes to renewing
your membership. I compile the issue of The Acorn then send it and the
mailing labels to my printer. My mailing house takes the completed Acorns
directly to the post office (usually) by the 20th or the preceding month. If
you paid for first class your issue is guaranteed to go out by the next
business day. If the post office is busy, they can technically hold the
mailing for up to six business days. Once the issues go to the post office,
the process is out of my hands. If you are not receiving your Acorn and have
verified your name is on the mailing labels, I would recommend you file a
complaint with your local post office. You may also want to consider paying
the additional $10/year for first class upgrade when you renew your
membership. I hope this helps with some of your questions. Please let me
know if I can assist further.
 

Cassandra
**********************************END COPY*********************************