Openscapes Fall 2025 Newsletter: Sneak Peek & Discussion

Hey everyone! Exciting news from Openscapes! We're gearing up for our Fall 2025 Newsletter, and we're aiming to publish it around October 17th. This newsletter is a fantastic way to stay updated on all things Openscapes, including program updates, community highlights, and valuable resources. This blog post will give you a sneak peek at what we're planning and how you can contribute.

Initial Planning and Collaboration

Planning and collaboration are crucial for creating a comprehensive and engaging newsletter. The process begins with outlining the key topics and sections we want to include. We've started a collaborative document, the Fall 2025 Newsletter doc, where we're gathering ideas and content. This document serves as a central hub for all contributors, ensuring everyone is on the same page and can easily add their input. The initial structure includes a header and space for various updates and announcements. This collaborative approach allows us to capture a wide range of perspectives and information, making the newsletter more valuable and relevant to our community.

To ensure the newsletter is comprehensive, we reach out to key team members and community contributors for their input. For example, we've specifically asked @stefaniebutland to add items she feels are important to include. This outreach helps us gather information about ongoing projects, upcoming events, and important announcements that should be shared with our audience. By involving various stakeholders, we ensure the newsletter reflects the diverse activities and achievements within the Openscapes community. This collaborative effort is essential for producing a high-quality newsletter that truly represents Openscapes' mission and vision.

Staying organized is also key to the newsletter's success. We use a checklist to track the various tasks involved, from updating the Google Group newsletter list to publishing the final version on openscapes.org. This structured approach helps us manage the workflow efficiently and ensures no critical steps are missed. By breaking down the process into manageable tasks, we can maintain a steady pace and avoid last-minute rushes. This organizational framework is vital for delivering a timely and polished newsletter.

Key Steps in Newsletter Creation

Creating a newsletter involves several key steps, each crucial to ensuring a polished and informative final product. These steps include updating the Google Group newsletter list, reviewing and editing the draft, publishing the newsletter, and promoting it across various platforms. Let’s dive into each of these steps to understand the process in more detail.

First, updating the Google Group newsletter list is essential for ensuring the newsletter reaches the intended audience. This involves adding new subscribers and removing those who have unsubscribed. Maintaining an accurate subscriber list is crucial for compliance with privacy regulations and for ensuring the newsletter is sent to those who are genuinely interested in receiving it. This step is often overlooked but is a fundamental part of the distribution process.

Next, reviewing and editing the draft is a critical stage that involves multiple layers of refinement. This includes checking for spelling and grammar errors, ensuring acronyms are spelled out, adding relevant links, and incorporating alt text for figures. A thorough review ensures the newsletter is professional and easy to read. Attention to detail at this stage greatly enhances the overall quality and credibility of the newsletter. The editing process also involves ensuring the content is clear, concise, and engaging for the readers. This may include rewriting sections to improve readability or adding visual elements to break up text and make the newsletter more appealing.

Publishing the newsletter to openscapes.org is the next significant step. This involves formatting the content for the website and ensuring it displays correctly across different devices. The publishing process also includes selecting appropriate images and ensuring they are optimized for web viewing. Once published, the newsletter becomes a permanent resource on the Openscapes website, accessible to anyone interested in learning more about the organization’s activities and initiatives.

Finally, promoting the newsletter across various platforms is crucial for maximizing its reach and impact. This includes cross-posting on platforms like NASA Openscapes News (if relevant), sharing it on Slack in the #general channel, and posting on social media platforms such as Mastodon and Bluesky. Each platform offers a unique audience, and tailoring the message to fit each platform can significantly increase engagement. Promotion is not just about sharing the newsletter but also about encouraging conversation and feedback from the community.

Call to Action: Your Input Matters!

This newsletter is for you, the Openscapes community! We want to ensure it reflects your interests and provides valuable information. That's why we're actively seeking your input. Do you have any updates, announcements, or highlights you'd like to see included in the Fall 2025 Newsletter? Now is the time to share your ideas!

We've created a collaborative Google Document where you can add your suggestions: Fall 2025 Newsletter doc. This document is a central hub for all content planning and ensures that everyone’s contributions are considered. Whether it's a project update, a community event, or a resource you think others would find helpful, we encourage you to add it to the document.

Your input is crucial in making the newsletter a comprehensive and engaging resource for the entire Openscapes community. By sharing your insights and suggestions, you help us ensure that the newsletter is relevant, informative, and reflective of the diverse activities and achievements within Openscapes. We value your contributions and believe that a collaborative approach results in the best possible content.

In addition to adding content to the document, we also welcome feedback on the overall structure and format of the newsletter. Are there specific sections you find particularly useful? Are there any areas where you think we could improve? Your feedback helps us refine the newsletter and make it even more valuable to our readers. We're committed to creating a newsletter that meets the needs of our community, and your input is essential to achieving that goal.

Stay Tuned for More Updates

We’re super excited about the upcoming Fall 2025 Newsletter and the opportunity to share all the amazing things happening in the Openscapes community. Stay tuned for more updates as we progress towards our October 17th publishing goal. We’ll be sharing drafts and snippets along the way, so you can see the newsletter taking shape.

Remember, this newsletter is a collaborative effort, and your participation is key to its success. Keep an eye out for future announcements and calls for input. We value your contributions and look forward to creating a fantastic newsletter together.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out. You can add comments directly to the Google Document or contact us through our Slack channel or other communication channels. We’re always happy to hear from you and appreciate your involvement in the Openscapes community.

We can't wait to share the final version with you all! Let’s make this newsletter the best one yet!