Order, please

When I find time to fill this space, I usually write about all things with a convergence slant. And I suppose I can argue that this column is related, but instead of writing about the technology, I'd like to discuss how EDN can best use technology to interact with you, the reader. We're looking at a host of new online- and Web-centric ideas, and I'd like to know what you might prefer. I'd like to lay out a menu and let you—our biggest asset—order, telling me how we can best work together.

Let's start with Webcasts. Many people, including vendors and the media, are doing Webcasts. And I think Webcasts hold great potential but are rarely realizing that potential thus far. We have some really good ideas for editorial presentations, ranging from IP security to memory technologies to power issues, that we might stream to you. We know from research that such topics interest many readers, but we don't know how you feel about a streaming Web presentation.

Does video enhance a Webcast when the images are primarily of people talking? Do panel discussions work for you when they are presented via the Web? Do you mind advancing PowerPoint slides yourself, or should all presentations be synchronized and self-timed? How much time can you afford to dedicate to viewing a Webcast?

Now consider content questions. EDN has always concentrated on the design task. In a Webcast, do you prefer only design-centric information? Are you interested in market data from the analyst side of our business? Are head-to-head vendor debates of interest? Would you rather hear from vendors or perhaps from other designers that may have faced the problems facing you?

Do you like live Webcasts from places such as the show floor at a conference? In cases in which presenters take questions via e-mail, do you make an effort to catch the Webcast live, or do you watch the archive on your lunch hour or whenever you can find the time?

And not all of our ideas are Webcast-oriented. We already push vertical newsletters to many of you. Do you like e-mail newsletters? Are we on solid ground shipping an HTML newsletter to the majority and offering text as an alternative format for those who request text? What kind of content would you like us to include in e-mail newsletters? What can we do that really adds to our formula for the magazine?

Finally, what do you think about electronic delivery of the magazine itself? Have you had a chance to experiment with one of the electronic-delivery platforms? Would you always prefer a print copy? If we could push stories to your PDA, would you like that?

I realize that I'm asking many open-ended questions. And the only way you can respond is by writing to me with answers in narrative form. I know a survey might have been easier for you. But narratives sent to me via e-mail have in the past contained the best feedback from you. So please take a few minutes, and, as my favorite sports-talk host says: "Bust me out an e-mail," and tell me what you think. The first 10 of you to e-mail me with your thoughts will receive free tickets to EDN's Design Day at the Embedded Processor Forum on Monday, June 16. See www.mdronline.com/epf/seminars.html#5 for more information.

Contact me at mgwright@edn.com.