AUGI will soon introduce significant, positive changes to its venerable newsletter, AUGI HotNews. These changes will result in more relevant, targeted content for all AUGI members, regardless of their industry. And we are requesting your input into the process.

One becomes three
AUGI will soon begin publishing three editions of AUGI HotNews, each filled with technical advice and solutions, but with an emphasis toward a specific industry (and corresponding Autodesk product line).

"Our primary goal as an organization is to provide direct assistance to users of Autodesk products” says Richard Binning, AUGI president. What better way to provide that assistance than to organize around industries or disciplines in providing articles, tips and tricks, and other such information? This has the added benefit of reducing the 'noise' our members have to wade through to get to the meaningful content being provided."

While AUGI will publish multiple editions each month, members will continue to receive only one monthly newsletter, containing the content most appropriate for them. Information provided in members' AUGI profiles will be used to determine which edition they receive. The three editions will be targeted to Manufacturing, AEC, and General, for those users not fitting neatly into either the Manufacturing or AEC classifications.

AutoCAD coverage continues
Recognizing that AutoCAD remains the product used by the majority of AUGI members, AUGI will continue to carry AutoCAD tips and tricks and how-to articles from "regular" columnists and feature writers such as Richard Binning, Chris Lindner, and Mark Kiker, among others.

The challenge to members
AUGI HotNews premiered in 2000 and initially delivered CAD industry and AUGI organizational news. Over the years, AUGI membership has indicated a strong interest in "how-to" and "tips" technical articles. Thus, over time, the "newsletter" has evolved into a true monthly technical publication. As the AUGI publishing team looked toward the upcoming changes and plans for future incarnations, it began to consider whether a name change was warranted—one that more clearly reflected the publication's content.

Chris Lindner, AUGI HotNews manager and vice president of the AUGI Board of Directors, states, "After throwing around a few of our own ideas, the Board decided to let the AUGI members decide... do we retain the AUGI HotNews moniker or launch this exciting new publication under a new name?"

So here is the challenge: In a week or so you will receive an important AUGI Bulletin requesting your input on this issue. The BIG question is: Do we retain the AUGI HotNews name or do we rename the publication? And, if you agree that it should bear a new name, you are further challenged to suggest one. We eagerly await your input!

Share your expertise
As always, AUGI invites its members to share their expertise by writing for AUGI. Chris Lindner, whose works have been published in AUGI HotNews since its inception, comments, "The articles in AUGI publications represent fresh information, straight from the experiences of other members using the same software and dealing with the same issues as other readers. As the AUGI forums show, many of you have valuable information that other members can benefit from. Volunteering to write an article or two or a series of articles is a great way to 'give back' to AUGI, to share what you've learned. Plus, it's great exposure—imagine being published in an e-newsletter that is distributed to more than 75,000 AUGI members!"

Talk back
AUGI looks forward to providing its members with fresh, relevant, technical content in the pages of all AUGI publications. As always, your comments are welcome. If you’d like to discuss this change or if you have ideas or suggestions for the editorial content in any AUGI publication, please click on the discussion link at the bottom of this page.

(Discuss this Article! in the HotNews Discussion Forums.)