Off to another great year

Betcha didn’t think you’d get me, this week huh? Well, it’s time for my annual, “thank you,” “pep talk,” and “how-to-get-your-religion-stuff-in-the-paper” column.

I can’t believe I’m starting my seventh year as religion editor. I have met so many nice people over the past seven years, many who have become my “regular” contributors to the religion section. I really appreciate them. They have gotten better and better at what they do and sometimes it takes very little tweaking or editing to get their stories ready for print.

But, just in case you’re new, here are some tips on how to submit your religion news to us for publication.

The best way to submit news these days is via e-mail. Just type the article into an e-mail document, address it to me (jkilgore@thecitizen.com) and hit the “send” button. If you have a photo to go along with the story, attach it in jpeg format (saved at a resolution of no less than 100 dpi — 300 dpi is preferred) and send it along with the e-mail. Easy as pie and your info will be processed almost immediately, since all my Citizen e-mail is automatically sent to me at home. There, I am JodieK444@aol.com, so if you get a reply back, it will be from that address.

For those who are curious, “Jodie” was the name of my late, great German Shepherd, and “4” is my favorite number.

The second most desirable way to send news is by “snail” mail, or via the U.S. Post Office. Address the envelope to The Citizen, P.O. Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214. Enclose photos if you like.

The third way to send news is via FAX. Our number here is 770-719-1976. You may send announcements, but not photos.

Now, a word about photos. The most common problem I’ve had with photos this year is the omission of the names of the people in them. And I mean all of them ... everybody in the photo must be identified or we can’t publish it. Name all the persons, first and last names, from left to right, front row to back row.

And last, but certainly not least, please be sure and send your news well before the deadline. The absolute deadline for religion news is Monday at noon for the following Wednesday’s paper. Remember, also, that everything runs on a space available basis and early info gets first whack. The above applies to wedding, engagement and birth announcements also.

Again, thank you all for making my job a delight to do. Here’s to a great 2006!