Every Friday afternoon for the last 6 years, the Isle of Sark email newsletter (*) has dropped into my in-box.
It occurred to me that this perhaps little known publication is worthy of more attention, especially as it has quietly pioneered good email design and podcasting for probably longer than many much larger operations and undoubtedly operates with far fewer resources.
So what’s good about it? For a start, it has never missed a Friday in 6 years, as far as I can tell. That takes some stamina. Not only generating the copy, but the MP3 version has to be recorded too. As a means of serving the information needs of a small community (both the 600 indigenous population and those, like me, who have an interest in the place), then you can’t really fault it. Even more remarkable when you realise that the whole thing is produced by one person – namely resident Sark
journalist, Jennifer Cochrane. She also finds time to edit Sark’s only newspaper, ‘La Vouair
de Sercq’.
Perhaps some lessons could be learned by more established publishers and marketers.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, Captain Teers’ Skull and Crossbones
Challenge – or the 1.10 pm race – was won by No. 5, Oak Frame, out
of West Wind by Rupert, owned by the Sark Building Company.
(*) My interest in Sark stems from the fact that my wife grew up there – my mother-in-law has been resident for over 40 years – and we try and get over there at least once a year.