O ne of the benefits of membership in HAL-PC is the HAL-PC Magazine, which is a nationally recognized publication in both a printed and an on-line version. This top-quality magazine features:

• columns about the Internet, industry events, mobile computing, and frequently asked questions,
• timely articles on computer topics,
• hardware and software reviews,
• information about special events, class schedules,
• the SIG calendar and SIG Log,
• and the help committee.

Published since 1986, the Magazine is produced by a completely volunteer staff. To advertise, contact the HAL-PC office staff at 713-993-3322.

Writers: How to prepare an article for the HAL-PC Magazine

The Magazine is delighted to consider articles and software/hardware reviews from members. Please remember that we would like to publish all the fine articles/reviews received; however, space and editorial breadth may preclude an article being published in any one particular issue. It may be better suited to a later time. Articles are due the 15th of the prior month to publication; e.g., October 15th for the December issue. There are two basic methods to submit your article: you can "attach" it to a message that you send to brosen@hal-pc.org or you can e-mail mfoster@hal-pc.org for instructions on how to upload the article or graphics to the FTP site.

Technical Stuff

1. Save your file in one of the following formats (in order of preference): WinWord 2000 or later, WordPerf 5.1 (DOS or WIN), or .RTF, or .TXT files (with line breaks).
2. You may imbed graphics in your article, or save them in a separate file and let us know where each one goes in your article.
3. Use only the following formatting: One inch margins, single space, left justification, bold, and/or italic and no other. Please do not use full justification, center, TABs, indents, very wide right margin, large font sizes (keep all copy the same size) and NO hard returns, EXCEPT at the end of a paragraph. [For former typewriter users, use only one space after a period at the end of a sentence and after a comma.]
4. Turn off "hot links” and "fast save" in Microsoft Word.
   

Other stuff
Please include a title and a subtitle, your name, a contact phone, and a short bio in which you might state your SIG, or business title, or contact phone and e-mail address. Many of your readers may be unfamiliar with a specialized term or acronym, so the first time you use an unfamiliar term or "initials", give a brief description or spell it out in adjacent parentheses.

Length
A typical one-page article is 850-1200 words. The Magazine reserves the right to edit for clarity, length, and style. Any article printed in the Magazine may be reprinted in another user group publication.
The author and HAL-PC will be credited in the reprint; other user groups are not required to obtain prior permission or provide notification.

Copyright 1996-2005 © by Houston Area League of PC Users, Inc. (HAL-PC) All rights reserved. No part of HAL-PC Magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means—including, but not limited to, photocopying, recording, or information storage/retrieval, without express written permission from HAL-PC. However, articles may be reprinted without permission by other user groups provided the articles are reprinted unaltered and the publication acknowledges the author thereof and HAL-PC.

E-mail me at mfoster@hal-pc.org with any comments you have and tell me what you want to see here.