This article originally published in Self-Service World magazine, Jan/Feb 2006.
The occasion of a new year is a mixed blessing for journalists. On one hand, we have a dandy slate of story themes handed to us. Not sure what to write about? Discuss the year ahead. Or the year behind. Predictions. Bests and worsts.The not-so-great part is that the themes tempt writers to cliché. I hope that is a sin I do not commit by spending a few inches thanking the people who made 2005 a great year for the magazine, and on whom I will lean heavily in 2006.
Francie Mendelsohn, Summit Research Associates. Francie has been a friend to our company for years, always responding quickly to requests for interviews and giving top-notch presentations for our shows. In 2005, she served as a judge for the Kiosk Awards, and I know she also judged the Photo Kiosk Shootout at the Photo Marketing Association show in Orlando. Thanks, Francie.
Kerry Bodine and Tamara Mendelsohn, Forrester Research. Each issue, either of these self-service experts submits a piece focusing on their extensive research into the industry and kiosk deployments. At The Self-Service & Kiosk Show in San Francisco, Kerry gave one of the highest-rated presentations. Tamara served as a judge for the 2005 Kiosk Awards. We appreciate their contributions, and know our magazine is better because of them.
James Bickers, editor, SelfServiceWorld.com and KioskMarketplace.com. James has covered self-service technology for our company for about a year, and each issue of the magazine he contributes at least one story and several ideas. His star in the industry is rising.
Our readers. Over the past 12 months, we have been thrilled with the number of people from terrific companies who request to be added to our mailing list. I wish more of them would get in touch, however, with story ideas or other feedback. My e-mail is josephg@networldalliance.com. Drop me a line sometime.
Our advertisers. We extend hearty thanks for their support, and are grateful they recognize the value of our editorial mission to provide the best in news, trends and commentary to the self-service end-market. In case you missed my column last issue, permit me a word about the new name. This edition is the first to be called Self-Service World magazine. The change reflects the fact that self-service isn't just about kiosks anymore. The kiosk remains an integral part of self-service technology, but many more tools are helping customers help themselves: Digital signage RFID and POS improvements, to name just a few. The new name reflects a new reality. We aim to do it justice.
