A commitment, and a request

As copies of this issue roll off the press and make their way to you, copies of our 2001 editorial calendar also will be newly printed.

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We use the annual editorial calendar as a guide by which we serve your information needs throughout the year. Through consultation-both formal and informal-with you, our readers, we pinpoint the subjects you most want to hear about. Then we do our best to cover those subjects in a format that lets you read our magazine today, and use the information tomorrow to help you in your job. That is our charter, and we rely on your feedback to ensure we are staying the course.

One element of the magazine that our readers have told us is enjoyable and useful is the case study. Over the years, this magazine has told the stories of dozens of these real-life cabling projects. Our aim has always been, and continues to be, relating these case studies to your everyday tasks and assignments, and helping you do your jobs by showing you how others have approached challenges similar to yours.

We have taken a slightly different approach to our 2001 editorial calendar than we have before, in that we have committed to publishing at least one case study each month. Previously, we ran case studies regularly, but did not necessarily schedule them each month. For 2001, we have also committed to monthly topics for case studies. Boxed below is the list of topics that we will cover in case-study format next year.

The list is as varied as you might have expected, from the very specific product category of media converters to the wide-ranging topic of structured cabling systems. I present this list of topics to you not only as a heads-up about what you will see from us next year, but also as a call for your input. In addition to having your eyes on our magazine next year, why not take the opportunity to have your name in it? If you design or install cabling systems, you must have more than a few stories to tell the world. Likewise, if you are an end user who has recently managed a cabling-system installation or upgrade, your viewpoint is valuable.

We know that the 23,000-plus professionals reading our magazine every month have countless stories to tell about how to, and how not to, carry out cabling projects. Take this month's Design Feature as an example. The author, William N. Farhood, Jr., contacted me several months ago to let me know about a project he was working on. From his description of the job, we on the magazine's staff determined that it would make an informative story that could benefit our readership. Covering both the technical and the business aspects of the new cabling installation at Dimensional Fund Advisors, this story serves as a good example of the glamorous and not-so-glamorous aspects of a real cabling project.

Specifically, we saw several characteristics in Mr. Farhood's story that make it appropriate for our readers. The story is told by an individual who was heavily involved in the project-someone who could answer follow-up questions about it. It gives specific explanations of why certain approaches, technologies, and products were chosen, and puts those choices into an appropriate perspective. It also comes right out and says, "Here are some tips that might help you if you are in a similar situation." That is what we mean about "usefulness."

So when you see that a case study in our June 2001 issue will cover media converters, be assured the story will not cover just media converters. We will do all we can to ensure you, our readers, get a well-rounded, well-balanced article that will at least keep you informed, and hopefully be of assistance in your professional life.

Finally, please be aware that by no means are we restricted to the 12 case-study topics listed here. If you have a story that you know can benefit our readership, but does not fall into one of the 12 topics for 2001, let us know anyway. Those topics are the minimum that we will provide to you next year. Exactly how many case studies you see in our pages in 2001 is, at least partially, up to you.

Case-study topics for 2001