|
|
|
| Letter from the Editor |
 |
 |
Fall 2004
Welcome to BLR's new corporate website, another step in our mission to get you to the information you need as quickly as possible and in the format you want! Over the last several months BLR has developed many new products and services to enable us to better serve your needs. We continue to strive to meet your needs, and we've certainly made some great strides this year to achieving that goal! Take a look at some of the highlights so far:
New Corporate Website:
BLR's new corporate website is vastly improved to help you find the resources and information you need, when you need it. Our wide array of products and services are now much easier to identify and find on the basis of many criteria so that you can easily and quickly find what you need:
- By Market (HR, Compensation, Safety, Environment)
- By Format (print, Internet, CD, video, download, CBT, etc.)
- By Topic (FMLA, Hazard Communication, Waste, etc.)
- By new, best seller, and award winning categories
We've also improved our shopping cart and customer account pages to improve your online shopping efficiency and ease of use.
New Online Services:
This past year has been a busy one as we've endeavored to address your needs for comprehensive tools and analysis via the Internet. We've launched or significantly improved major subscription sites in each of our core markets. These services provide one-stop shopping of federal and state plain-English analysis, customizable tools, and daily news developments to make your job easier. Check them out!
New Custom Solutions Services:
We recognize that corporate organizations, professional associations, and trade groups and other organizations have broader needs such as private-labeled Web sites, integrated data feeds for corporate intranets, and other needs for integrated content solutions. As a result, we've set up our custom solutions page and hired a Manager of Alternate Channels to address these needs. Find out more about BLR's custom solutions.
New eZines:
I'm also excited to announce that we've launched two new, free eZines to provide timely, helpful news and information. These eZines already have thousands of subscribers, and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive!
- HR Strange but True - funny, crazy, often unbelievable stories that every HR professional can laugh about, learn from, and use to keep their HR challenges in perspective! Weekly.
- Safety Training Tips - training reminders, detailed pointers, and industry insights on your day-to-day training needs, challenges and issues, covering topics you train on frequently - so that you can keep your training fresh, interesting, and in compliance. Weekly.
New Products:
We've responded to new rules and other emerging issues with additional services:
New Awards:
This year, we've been honored with three prestigious awards for our online services, reflecting the quality of our tools and analysis, as well as the overall usability of the sites:
- Safety.BLR.com -- Gold Award winner for Most Innovative Use of the Medium by an Online Subscription Newsletter or Website, 2003 Online Publications Awards Competition.
- Safety.BLR.com –- Winner of the Compliance Magazine 2004 Commitment to Worker Safety Award in the category of Online Services
- Enviro.BLR.com -- Finalist, Best Online Tax or Government Information Service, 2004 Codie Awards conducted by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).
RSS Feeds:
To enable you to provide BLR's daily news and analysis, BLR now offers free, daily-updated feeds of HR and Safety news that you can add to your own website.
Using a simple form, you can customize the appearance of the news feed to fit in with your website. Select the category of news (HR or Safety), the format (headlines only or headlines and summaries), and a few other criteria, and you've got an instant data feed customized for your site! Set up an RSS feed for yourself.
Audioconferences:
We've responded to the need for timely information and interactive training via cost-effective audioconferences, and have conducted over five audioconferences so far this year, including ones addressing:
- FLSA Rule Changes
- OSHA's Top 10 Violations
- Workplace Harassment
- HIPAA
If you missed these audioconferences, we offer the archives of the audio portion and the handouts. We will continue to cover timely issues with experts in the field via this cost effective informational vehicle.
In conclusion…
A lot has been accomplished in 2004, and it's not even over yet! These new products and services are intended to serve you better. We at BLR, and I personally, take pride in the quality, accuracy, and value of the information provided to our customers. Furthermore, we are constantly striving to better serve your needs and I recognize there is always room for improvement! Should you have any suggestions for new products or recommendations on how we can improve, please don't hesitate to contact me at pcarter-ward@blr.com.
We are proud of the many new products and services we've released this year. Please tell us what you think.
Sincerely,
Margaret A. Carter-Ward
Editor in Chief
Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
|
|
