Beginning with the 2010 edition, the American Go Yearbook will be published as a full-color PDF with clickable links, rather than the hard-copy edition as previously. The American Go Association Board of Directors recently approved the change as a cost-saving move. “The AGA’s budget has been under severe strain because of the twin financial impacts of declining membership and the loss of the longtime and generous Ing support for go in the U.S.” said AGA President Allan Abramson. “Without the significant budget savings realized by eliminating the Yearbook printing and postage costs – which constitute the majority of the $14,000 in annual Yearbook expenses, we would be faced with drastic – and unacceptable — cuts in support for key events at the annual Congress as well as a range of go activities across the country,”said Abramson. “Yearbook and E-Journal Editor Chris Garlock has impressively demonstrated the advantages of new electronic publishing platforms, providing greater flexibility, active links, and faster publishing times,” as demonstrated with last week’s full-color PDF Special Report on this year’s U.S. Go Congress as well as the similar WAGC Special Report earlier this year. Garlock noted that the Yearbook printing/postage savings with enable the AGA to continue financing quality Yearbook and EJ content for members, including new features like top professional Michael Redmond’s game commentaries. The E-Journal also launched an RSS feed and daily short edition of the E-Journal several months ago that’s been gaining in popularity with readers who want to stay on top of breaking go news from around the world. “At the same time, the AGA is looking into a ‘print-on-demand’ option for those members who prefer a hard copy of the Yearbook,” Abramson said.
