Where do I send my news items?
Submit your news items using our online submission form. Please ensure your submission has been signed off by your manager, if required. If you have any questions or concerns about making a submission to Building Operations Weekly, email news.buildingops@ubc.ca.
What will happen when I submit my story or event?
After a quick review and edit, your submission will be published–usually within one or two business days. Please indicate on the submission form if your item is to be published on a specific date. Otherwise, your submission will automatically be immediately included in the news feed on the digital signs and on Tuesday in the e-newsletter. The e-newsletter summarizes the news and events submitted each week.
What is the submission deadline for the Tuesday Building Operations Weekly e-newsletters?
The best bet is to have your item submitted by end of day Friday before each email edition—but we’ll always try to work in things if we can.
What kinds of news or events are published?
Building Operations Weekly is designed to capture operational news for Building Operations employees. We include stories and events concerning Building Operations programs, departments, and projects as well as job changes and staff achievements.
To be published news and events must reflect one of the following criteria:
- Directly managed, produced, or hosted by Building Operations
- Sponsored by Building Operations in money or in kind
- Presented by Building Operations employees, to share their work at Building Operations with other organizations or professional groups
Examples of items include, stories highlighting team work, customer service, leadership and asset stewardship, Wellness Centre events, project updates, etc.
We do not directly publish posters, brochures, or other print items. We will link to them from a fully written story. To keep error to a minimum, we will not transcribe posters or brochures into Building Operations Weekly. That responsibility remains with you.
What is the word limit for news stories?
The suggested word limit is 50-100 words. If there’s a lot more to say, we may want to look at linking to a webpage or document will all of the in-depth information.
Do I need consent for photos?
If you include a photo of staff, faculty, or students with your story, you need to have written consent from each person in the photo.
Why should I send my news items to Building Operations Weekly when I can send them by email myself?
Broadcast emails about one news item or event clutter our mailboxes and waste a lot of people’s time to reach the few people who really need the information. The format of Building Operations Weekly, with its easy-to-scan headlines, allows staff to look for news or events that are relevant to them.
What are some tips for writing my news story?
The e-newsletters are sent to all staff across Building Operations, including trades, municipal, custodial, corporate staff, union leadership, and the list goes on…
There are many readers who may not have heard of your work. Write your story as though you are having a conversation with a friend or neighbour who doesn’t know what you do. You can do this by including a short summary of your program or service and eliminating as much jargon and as many acronyms as possible.
While you are writing your story, it is also good to keep in mind the 5 Ws of a news story:
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
- And often, how and how much
Your story should provide an opportunity for people engaged in similar projects or interested in similar issues to connect. Don’t forget to provide a link, either an email address or website, for readers to follow for more information.
Will my submissions appear in other publications?
Some stories that are of interest to other audiences will be considered for other publications, including:
- Our public website at www.ubc.ca
- UBC’s social media websites
- Information given by management in presentations, etc.
If your story is selected for one of these, the editor of that publication will contact you again to let you know that it has been re-published from Building Operations Weekly.