Beginning this month, Phlebotomy Today will be transitioning to something more akin to a blog. Don't let that concern you, You'll still receive the same high-quality articles, impeccably researched information, and standards-based advice you've been enjoying since 2000, including my popular From the Editor's Desk columns. You'll just be receiving them a little differently. Not only that, but the writing will be much more like a conversation between you and me than the technical dissertations I've been writing.

You may not realize it, but Phlebotomy Today has always been a blog, technically speaking. I've just been making it look more like a newsletter. Each month, my practice was to create up to nine posts in a blogging web site you don't even get to see. Instead of making the site public, I'd compile them into one email, all attractively assembled beneath the Phlebotomy Today masthead and send the compilation out to you as an "issue." It worked for me and I know it's been working for you due to the massive readership Phlebotomy Today has enjoyed over the years. Beginning this month, though, I'll be making the blog page public and sending each post to you as I write them. You can opt out of the notifications any time, and still access the public page, but I don't think you'll want to. It's the content you crave, and you'll probably still want to receive it regularly in your inbox rather than to have to go looking for it.

Why the change? Three reasons. First, it provides you with instant access to breaking developments in the industry. You will no longer have to wait until the next month to get the scoop on what's newsworthy and relevant to your day-to-day responsibilities. Secondly, it gives me the flexibility I've been needing for some time now. Without a monthly deadline to put out an "issue," I can post new and topical material immediately instead of cramming everything into the first week of every month, consuming about three full days of focused creativity whether the timing was convenient for me or not.
      Thirdly, and probably the biggest reason, is that I want to write in a style that's less technical and more conversational. I'm a creative writer at heart, and I need to let my voice run unharnessed by the constraints and conventions of purely technical (read "stodgy") writing. You can expect my future articles to be more conversational, personable, and light-hearted; still packed with solid information to help you do what you do best but a lot more enjoyable for me to write.

The Phlebotomy Today blog, no longer a newsletter, will begin in a matter of days. There is nothing you need to do during this transition. Your experience as a subscriber will not change much except that instead of getting one large "issue" each month, you'll get single articles emailed to you once or twice a week as I write them. Of course, you'll still get no more than two promos of our products each month, just as you have been. I hope that's still okay. That's how I can continue writing good, reliable information for you to implement and enjoy, and I appreciate your accepting the information in exchange. 

There's one additional change I think you'll like. Each article emailed to you will have a link taking you to my blog where it also resides, providing you to comment on the article and interact with other subscribers. Building that community is a benefit I really like, and I think you will, too. 

As always, it's an honor to serve you. Send any comments or article ideas to me at [email protected].

Respectfully,

Dennis J. Ernst Mt(ASCP), NCPT(NCCT)
Editor