Welcome to the latest incarnation of OnTrack, ZingTrain's training-oriented newsletter! We've been publishing OnTrack - in one form or another - since the spring of 1999. The original OnTrack was a stand-alone piece. More recently, we've been wrapping OnTrack around the ZingTrain brochure. And now OnTrack is an electronic publication.

Despite the changing format, our vision for OnTrack has stayed the same: providing a vehicle for ZingTrain to stay connected with our clients, and to help our clients stay connected to each other. We are always delighted and excited by the energy that is generated by the participants in each ZingTrain seminar and the creative ideas that result from getting like-minded organizations together. OnTrack is one way that we seek to maintain that energy, even when everyone involved is no longer in the same physical location.

Our decision to publish OnTrack electronically is driven by several factors. First and foremost is the increasing number of readers who have asked for electronic, rather than paper, correspondence. You've told us that you like to hear from us, but that you don't want to have so much paper to throw away. And we are also conscious of wanting to reduce the amount of paper that we generate.

As many of you know, Zingerman's Community of Businesses has recently documented our vision for the year 2020 (see ZingTools.) One key element of that vision is the use of Intentional Technology - not just using technology for technology's sake, but rather using the technology that is most appropriate for the task at hand - and an e-news format seems to us a good, intentional technology change for OnTrack.

But we want to know what you think as well. What would YOU like to see in upcoming issues of OnTrack? Are there features (technical or content-related) that you would like to have us consider? Do you have an example of an e-newsletter that you find especially readable or user-friendly that we should check out to get ideas? We are always happy to hear from you and love the fact that many of you email us with updates and/or questions from time to time. Let's keep the exchange of ideas flowing!

Write to us anytime at zingtrain@zingermans.com.