+++Text Email Newsletter Standard (TEN Standard), Version 1.1. ++ Section one: Introduction. This standard is designed to ease navigation of plain text email newsletters by all readers, including those using special access technologies. Its web site is: http://www.headstar.com/ten . It was developed by E-Access Bulletin, a free email newsletter on access to technology by visually impaired people, published by Headstar with RNIB. To subscribe email eab-subs@headstar.com or see the E-Access Bulletin web site: http://www.headstar.com/eab . For TEN Standard copyright and other background details see section three, ‘Notes’, in this document. [Introduction ends]. ++Section two: TEN Standard, Version 1.1 – Specification. +01: Use plain text only, for full compliance with this standard – never any graphics or images. You may produce other versions of your newsletter which do include graphics or HTML, as long as a plain text version is clearly offered as an alternative. +02: Avoid unusual characters. For example, spell out ‘per cent’ and currencies such as pounds or dollars rather than using their symbols. Only use ASCII symbols with decimal code numbers between 32 and 127. +03: Do not use bold, italics or underlining. Try to convey emphasis instead in your choice of words; or by using phrases such as ‘Please note:’ . +04: Make the first words of each issue the name of the newsletter, and the issue number and date. +05: Minimise any introductory or background text at the top of each issue, getting to the contents listing as soon as possible. Place most background or subsidiary information such as copyright and personnel credits at the end of the newsletter. +06: Have a contents section at the top, which uses precisely the same wording for story headlines as is used at the head of the stories themselves. Further explanatory information can be added here, as long as the precise headline is included first. +07: Divide the newsletter into clear sections, for example ‘News’ or ‘Opinion’, with each section beginning with a statement of the section number and name and ending with a marker in square brackets saying the section has ended, for example: [Section one ends]. or [Contents ends]. As shown here, the full stop or period that follows the end of this line (see also point +13 in this specification) should follow the square brackets, not be enclosed within them. +08: Use the + symbol to mark each section and story within a section. Use up to three levels of hierarchy: +++ at the very beginning of the document; ++ for a section heading; and + for a heading or headline beginning an individual article. As a variation to this principle, it is acceptable to use # (the ‘hash’ or ‘numeral sign’), but not to use * (the asterisk) because asterisks are often interpreted as a ‘wild card’ in a search. +09: Number all articles, including news and features, consecutively throughout the issue. These numbers should appear in the contents and then immediately after the + or # symbol at the beginning of each story headline, followed by a colon after the number and then straight into the headline. The first nine numbers should begin with a 0, e.g. 01 rather than 1, to allow unambiguous searching. +10: Do not use long lines of symbols – for example lines of asterisks – to mark divisions between sections of a newsletter. This visual device plays havoc with screen-readers, which have to read out each symbol individually. +11: Write all headlines in upper and lower case, sometimes known as ‘title case’, so that just the first letters of each word are in capitals. Or it is acceptable simply to use a single capital letter at the beginning of the heading. You should not write words all in capitals unless they are acronyms which are usually spelled in capitals, like ‘BBC’. +12: End all headlines and other headings with a full stop or period. +13: End all sentences and paragraphs with a full stop or period. If the last word is a web or email address (and this is not written in brackets) add a further space before adding a final full-stop or period. +14: Try to include web links within the body of stories in brackets immediately after the organisation or document to which they refer. +15: Even where web addresses are included within the body of a paragraph, place them on their own line. This allows screen reader users to skip immediately to the next line if they do not wish to listen to the web address. +16: If web addresses are listed at the end of a story, the full title of links should be included again. +17: Full internet addresses, for example including 'http://www' at the beginning, should be provided for links, as some email packages only recognise the full versions. +18: Never use <> tags for web addresses. +19: If you put an end note at the end of an article, for example with information about the author or a forthcoming relevant event or article, use a text signifier such as ‘Note:’ rather than a symbol, and particularly do not use an asterisk for the reason stated in point +08 of this specification. +20: Where possible, write compound words or phrases as separate words, for example saying 'home page' rather than 'homepage', as compound words can confuse screen readers and produce odd pronunciations. +21: If you make changes to your newsletter format from one issue to the next, mention what these are at the top of the issue for the next two issues at least. +22: Make the last line of the newsletter a closure statement in square brackets saying ‘newsletter ends’ or equivalent. +23: When sending out your newsletter, ensure you have your email software set to produce plain text emails and not rich text or HTML. [Section two ends]. ++ Section three: Copyright and notes. Copyright Headstar 2002-2004. This document may be reproduced freely as long as it is always reproduced in its entirety, including this copyright message, and as long as it is always distributed free of charge. Please always use the latest version of the standard, to be found at: http://www.headstar.com/ten . The standard will be periodically updated and improved according to the feedback we receive. Please email any comments or suggestions for changes or improvements to Dan Jellinek on dan@headstar.com . Organisation and individuals who produce email newsletters and who adhere to this standard or the majority of its specifications are encouraged to ‘sign up’ to the TEN Standard. To do this simply email a copy of your newsletter to: ten-standard@headstar.com . We also ask that you include a link to the TEN Standard home page somewhere at the end of your newsletters. A list of all our signatories will be published at the standard’s web page: http://www.headstar.com/ten . [End of notes]. [Document ends].