Betty's List Description, Rates & Style

Description of Betty's List -

The Betty's List e-mail service was originally created in 1996 by Dr. Betty L. Sullivan as a means to announce events and activities for the LGBT communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. Since then, Betty's List has been selected by non-profit organizations, community groups, small businesses and individuals to help spread the word about educational, social, philanthropic programs and events as well as services and products.

Betty's List includes more than 8000 subscribers with a reach of 10,000-15,000 contacts per message. List subscribers include lesbian, gay bisexual, and transgender contacts as well as their non-gay family members, friends and colleagues. Business owners, civic leaders and media contacts also rely on Betty's List for information about the LGBT market and the news and events of interest to their customers, readers and viewers.

The Betty's List web page was officially launched in conjunction with Betty's 50th Birthday Party on April 27, 2003. The event, a benefit for the Lesbian Health Research Center @ UCSF, raised more than $ 65,000.

Who Are Betty's List Subscribers?

Subscribers to Betty's list are 75-80 % lesbians, 15-20% gay men and an additional 5% others. More than 95% of subscribers are located in San Francisco and the surrounding counties of the East Bay ( Alameda , Contra Costa), North Bay (Marin, Napa , Sonoma ) and South Bay ( San Mateo , Santa Clara , Santa Cruz ). An additional 5% are friends, relatives, neighbors and service-providers.

In addition, less than 1% includes those in other states and nations who have subscribed as a means of keeping up with what is going on in the Bay Area.

Betty's List heavily attracts subscribers who are successful professionals, business owners and others who actively participate in philanthropic and political activities. Also participating are LGBT community members from all walks of life and age groupings. Our subscribers are active people. They enjoy travel, dining out, vacations and recreation activities. The majority are from two-income households without children. Parenting is recognized as a growing trend; however, the majority either have no children or if they do, they are usually self-supporting adult children who live elsewhere.

The highest concentration of subscribers are those between 30 and 55. On average, between 20 and 30 new subscribers are added to Betty's List each week.

Betty's List is an e-mail service of Sullivan Communications, Inc., a full-service, lesbian-owned business based in San Francisco and located in The Castro neighborhood. Those wishing to subscribe or unsubscribe may do so at any time using the web site: <http://www.bettyslist.com>.

What Is the Betty's List LGBT Community Directory?

In addition to the on-going e-mail announcement service, the Betty's List web site is the home of the Betty's list LGBT Community Business Directory. The Directory continues to grow at a rapid rate with new listings added every month and announced in the mid-month “In The Spotlight / What's New On Betty's List” e-mail message. The Directory includes listings of professional services, products & merchandise, travel and recreation opportunities, non-profit groups and more.

The cost of a listing in the Directory is $300 / 12-months. Discounts for two or more listings are available. Please inquire.

The Betty's List web site includes the following:

•  Acknowledgement of Betty's List Sponsors –

Betty's List Signature Sponsor is California State Automobile Association, AAA Nevada, AAA Utah. Other sponsors acknowledged on the Betty's List home page include those providing support for events and special projects of Betty's List.

•  Columns by LGBT Community Members –

Betty's List continues to add original articles by invited columnists, including restaurant reviews, humor, legal issues, science, philanthropy & volunteerism, news about town and others.

•  LGBT Community Calendar -

The charge for posting of an event on the Betty's List LGBT Community Calendar is $25 per date. It is possible to negotiate a package rate for this service.

•  LGBT Community Message Board

Post your Classifieds, Personals, opinions and other comments free of charge.

•  E-Mail Message Archive -

An archive of more than 500 e-mail announcements sent on Betty's List between January of 2003 and the present is available using the link in the left menu on the Betty's List home page.

- Spotlight Message -

A link to the monthly “In The Spotlight / What's New On Betty's List” announcement is easily located near the ‘spotlight' graphic on the home page.

•  Featured Events –

Each month Betty's List features one or more specially selected events with an announcement, graphic and/or link to other information.

•  Photo Gallery -

Betty frequently attends LGBT Community events. A photo gallery of shots from events, outings and other goings-on can be accessed using the left menu.

Betty's List Rate Information

E-Mail Services Standard Rates –

The Betty's List e-mail service of Sullivan Communications, Inc. is a business operating in San Francisco and subject to costs associated with doing business in the Bay Area. We are unable to meet the frequent requests for free e-mail services received from non-profit organizations, informal social or political groups, small businesses and individuals. Requests for discounted rates will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The standard rates ( cost / value ) are as follows:

$500 per message for-profit / commercial

$ 250 per message non-profit discounted rate (proof of 501c3 status may be requested)

The ‘rate' covers the ‘use of the subscriber list, software and web services' required to send a message to Betty's List. The subscriber list, software and web technology are handled only by Betty's List personnel. The list and technology are never released, shared or sold.

Editorial Services –

The writing, editing and researching services of Dr. Betty L. Sullivan are available at the rate of $150 / hour. On a case-by-case basis, the charge for these services may be waived.

Other Services -

Betty's List does offer addtional promotional opportunities. Please inquire.

Scheduling & Content of E-Mails -

Scheduling of E-Mails -

Betty's List attempts to meet the requested date for sending an e-mail announcement to the. To do so, the preferred date, when possible, should be requested at least two weeks prior. If the requested date is not available, Betty's List makes every attempt to provide the next most desirable date.

Content of E-Mails -

The content of all e-mails sent on Betty's List is subject to review by the list editor, Dr. Betty Sullivan, who has the final determination on style, wording and topic statement.

Betty's List does not send messages that advertise overt sexual content or which contain content that is offensive.

The content of Betty's List messages is also subject to the capabilities of the software system's ‘text only' format. For example, the use of color, over-sized text, underlining, Italics and boldface are not currently possible.

Betty's List is exploring the use of html format e-mail messages. When this becomes available, there will be a surcharge added to the cost of e-mail announcements to cover the additional labor cost necessary for html programming.

Approvals Process -

The Betty's List approvals process requires that the ‘client' for whom a message is sent does review the message content and send a reply by e-mail giving her/his final approval. It is the client's responsibility to inform Betty's List of any errors or typos during the approval process and before the message is distributed. Messages are not repeated due to errors or typos that are identified after a message is sent to Betty's List subscribers.

Betty's List does attempt to follow the AP (Associated Press) Style to the extent possible. Betty's List style does restrict the use of 'all caps' in announcements to those in acronyms and abbreviations, such as the following:

NOW (National Organization for Women)

AGOG (A Group of Groups)

SF ( San Francisco )

Betty's List style also restricts the use of asterisks, dashes, exclamation points and other marks of punctuation and expression. Betty's List does not use 'emoticons' or lingo commonly used in e-mail chat such as "lol" for "laughing out loud" or a combination of symbols such as: ;-)).

E-Mail Text Structure -

Betty's List does use a particular sequence in the statement of information about events: name of event, date and times, location and address, etc. Examples of the preferred text structure are available by reviewing previously sent announcements in the E-Mail Message Archive located in the left menu on the Betty's List home page www.bettyslist.com. Questions are welcomed.

As in all matters of style and linguistic usage, there are occasions when exceptions apply. The Betty's List Editor is the final arbiter on all matters of style and content.

Competitive Restrictions -

Betty's List also may, on occasion, restrict information related to events or activities determined to be in direct competition to those of Betty's List, Sullivan Communications, Inc. and/or Betty & Ann Present . . . This is determined by review on a case-by-case basis.

An example situation might be if Betty's List or Betty & Ann Present . . . have an event scheduled and a request is made for Betty's List to promote a competing event on the same date. Each request is considered independently and restrictions are rare.

Contact Information

Betty's List
Sullivan Communications Inc.
E-mail: BettyS@bettyslist.com
Phone: 415-503-1375
Fax: 415-503-1389
Web: http://www.bettyslist.com

Mailing Address:

Betty's List
Sullivan Communications, Inc.
2261 Market Street, #309
San Francisco, CA 94114