An Anniversary!

April marked our one year anniversary of servicing Cape Ann and the North Shore!

Actually, Cove Communications was established in November of 1994. After the business plans and other paperwork were finalized, we set up our main office in Salem, in January of 1995.

We then invested the next three months developing and stabilizing the network.

It has never been our ambition to grow rapidly, In fact during our first year we did not even advertise our services! Our business has grown exclusively from personal contacts and subscriber referrals. Our customer base continues to grow at a very healthy rate.

We sincerely appreciate your patronage, will maintain our strong commitment to personalized service, and look forward to serving you in the upcoming years.

Have You Noticed?

Our newsletter has a new look!

(NOTE: This was the first newsletter showing our newsletter masthead which is still in use today. - ed)

Thanks to Kerry Karner, we now have a new banner and layout for our newsletter. Kerry worked for us as a computer graphics intern from Montserrat College of Art during this past semester. She also helped us scan literally hundreds of photographs of our region which will be displayed throughout the year.

Kerry recently graduated and has moved to Connecticut to pursue her career. Best wishes to Kerry in her future endeavors!

This Month's Billing...

Please note that your enclosed bill is for two billing periods: June and July. Our billing process was delayed due to a change in accounting software packages, so we were unable to send out our subscriber billing for June. As you know, we bill in advance for our service, so your enclosed bill is for this month and next month. We apologize for any confusion this delayed billing may cause.

TimeCheck Hours...

We have decided to postpone billing subscribers for additional hours identified through the TimeCheck Form for several reasons.

The grand majority of our subscribers do not exceed their monthly usage allotments. We have also discovered that most subscribers showing excessive use have not been logging off the system correctly. Subscribers who do not disconnect from the system are seen by the system as still logged in - using hours of connect time. We will be calling these subscribers and advising them of the proper way to disconnect.

A New Server

We've recently developed a new web-server named marina.cove.com. This server was developed to allow our subscribers to upload their own personal web pages. Anyone interested in uploading personal home pages can call (or e-mail) the office for instructions.

New Faces

We have hired several new people at The Cove.

Our new marketing manager, John Trefry, has many years of expertise in marketing our region through his position at the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. John is also a senior at Salem State College completing his degree in Communications. He will become the editor of this newsletter in the near future. John has already proven himself to be a strong asset to the company, and we look forward to a continued successful relationship.

Gordon Burgess is our new installation technician and customer service representative. We have already received several letters from new subscribers praising his expertise and diligence. On one installation, he had NYNEX replace the telephone wires for four blocks, just so a subscriber could get a satisfactory connection!

Danielle Antonelli is our new staff photographer. She is responsible for capturing the images of our region's landmarks and events. Examples of her work can already be found on our pages.

North of Boston On-line - Revisited

There have been many changes to the fundamental concept of our on-line magazine - North of Boston On-line - over the past several months.

What was once to be a simple experiment in electronic journalism has blossomed into a professional publishing endeavor. Peter Homan, from the Salem Evening News, has accepted the position of editor of this quarterly e-zine. His extensive contacts in the fields of photography and journalism should make this publication a significant contribution to our region.

Peter anticipates the first edition coming on-line on the Fourth of July. This will be the first electronic magazine covering the artistic and cultural aspects of the North Shore and Cape Ann ever to be published on the Internet. It is our goal to make this publication known throughout the world, thereby helping to promote our region's tourism industry.

Internet Training

Classes will be held only once a month during the summer for Internet training. The next class to be held at the Hard Disk Cafe in Gloucester is scheduled for July 13. The next class to be held at The Cove in Salem is scheduled for July 22. Seating is limited and reserved on a first-come-first-served basis, so please call the office in advance if you wish to attend!

Citizens Alert!

The Salem Visitors Center, operated by the National Park Service, is in danger of closing due to lack of funding. The Center is considered a critical resource to our tourism industry. We urge our subscribers to e-mail your support of the Center, through our Public Opinion Page, to your Congressmen!