"More people, more interaction, more ETH spirit"

“More people, more interaction, and boosting the feeling of belonging within the ETH community.” This is how Anna Maltsev, Editor-in-Chief of life magazine, describes the publication’s new direction. And this is precisely what readers wanted from the magazine, as revealed in last year’s survey on internal communication and follow-up workshops conducted with technical-administrative and scientific staff. “We’re happy to accommodate the wish to put members of the ETH community more in the spotlight,” says Maltsev.

The result of this overhaul – the first issue of life following one year of redevelopment – has now been published with a range of new features.

Changes at a glance

The first obvious change concerns the length of the magazine: it now contains 20 pages instead of the previous 16. “We see life primarily as a form of appreciation for members of the ETH community. So we’ve expanded the magazine by four pages in order to meet their needs and put them more in the spotlight,” explains Maltsev. Employees interview each other in a new section called ‘Dominoes’, and different ETH departments are presented in ‘A visit to’. The old sections ‘For & Against’ and ‘Portrait’ have been given more space. Employees have the chance to actively shape the content of the magazine in new sections such as ‘Ask the experts’ and ‘Snapshot’ – both of which are put together based on questions and images from staff members.

However, the analysis of reading needs has also shown what ETH members no longer want: "The fact that many life articles have also appeared online was criticised in the survey and the workshops. That is why from now on we will only publish life articles on the ETH website if they are explicitly intended to stimulate a discourse, such as the ‘Pros and Cons Column’, or are of public interest," says Maltsev.

In addition to these content-level changes, there’s another change to life that you may immediately notice once you receive it: the magazine is no longer folded and delivered in plastic wrapping but rather with the address printed directly on the back. This prevents the need for unnecessary packaging material.

New subscription option

As usual, the magazine will be sent to the home addresses of staff members so that their friends and family can also get insights into the world of ETH Zurich.

However, if you prefer to read life online rather than on paper, you have the option of receiving the PDF version instead from the upcoming October issue. As soon as a new issue is published, you’ll receive a notification in your inbox.

You can change your subscription settings quickly and easily at  www.adressen.ethz.ch. It is also possible to change your mailing address or your preferred language edition (German or English) at this URL as well. You can find more details in this tips and tricks article.

Curious?

If the new issue of life hasn’t yet landed in your mailbox, you can check out the Download PDF version (PDF, 2.3 MB) to get an idea of what awaits you. And if you’d like to have additional copies for the office or break room, please get in touch with us at life@hk.ethz.ch.