It was just last week that I found myself sitting in the waitingroom of my dentist, anticipating the cleaning procedure my teethwere about to experience. As I sat there, fidgeting for a way tooccupy my time, (my dentist has designated the office as a no-cellphone zone) my attention turned to an assortment of magazineshaphazardly spread across the top of the end table next to mychair.

In a world where all the experts seem to be advocating the useof digital communications as a way to reach the masses and savetrees in the process, here I was, surveying a collection of printpublications much like a child perusing which toy to play withnext. Yet I was thoroughly amused, for the thought of handling abound collection of paper pages that did not require scrolling or54Mbps of Internet connectivity was all too thrilling.

I paused to wonder what was driving such an appeal. Did it haveanything to do with me rediscovering the distinct value inherent inprint publications? Perhaps it was because I found the printedmagazines to be so refreshingly different, since I've been gettingall my information online. Yes, no morning newspapers in thishousehold. We've gone totally digital!

But now, here I was, holding something tangible in my hands withwords and pictures; something other than an iPad or Kindle. I wasphysically turning pages and absorbing the information without theneed to zoom in.

What's the message in all of this? No—it has nothing to do withage. It's an issue of value.

The digital tidal wave has swept us up into a sea of electroniccommunications, only to divorce us from some media that can stillprove to be of value in our daily lives. Think about it.

As television rapidly made its way into the living rooms ofAmerican homes, we did not see the radio thrown out into the trashbucket. It found a way to survive and managed to redefine itspurpose, even evolving beyond terrestrial-based transmitters.

As computers, laptops and smartphones continue to propagate atan astonishing rate, we can still find pens and pencils on theshelf at the nearby Staples. People still write by hand, althoughI've heard that many schools no longer teach cursive writing.

A veteran news reporter once advised his audience of PRexecutives, of which I was one in attendance, that if you want toensure your news release is seen and read by the assignmentdirector, then fax it to the newsroom. His point was that witheveryone e-mailing their release, using a fax can help one standout in today's sea of communications.

In a similar way, printed copies of your digital magazine canstill prove their value by helping your credit union ororganization build its brand awareness and strengthen its abilityto stand out from the competitors.

For example, mail a copy (yes, via snail mail) to yourrepresentative, mayor and other people of influence with a noteexpressing your desire to share the stories in the magazine aboutyour credit union's contributions to the underserved and localcommunity. It would be a great way to support your advocacyefforts, calling their attention to your good deeds in thecommunity as well as the needs of the people you serve—theirconstituents.

I'd be willing to bet such a move would attract a lot of goodwill and who knows, maybe your magazine might even wind up on theend table in their waiting room!

WaltLaskos is a relationship-building executive and principal ofThe LaskosGroup in Temecula, Calif.