Congratulations, Dave Aronson, former Editor of Capital M, for your two nominations in this year's PRP contest: Member Recognition and Mensa Awareness.
And, somehow, I also managed to snag a PRP nod for Non-Fiction (Mensa-related) with one of my LocSec columns (June 2010).
We'll see if we take home any of the owls that get handed out at the AG in July. Good luck, Dave!
Showing posts with label MWM - Newsletter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MWM - Newsletter. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
My Advice on Building a Local Group SIG
Earlier this evening, I had a phone call from one of MWM's members that, in part, was about one of our listed SIGs and the low number of members who belong to it. While I have sent an e-mail to the person who runs that SIG offering some advice for growing the SIG, it seems appropriate to share that advice more widely.
SIGs are different things to different people. Between the three groups I've been a member of in my years in Mensa, I have had, essentially, three different types of local SIGs:
1) Community-oriented
2) Mailing list-RSVP essential (a "lesser" version of the first type, IMO)
3) "SIG" as term of art
In the first instance, a sense of belonging, ownership, and membership is desired. You are getting together because of some sense of a common bond, moreso than "just" the activity at hand. To me, this is the appeal of such groups as the GenX, GenY, and other such "affinity" groups. Building these requires the most time and effort, as the ideal situation would have the SIG leader building and maintaining some online venue for conversation and discussion - yahoogroup, Facebook, Twitter, whatever. Bring that online venue up in in-person conversations. Encourage people to join, get to know the others in the group, and come out to events that are held (be they scheduled on-calendar or impromptu off-calendar events).
The second instance seems, to me, to be a slightly less involved group than the first. This is what I used for my Bridge SIG back in New York and what I know the Bridge SIG here does as well. There is an e-mail list where advance coordination is necessary. In bridge, if you don't have full tables of 4, it pretty much kills the game. In New York, I struggled to have 4 people (from the about 10 or so on my list) coming in any particular week. If we knew in advance there wouldn't be enough people coming, we'd cancel. While intermittent non-SIG e-mails might have been sent, that wasn't the primary purpose of that SIG up in NY. So, while we got along, no sense of "community" was fostered. The only effort involved was sending out the reminder in advance and a cancellation when necessary.
The final instance is, essentially, what I do with the Tourist SIG. There is nothing "formal" about this SIG. People come to the events that interest them that fit into their schedule. There are times when I get about a dozen people. There are other times when it's just me. It truly is just a conceit/term of art using "SIG"; it's an excuse for me to get off my duff and do something I otherwise might not expend the energy on, and invite others to join me. The sense of community from the SIG lasts for the event, but is not an ongoing feeling, per se, in the context of the SIG. No e-mail list is maintained, and rarely is an RSVP of any sort needed (though they're usually requested so I can know if I should look for someone, or just march on solo or with a small group).
All of these methods work. It depends on the type of SIG that you are trying to run. What's more, publicity is also needed. The two primary methods of publicizing the SIG are: 1) putting an event in the calendar (using the SIG name in the title, of course), and 2) writing up an article (even if it's just a small paragraph) for the newsletter. Even when you are alone at an event you're running, write everything in the plural "we" instead of the singular "I", and you can make it sound like you had a large turnout for the SIG activity - which is always more attractive to fence-sitters than a group that sounds like there's no interest out there.
Interested in running a SIG? Contact our SIG Coordinator - Member-at-Large Chuck Divine - with the SIG's name, brief description, and your contact information to be included.
Interested in putting together a calendar entry, whether it's for a SIG or not? Contact our Programs Officer - Ben Paul - with that information. All calendar entries are due in by the 5th of the month for publication in the following month's CapM.
Interested in submitting an article talking about the great time you had host an event, whether it was for a SIG or something else in the chapter? Contact our Editor - Dave Aronson - with that. All submissions to the newsletter outside of the calendar are due in by the 10th of the month for publication in the following month's CapM.
Interested in having something related to your SIG (any of the above, or something else you may come up with) posted onto our website? Contact our Webmaster - Chris Rittweger - with that. There are no specific deadlines for submissions to the website, though the further in advance of your event, the likelier it is that it will be noticed by your target audience.
All of the contact information for the above individuals is listed in the inside front cover of CapM each month.
SIGs are different things to different people. Between the three groups I've been a member of in my years in Mensa, I have had, essentially, three different types of local SIGs:
1) Community-oriented
2) Mailing list-RSVP essential (a "lesser" version of the first type, IMO)
3) "SIG" as term of art
In the first instance, a sense of belonging, ownership, and membership is desired. You are getting together because of some sense of a common bond, moreso than "just" the activity at hand. To me, this is the appeal of such groups as the GenX, GenY, and other such "affinity" groups. Building these requires the most time and effort, as the ideal situation would have the SIG leader building and maintaining some online venue for conversation and discussion - yahoogroup, Facebook, Twitter, whatever. Bring that online venue up in in-person conversations. Encourage people to join, get to know the others in the group, and come out to events that are held (be they scheduled on-calendar or impromptu off-calendar events).
The second instance seems, to me, to be a slightly less involved group than the first. This is what I used for my Bridge SIG back in New York and what I know the Bridge SIG here does as well. There is an e-mail list where advance coordination is necessary. In bridge, if you don't have full tables of 4, it pretty much kills the game. In New York, I struggled to have 4 people (from the about 10 or so on my list) coming in any particular week. If we knew in advance there wouldn't be enough people coming, we'd cancel. While intermittent non-SIG e-mails might have been sent, that wasn't the primary purpose of that SIG up in NY. So, while we got along, no sense of "community" was fostered. The only effort involved was sending out the reminder in advance and a cancellation when necessary.
The final instance is, essentially, what I do with the Tourist SIG. There is nothing "formal" about this SIG. People come to the events that interest them that fit into their schedule. There are times when I get about a dozen people. There are other times when it's just me. It truly is just a conceit/term of art using "SIG"; it's an excuse for me to get off my duff and do something I otherwise might not expend the energy on, and invite others to join me. The sense of community from the SIG lasts for the event, but is not an ongoing feeling, per se, in the context of the SIG. No e-mail list is maintained, and rarely is an RSVP of any sort needed (though they're usually requested so I can know if I should look for someone, or just march on solo or with a small group).
All of these methods work. It depends on the type of SIG that you are trying to run. What's more, publicity is also needed. The two primary methods of publicizing the SIG are: 1) putting an event in the calendar (using the SIG name in the title, of course), and 2) writing up an article (even if it's just a small paragraph) for the newsletter. Even when you are alone at an event you're running, write everything in the plural "we" instead of the singular "I", and you can make it sound like you had a large turnout for the SIG activity - which is always more attractive to fence-sitters than a group that sounds like there's no interest out there.
Interested in running a SIG? Contact our SIG Coordinator - Member-at-Large Chuck Divine - with the SIG's name, brief description, and your contact information to be included.
Interested in putting together a calendar entry, whether it's for a SIG or not? Contact our Programs Officer - Ben Paul - with that information. All calendar entries are due in by the 5th of the month for publication in the following month's CapM.
Interested in submitting an article talking about the great time you had host an event, whether it was for a SIG or something else in the chapter? Contact our Editor - Dave Aronson - with that. All submissions to the newsletter outside of the calendar are due in by the 10th of the month for publication in the following month's CapM.
Interested in having something related to your SIG (any of the above, or something else you may come up with) posted onto our website? Contact our Webmaster - Chris Rittweger - with that. There are no specific deadlines for submissions to the website, though the further in advance of your event, the likelier it is that it will be noticed by your target audience.
All of the contact information for the above individuals is listed in the inside front cover of CapM each month.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Going Forward with Electronic Default for Local Group Newsletters
While I posted about a week ago that I was opposed to the motion on the AMC's agenda regarding changing the default for members who don't express a preference between print and electronic delivery of their newsletter from the Local Group, since it did pass and is to be in effect as of September 1, it is up to the National Office, the AMC, and, most of all, the Local Groups to make sure the word is spread about the necessity for selecting whichever of print or electronic you want.
In MWM, we do have an electronic version of the newsletter for download, and highly encourage everyone to get it. (After all, it's in full color and the pictures are much nicer to look at, rather than the B&W hardcopy.) If you want to be on the list for electronic, you will need to update your profile (see the bottom of the March 23 post) to make sure that you include your e-mail address, select the radio button that asks for delivery of local group publications via e-mail, as well as the button to release your e-mail address within the organization. If you can't/won't go to the AML website to do this, you can either send an e-mail to the National Office or drop me an e-mail (preferable, so I can easily forward it on), or you can call the National Office.
Similarly, if you would prefer hardcopy, please make sure to go to your profile on the AML website and select that button. This is NEW - it didn't previously exist, given it was the default. For anyone who is currently receiving hardcopy, PLEASE make sure to update your profile to ensure that you will continue to receive hardcopy. Again, you can do this by going to the national website directly, or e-mailing the National Office or me, or by calling the National Office.
In the coming months, we will have additional reminders in the newsletter. What we are hoping to achieve in the end is for as many members of MWM as possible (read: 100%, preferably) to have made a choice: electronic or print delivery. The only thing which we don't want to see if lots of people being "defaulted" to electronic delivery because they haven't taken the time to express their choice.
Help us help you get the newsletter the way you want it. Update your profile today.
In MWM, we do have an electronic version of the newsletter for download, and highly encourage everyone to get it. (After all, it's in full color and the pictures are much nicer to look at, rather than the B&W hardcopy.) If you want to be on the list for electronic, you will need to update your profile (see the bottom of the March 23 post) to make sure that you include your e-mail address, select the radio button that asks for delivery of local group publications via e-mail, as well as the button to release your e-mail address within the organization. If you can't/won't go to the AML website to do this, you can either send an e-mail to the National Office or drop me an e-mail (preferable, so I can easily forward it on), or you can call the National Office.
Similarly, if you would prefer hardcopy, please make sure to go to your profile on the AML website and select that button. This is NEW - it didn't previously exist, given it was the default. For anyone who is currently receiving hardcopy, PLEASE make sure to update your profile to ensure that you will continue to receive hardcopy. Again, you can do this by going to the national website directly, or e-mailing the National Office or me, or by calling the National Office.
In the coming months, we will have additional reminders in the newsletter. What we are hoping to achieve in the end is for as many members of MWM as possible (read: 100%, preferably) to have made a choice: electronic or print delivery. The only thing which we don't want to see if lots of people being "defaulted" to electronic delivery because they haven't taken the time to express their choice.
Help us help you get the newsletter the way you want it. Update your profile today.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Newsletters, the USPS, and Saving the Chapter $$$
Well, as is standard for the USPS every so often, they are changing things up and, depending on the chapter, in a major way. Adjustments in the barcoding of address labels, changes of administrative paperwork, and assorted miscellany are on the horizon and need to be examined by each of the local groups. Here in MWM, I have forwarded the recent alert sent by AMC's Communications Officer, Robin Crawford, onto MWM's "Labels Wrangler" a.k.a. "Lord of the Labels" -- Russ Nevins -- to digest and determine precisely how the indicated changes might affect the chapter (likely negatively), whether it be timing of newsletter mailing, cost of the mailing, or otherwise.
While one person who received Robin's alert opined that it is much easier to just go the non-barcoded route (and for her small group, that's true), I note an even easier route - at least as far as the chapter would be concerned: opt-in for electronic newsletters.
The greater number of members who opt in to electronic distribution of the newsletter, the greater the benefit.
1) Each chapter receives an 82-cent stipend per member per month which goes, in large part, to publication and mailing of the newsletter. For each member who opts into the electronic version of the newsletter, that's an extra 82 cents per member per month that can be used by the group to support other local activities and programs. In September's mailing, we had 402 electronic subscribers, which left a full 1562 members receiving hardcopy, which equates to $1,280.84 just for that one month. If we take that as an average number per month, if we were to get everyone to subscribe electronically to the newsletter, that would reduce our expenses by about $15k per year! Just think of all the MWM parties and activities, and added RG "extras" (or reduced registration costs) that could be provided for that much money.
2) Anyone getting the newsletter electronically and on our automated alert list finds out about, and has access to, our newsletter the same day that it is sent to the printers (since it is uploaded to National nearly simultaneously). Where the hardcopy of the newsletter can often be delayed either by late submission to the printer (for various possible reasons) or by lengthy processing time by the USPS, receipt of the electronic version is painless and has no delay. It's always nice to have an issue of the newsletter BEFORE the first of the month, especially in those months where activities of interest to you are very early in the month and might be missed due to a late delivery.
3) If you read the newsletter electronically, you will ALWAYS get the full-color version of it, rather than black-and-white. (Rarely do we print full-color hardcopy of the newsletter.) Any pictures in the newsletter will always look better, crisper, and may even be able to be enlarged to enhance certain details, if desired, when viewed on the computer as opposed to in hardcopy.
Opting in to electronic subscription of CapM is easy. Log into the AML website. Click on the Members tab atop the screen, and then select Profile Update from the left-side pane. Near the top of the page under ePublications Information, type the e-mail address where you want to receive the newsletter and select BOTH checkboxes immediately underneath it. It's just that easy!
While one person who received Robin's alert opined that it is much easier to just go the non-barcoded route (and for her small group, that's true), I note an even easier route - at least as far as the chapter would be concerned: opt-in for electronic newsletters.
The greater number of members who opt in to electronic distribution of the newsletter, the greater the benefit.
1) Each chapter receives an 82-cent stipend per member per month which goes, in large part, to publication and mailing of the newsletter. For each member who opts into the electronic version of the newsletter, that's an extra 82 cents per member per month that can be used by the group to support other local activities and programs. In September's mailing, we had 402 electronic subscribers, which left a full 1562 members receiving hardcopy, which equates to $1,280.84 just for that one month. If we take that as an average number per month, if we were to get everyone to subscribe electronically to the newsletter, that would reduce our expenses by about $15k per year! Just think of all the MWM parties and activities, and added RG "extras" (or reduced registration costs) that could be provided for that much money.
2) Anyone getting the newsletter electronically and on our automated alert list finds out about, and has access to, our newsletter the same day that it is sent to the printers (since it is uploaded to National nearly simultaneously). Where the hardcopy of the newsletter can often be delayed either by late submission to the printer (for various possible reasons) or by lengthy processing time by the USPS, receipt of the electronic version is painless and has no delay. It's always nice to have an issue of the newsletter BEFORE the first of the month, especially in those months where activities of interest to you are very early in the month and might be missed due to a late delivery.
3) If you read the newsletter electronically, you will ALWAYS get the full-color version of it, rather than black-and-white. (Rarely do we print full-color hardcopy of the newsletter.) Any pictures in the newsletter will always look better, crisper, and may even be able to be enlarged to enhance certain details, if desired, when viewed on the computer as opposed to in hardcopy.
4) For those who are concerned with all things “green,” opting into the electronic version of the newsletter greatly reduces the chapter's direct environmental impact, by cutting down the amount of paper (and hence trees) and ink used, and energy burned through in the production and mailing of each month's issue. While there is the additional amount of electricity expended in the amount of time spent online reading the newsletter that might not otherwise be spent, odds are that when both sides are weighed against each other that opting in is the more “environmentally friendly” of the two.
Opting in to electronic subscription of CapM is easy. Log into the AML website. Click on the Members tab atop the screen, and then select Profile Update from the left-side pane. Near the top of the page under ePublications Information, type the e-mail address where you want to receive the newsletter and select BOTH checkboxes immediately underneath it. It's just that easy!
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