Rotary thoughts

Recswusa, Internet, and you
Internet Chair Annual report
Apr 21, 2008 9:09 am

(This IS this week's meeting, and there is information on how to complete the meeting at the bottom of the entry.)

First off, I'll say that this Internet thing is fantastic. This was going up last week, but due to unforseen circumstances it didn't make it. So, it lurked here all week as a blog and today, due to some more unforseen circumstances, it (meaning my annual report) finally gets its day in the sun.

I had considered posting a meeting as a blog for some time to a) use the system we have and b) see if it would work as a meeting. Hopefully it does, please let us know. It could well prove to be a simple way for members and guests to create meetings with photos and the like without requiring upload or download.

It was written last week as I was en route to Cabo san Lucas. I was 'stranded' in Cabo, sitting in a hotel lobby lounge, forced to glance up from time to time to see the Sea of Cortez roiling out the window (and a couple of whales - outstanding!) It was brutal, I tell ya. The part where I was tapping on my laptop instead of playing in the ocean that is, but I got there soon enough and have the sun burn to prove it.

There are worse places to be I guess.

Why was I 'stranded?' Well, you don't find wi-fi everywhere there. But find it I did and I blogged from my seat with a view to produce the majority of this annual report. Pretty 21st Century eClubesque if you ask me (which I say knowing no one will ask!)

I found wi-fi by the pool. What a great office.

So here we go; my thoughts on the year as the Internet Communications Director.

First off is a big thanks to those people who have continued to support the process that is the site, starting with PP Karen Naranjo whose site kicked this wild experiement off.

Nextly I must give a nod to the Rotary alum and general supporter Kent Steiner. The current rendition would not exist but for him.

Finally a big thanks to all the eClubbers who have used the site beyond reading the meeting. And this goes for some visitors as well who have blogged, joined groups, posted in the forum, sent PMs and genereally used the site to emmulate real world communications.

This charge has been led by Jack Selway. He has found and reported bugs, tirelessly welcomed new users on the site, posted in the forum, and generally used the site in such a way that if we all did it, it would be a thing to behold. Though all of his ideas have not been adopted, I want to say 'thanks Jack' for caring enough to do the things you do. I wish we had even one more 'greeter' as it is always great to go to a visitor's profile and see one of your custom welcomes.

Honorable mention must go out to new member Mamie Yong Maywhort for her great forum thread 'What's up Doc' and to new members Steve Canter and Carlos Calzada. They are easy to reach online and willing to contribute to this online mess without any prodding.

SAA Frank Longoria took his job to heart and has done a great job of frequenting the site and providing a rundown of activities and justifcation for contributions to the 'pot.'

Naturally the officers have been online here using the facility. President Ryofu did a masterful job of getting all the meetings set up for the year. The board had generally used the BOD forum to meet and discuss, and we have utilized the online Club Membership form a few times. Hopefully this kind of online utilization will grow in the future.

In the nine months since we have been up, we have accumulated over 1,480 accounts (people who have signed up and probably returned.) We have had even more anonymous visits. Donations are our primary source of income and that has gone well, though I'll look to the Treasurer's report to know how well.

But think about it; if we wanted to do a project and get global support, we could email almost 1,500 Rotarians who have visited us in the past and ask for their help. If only 10% responded, we could realistically have 150 online Rotarians spreading information or helping us to raise funds within nanoseconds. Pretty impressive.

We have left a lot of the site unused. I believe that if we all put in just ten more minutes a week blogging or commenting or welcoming or making forum posts, we could blossom into something truly stunning.

We have a couple years until the COL of 2010. I don't think there is much of a question that eClub will be here to stay, but why settle for that? Let's see where we can take this by stepping up our online interaction a little!

I hope this blog gets some comments and becomes something of an interative meeting and a testament to what eClub is and can become. Next time I do it, I'll have some photos to add as well. IN fact, I might add some this week - just because I can!

Also, do you have a friend who needs a make-up to stay current? Be a friend and pass it on. Send them here to do a make-up in their underwear, or their favorite moo-moo, or frankly in whatever they wish to wear. Yay eClub.

5pm EST, Edit 1: So, by popular requst, here is my first add. To finish this meeting, please click your browswer's "back" button and click on "Finish Meeting."

Thanks!

eClub fundraising
Jun 27, 2007 6:59 am

Edit: 4/27(not part of this weeks meetings, but you're welcome to read it)

For three years now, I have been thinking how to do an online fund raiser.

One thing I have observed in Terra club meetings is, if you want $2 from a Rotarian, tempt him/her with happy bucks. If you want $10, sell them a raffle ticket or 5. Especially when the raffle is attractive....

We have talked about the digital rino plop and a few other concepts. But the one that excites me most is the idea of having a raffle tied to the educational or microlending projects that connect back to the region or continent of the donator.

For instance, a visitor comes to the club. They purchase 5 numbers for a raffle (there could be multiple raffles going on.) The amount in 'the hat' is clearly visible. Once each week, an algorithm virtually draws a number from a winnable set (even a diminishing set like the card game to ensure a winner every few weeks.)

When a winner is selected, half the money goes to Recswusa, but the other half goes to a project in the region of the winner. The two projects whose concept excite me most, especially after discussing them with Larry Levenson a few years back, are microlending and an educational fund or scholarship that would be paid in some instances to the winner, or at least a participant, of an essay contest - 'Why I Want to Go to School' where the essays are posted for all to read.

Digital age calls for digital fund raisers, and with visitors from all over the world, it just makes sense to give back to their region....

Why aren't we podcasting?
Jun 26, 2007 9:53 pm

Edit: 4/27(not part of this weeks meetings, but you're welcome to read it) 

Recently I've observed and been involved in some conversations with Rotarians regarding eClub theory that have ranged from absurd to hilarious. The conversations oscillated from general modicums of Rotary behavior/protocol to specific Rotary mandates.

One thing that srikes me as all types of funny is that many people, in fact most all people in the world, want to pull the ladder up after they get in the boat. If eClub represents one thing, it is the changing face of Rotary as an organization. I'm not talking about changing the Ten Commandments here, or eradicating the Bill of Rights for Pete's sake.

Let's keep ourselves in perspective.

I'm talking about the opportunity to utilize tool sets and mediums to accomplish more than humankind has dreamed, not to be hamstrung by petty generalizations and bureaucratic maxims.

Far from worrying about whether an obscure web page is compromised by a name on it, or if that name has a right based on this rule or no right based on that rule, or if said rule in queston, pursuant to RI regulation 13-C2 was properly formed and submitted, and should be hitherto enacted subsequent to exhaustive review pending.....What? Hang on.

We should be worrying about why we are not podcasting or video conferencing or ANYTHING to stay relevant. Or what we can do to create a radical fund-raising and dispersal mechanism on the web.

So I say hold on to your britches big daddy. You ain't seen nothing yet. Change is naturally a comin'. Time just won't sit still. Not here, not like this.

I'm all for pomp, ardor and tradition, but my favorite Tarot card is Death (the card of change.)