I don't know if this will be useful or not, if not it can just get buried :)

One suggestion I made somewhere was for someone to do the first post on the new site, welcoming everyone.

This is one that we have some time for.

This is a great idea, ChemGal.

It is kind alike a gifts/talents exchange.  Good to have the positive vibes.

As we get to spots along the line, it would be good to have a list such as this of gifts offered.

Some folks have already offered to assist in various ways, from beta testing, to reviewing documents.

Here are some items that I can see requiring assistance which haven't really received notice, but fit exactly in the list you are talking about.

who is interested in  marketing of the new site, strategizing on such .  We have a volunteer with expertise, but, they won't be able to do it alone. 

Another one is for folks to think of good topics and be prepared to launch them in a positive fashion.  Think of them like folks who are active in threads.  I saw that CrazyHeart was already pondering that kind of activity.

Another one is for people to seek those who haven't been around once the new forum is runnng with a reasonable base and ask them to help.  If you think of it as a welcome committee.

I'm willing to manage the volunteers, which this thread is starting off I guess :)

woot, woot, thanks chemgal!

Pinga

Do you mean marketing of the new site via computer? If so, what does that involve as a job?

When the site is up and running successfully I was thinking about all of  the many UC websites on the net. Many  of them have a means of contact re email I believe?

Would it be possible for  Admin. to compose a message asking and welcoming UC   church members to join the new WC ?  Volunteers here would do the email  posting to the various  churches selected, copy/paste and  signed by Admin WC2.

I'm not aware if the UC has done this type of marketing in the past or if they would be agreeable if we did it re the new WC? Would it be an unwelcome interference by us I wonder on behalf of the UC?

Stardust, I think there's quite a bit of marketing that can be done online.  It helps to already be involved within church circles, as it's a good starting place.

Twitter, facebook groups, requesting admins (not of WC) of FB pages to post, United Future etc.  It doesn't just have to be church groups, people can mention it on personal twitter and FB accounts.  There are also things like church bulletins.  Emailing as you suggested could be done too.

I don't think it's necessary for Admin to write the messages.  Having a few stock messages for people to use would help though (United Future did something like this too).

Those are just my personal thoughts.

good to see all the positive energy.  I am not an expert in marketing, but there are folks who are.  I love seeing the ideas and covnersation.  

One of the things that was really important is keywords.  It helps with searches, which is what draws folks into the site.

how many folks use keywords now when starting threads, I know that I have been lazy about it.  

Thx. for the info. chemgal. I'm not  active on  FB. I didn't join  Twitter. I won't post to so-called friends on these sites unless they really are friends or people I know of.

You know I'm not involved in  or going to the UC although I often have good intentions to go.

The reason I suggested Admin. might wish to write the  welcome messages to UC church people  is so that they would know the messages were composed properly on the net  and sent by email.

I'm a senior living  in an area of Toronto where many of the  people don't speak English very well or have knowledge about computers. Its not a good vicinity for marketing our particular  product in person.

Pinga

Yes....I'm quite willing to help if I know what I'm doing. We've a lot of good people here. We will work and make WC2  an over the top success....betcha boots we will....:)

Stardust, what you're thinking of one of the admins to do is a role that I would think the person organizing marketing would do.  The point of this thread overall is to spread some of the work (and power) from three people to others who would like to be involved, beyond just getting the forum up.  I don't see this as Chansen's, Mendalla's and Pinga's site, but am appreciative that they stepped up, organized getting things going and have the tech know-how to get a forum up and functioning.

Hopefully at least one of the marketing volunteers will have the know-how to set up something like this:

http://www.unitedfuture.ca/downloads

Thanks for the info. chemgal. I checked your link, I didn't play the video yet.

Chemgal, one thing that comes to mind is that folks often focus on $$$ donated, but, forget about the hours or wisdom donated.  Can you ponder that as we go forward, something to acknowledge the volunteers?  

Although currently the admins are donating hours as part of the gift to the community. I know that others will be also volunteering hours graciously to the community.

As we are a volunteer based design, rather than a profit or pay for service design, then it seems to make sense to show that...

Yes, launching interesting topics, and hosting them positively, is a good way to attract attention.

I think each poster should take responsibility for the thread they launch, and host it in a manner that encourages participation. New thoughts, novel approaches, new and innovative ways of dealing with age-old problems will attract attention and participation.

Sounds like we need a management structure. I am only assuming two thngs right now. One is the WC2 is owned and run for ot's membrs. And 2 that as of now it is up to the tech team to descern what is the will of ots members, and to make decisions based on the best interest of membrs.

Howevr in the future ( i would suggest after w.c2 is set up and running we will need to refine the criteria in which the management team consult the members.).
.
.

I believe I and others can assume the two points i made. If so that will allow memebrs to trust the asmin team. And if they are unhappy with certain things, or believe that certain decisions Need to be changed, modified, or adjusted that it will be possible in the future, to do so.

Alex, I am going to take this to the "just ask the admins" if you don't mind.

I will also comment, here, but a big resounding "YES".   Right now, the admins are fine, but, absolutely as moderators are required and other roles, a council approach is being considered.  Note:  to go down too far that path seems illogical at this point, when we dont' even have a site, and have so many other "first pass things" to do.  As geo said, one foot at a time.  I apreciate your trust in us Alex and also your vision.

Good idea!  I'll be thinking about it.

Any volunteers for the WC2 Launch Event Committee?

Hi chemgal

I've been lurking in the archives way back to 2006. I wonder where all those people are today?  Some of them may be lurking here but we've no way of knowing if they would receive a wondermail here or not? Probably not, so we would need their personal email addresses  which are private except available  to Admin or Aaron to notify them about the new WC. Someone on the GC staff could do it if they wanted to give us a going away gift.....:)..do you think?

I can't really promise or sign up for committees because I have major health concerns re my huge  weight gain over the past 2 years. I'm supposed to be getting more exercise, walking a lot,  and saying bye bye to the computer. Its very hard, its not working very well......:(

I am happy to offer suggestions as I'm doing here with no commitments. I will email church staff on various   websites to join WC2 if and when a marketing manager provides info. and directions i.e.  the protocol so its done in a proper business fashion.

 Keep up the good work! I hope others will jump on board.

Here's a sample of an archive  link I just posted on R and F - Holy Places by CH.  Look at all the marvellous  people posting on it. Its  too bad we've lost them so soon. It would be super if they could be reached somehow and invited back to the new WC. (Sorry, my  live links aren't working very well.)

I don't know how I can help.  Most of my skills involve children... which is not much use here.  Hopefully, as people make suggestions about what will be needed, I will be able to find a job that I feel valuable doing.

I could launch a zinger about how that would make you a perfect mod on some boards but I shall refrain (what, you mean I already said it).

Mendalla

genuine LOL!

No comments about supervising me, either.

Never even crossed my mind.

Personally I see my role as that of welcoming all the evangelicals who will arrive. Also, to celebrate the opening of WC2, I will be eating a pie.

That's my job.

Hilary

Pinga was talking on one of the threads saying there were mosquitos and bees here. I do not know if she was talking about Jae and I , but I laughed all night. I could not sleep. Have you ever done bee keeping .I can take up a collection to buy you a suit. ( my keyboard is French today, a nuisance)

No worries. It will get lost in the sea of your other ones.

I've never flagged your posts. I've only purposely flagged someone once, at the very most twice in the whole time I've been here (I have felt like it and refrained) and it wasn't you- in fact I think it was on your behalf because of how someone was talking to you- even still, I found it offensive but flagging wasn't the best choice. I get offended now and then, but despite that, I'm still of the mind that flagging isn't the way to do it- that's kinda like yelling "Muuumm!, Timmy..." in most cases. Better to just say I'm offended if I have to. If you mean accidentally hitting 'flag' yeah I've done that to lots of posts at random.

Hi stardust.

I don't know what you mean by any of this.  Do you think a French beekeeper will be useful on WC2?

Hi Hilary

Sorry, there's too many threads to look for Pinga's original remark recently. She posted that she was worried the present day  UC people might not come to the new WC2. If they don't come she said we're left to do battle with the bees and the mosquitos ourselves.

I'm not UC....lol....no offence to anyone, it was funny but  am I therefore one of the bees or the mosquitos? She prob. meant trolls, spammers and the like. If I'm one of the bees I thought perhaps you could have a volunteer  job as the keeper of the bees? Its all a silly bad joke on my behalf, sorry.

Stardust, I said there would be less to deal with the bees.  You chose to read it and self-identify as a bee/mosquito.

It is getting tiresome, when it has been explained.  If you ahve an issue, please deal with it directly.

Pinga

No issue. I  found your terminology or expression ( description)  very funny. I was joking to Hilary about it.

Since Crazyheart's first suggestion, I've been thinking up threads that I would be interested in hosting/discussing.  My problem is that I'm never quite sure which threads will attract responses.  Some things that I think people will be interested in attract very few others.  And some rather casual threads occasionally take off, as though I've touched a cord. 

Anyway I'm tucking away some ideas for the new WC2, and trying others here.  We don't want to lose people on WC1 before the new one is ready.

Excellent point, Seeler. 

You want to save the best for later. I understand. I think we need to have some discussions going on here though, in the meantime, because if lurkers read that we're moving but all they see is member scoop about getting the new site going (which is great but they might not feel it concerns them), and not much going on in terms of in depth discussion here- they might not be interested in going over there. If there are no new threads and no new posts. I don't think there is ever a shortage of intersting things we could talk about now or later.

Coffee shops and bars host poets, musicians and others, as a means for drawing customers in. The poet/musician/other lets family and friends know about the "gig". They come to be supportive. This is good for business.

So we will want to engage our networks. This could include things like inviting a friend or two to join you in a conversation about something of interest for the three of you. This will provide a basic conversation which others may join or simply listen in on.

This little graphic illustrates. We gather in WonderCafe2, the centre circle. Each of us is situtated in a context and in that context we are in relationship with diverse others. We can invite persons from our contexts to join us in the Cafe. Those who enjoy the experience will then go on to invite others. This inter-personal structure of invitation offers a reliable means for growing the base community.

I drew the interconnecting lines with of angles to suggest that this pattern is not fixed but dynamic.

George

Bumping this up to hopefully get some people at least thinking of ways they would be interested in volunteering.

some other idears to occupy (OWS/Tea Party forever!) those who feel the need,

i was a part of this completely amateur run bbs called Puzzlebox.  one person had skill at silk screening and so made a logo with a url under it and some of us would mail her our t-shirts and she'd make the transfer.

it'd be sooo neet to see "WC: the Second Coming" t-shirts :3  one wouldn't even have to be fancy -- there are shops who will work with you to make a transfer -- I am currently working on a few (including such ideas of mine as Humanity Akbar! and the two greatest Christian commandments as a short BASIC program...)

one could also spread the word in their other electronic communications...make the url for WC2 to be a part of your tagline/sig file?

one could also look into such things as cafepress, which will take your logo/words and put them on various different things like pens, mugs...

as you were, citizens...still in the land of passions & experimentation...still no indigent wasabists...

I like that idea just for the fun of it.

*thumbs up*