So, we've addressed "why." Next question: "How?"
How can we bring about real interaction among our members? How can we overcome the inertia of fallow or even non-existent relationships? How many ways can this same question be posed without saying it the same way twice?
All right, all right. No, I don't think step-by-step prescriptive approach is best for this.
In fact, it seems that we're having some success in achieving the goals of "why" already, through a sort of, kind of trial and error, playing with today's social media tools. The Facebook group has continued to grow, although more slowly, with 58 members currently showing. We've reached some non-Facebook folks with this blog, and by encouraging them to spread the word to the people they know. Some people have been more active than others, but, the interaction on line has been pretty good! Some of the group has undertaken to find some of their old friends using other social sites, and even by networking otherwise (even using such ancient methods as the telephone and ...yes, by pen and paper). It's building!
If we can leverage this into more folks participating in the conversation, I believe we might start formulating a plan for getting together in real time and space...the final frontier.
I propose that we try to keep the conversations alive and try to add participants any way we can. Subscribe to this blog through your e-mail address! Subscribe for a friend! Join the Facebook group, or at least check the page once in a while:
If you have a Facebook account, please join our group. It's fun, and as a long-time, stalwart denigrator of Facebook, it pains me to say so.
Another suggestion is to "follow" this blog by entering your e-mail address at the upper right of the post, where it says to. Of course, there are hundreds of cybercriminals who are salivating and rubbing their hands together feverishly as they wait for you to do so. Believe me, nobody gets more irritated than I do about junk emails. If I learn that this blog is bringing any about, it will be promptly discontinued.
It would be nice is someone besides Laurel would offer a published comment, too. I'm not complaining; just sayin'.
When our expansion of membership looks as though it's really slowing, then we should think about the next next step. To those who may be thinking ahead: please share your thoughts!
