How or what do you intend on doing to get members involved more in AUGI? For instance this forum only has less then 150 views out of the thousands of members that visit the forums. How can we get more action out of the membership?
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How or what do you intend on doing to get members involved more in AUGI? For instance this forum only has less then 150 views out of the thousands of members that visit the forums. How can we get more action out of the membership?
That is an excellent question. It is undoubted that the forums are AUGI's greatest asset. Participation in the forums continues to be strong but I feel that there is more that we can do to encourage our users to share their knowledge and expertise. I would have to say that I feel that some of the members are "election weary" after what the US went thru recently.
I love it when I read about interesting forum posts in other media so, as a board member, I would encourage our other channels of communication to promote the forums in interesting ways. I hope that such "teasers" will cause other members to become more involved.
I also feel that the membership could be better informed about ways to volunteer for AUGI.
R. Robert Bell
Design Technology Manager
Stantec
Opinions expressed are mine alone and do not reflect the views of Stantec.
You are right, it is a huge challenge to get participation. Typically, I see about 90% of members using AUGI as a resource, 10% generating feedback, and 1% going beyond that and becoming moderators, admins or directors. It is likely that the vast majority of those using the AUGI forums have little interest in the election cycle, due to the busy lifestyles we all live these days. Even with my rough math (which adds up to 101%), that would leave around 3000 members, which we still fall short on.
I believe the key to increased participation is to show users that getting involved is not for the elite; it is for everyone. We are all users with day jobs, and the most critical requirement is the willingness and desire to contribute to the community. Members need to be reminded that they are part of the community, and participation enriches the community for everyone.
Perhaps an email from AUGI (automated, or maybe personalized from a director or officer) at particular milestones 1, 50, 100, 200, etc, will remind members that their contributions are valued and encouraged. It just may be the spark that prompts AUGI members to go a step further and get involved.
Q: How or what do you intend on doing to get members involved more in AUGI?
A: Communication, Communication, Communication!!! For one thing, AUGI's Social Media interaction is quite lacking.
Let's just look at Twitter, There are a predominance of posts that are marketing focused; which, while necessary do not give most users any "meat & potatoes" such as the most important piece of the forums and magazines: CONTENT!!! Yes there are 'some' posts sharing content but not as much as I'd like to see... AUGI is a treasure trove of content and it's our job to get it out there, rather than waiting for users to stumble upon it.
Q: How can we get more action out of the membership?
A: Request their participation
Open more doors for participation in meaningful tasks that inspire accomplishment, brings members added visibility and personal & professional standing... We need to build the desire to contribute by defining more arenas for members to have impact... Then: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!!! We need to build robust 2-way communication avenues (see answer 1