Keeping Members in Touch With the Society

At their last meeting Suffolk Naturalists’ Society council members spent some time debating how the members of the society could be kept better informed and how contact with its officers might be made easier. We have therefore decided to implement the following:

1. To obtain a domain name (Internet Address) for the SNS website.
2. To streamline and clearly define e-mail addresses of all the principle recorders and officers of the society so that everybody is sure how to contact them.
3. To invite SNS members to join a scheme where they may be contacted by e-mail with news of events and of SNS projects.

1. Domain name  www.sns.org.uk

The SNS already has the www.white-admiral.co.uk address, typing this into an Internet Browser (the program on a computer that lets you go onto the internet) will take you straight to the on line edition of White Admiral.

Up until now Martin Sanford has maintained several pages of SNS information on his SBRC website. These pages have a great deal of useful information about recorders, field trips etc. Although they will still be hosted on the SBRC site from now on typing www.sns.org.uk into your browser will take you straight to the SNS pages. Built in links on each of the two sites let you navigate between the two.

2. Streamlining e-mail addresses

From time to time council officers, such as the chairman or the secretary change when their term of office expires. Likewise SNS Recorders for a particular group may change. It is easy therefore for e-mail addresses to change but not be kept up to date. By using the e-mail facilities of our new domain name we can keep permanent addresses for these people. Although you can always contact the right person using the permanent e-mail address when the recorder or the council member concerned changes your e-mail will just be redirected automatically to the correct person, which should make contacting us more reliable as you never have to change your address book. The following addresses have been adopted:

Council members

chairman@sns.org.uk

treasurer@sns.org.uk

secretary@sns.org.uk

fieldmeetings@sns.org.uk          (to be used to communicate with the programme secretary)

webmaster@sns.org.uk            (to be used for general comments or enquiries about our websites)

comments@sns.org.uk              (to be used for general comments or questions about the society)

enquiries@sns.org.uk                (to be used for enquiries about joining the society)

noticeboard@sns.org.uk            (to be used for the members e-mail list – see below)

Publication Editors

snh_editor@sns.org.uk  to mail the Suffolk Natural History Editor

wa_editor@sns.org.uk  to mail the White Admiral Editor

birdreport@sns.org.uk  to mail the Bird Report Editor

Recorders

This will hopefully make it simpler to send in those records you always meant to post or to ask a question of the correct recorder. Obviously this is only possible for the recorders with e-mail facilities. Although this applies to most recorders other records or enquiries sent to records@sns.org.uk will go to the museum to be forwarded or dealt with directly. A list of the recorders names is available on either of the websites listed above or in the current edition of Suffolk Natural History. 

3. Members E-mail List

Our final initiative is in many ways an experiment. It has great potential if enough members want to join in. The idea is that any SNS members who wish to send in their e-mail address to us. Then we are able to do a mass e-mail to all members on that list whenever there is a need to do so. More about the benefits of this below but first some reassurances:

• There is far too much ‘spam’ or junk e-mail these days. We will only send e-mails when relevant, you will not find your inbox filling up with spam from the society.
• We will never sell or give our e-mail list to any third party.
• You will always be able to leave the list whenever you want. By e-mailing your withdrawal request to the address below your details will be permanently erased from the system.
• On each e-mail sent to list members your address will not be visible to other list members (we will use the BCC or Blind Carbon Copy box for the addresses.)

So what would be the benefits of such a scheme:

• Field meeting organisers could give up to date details about forthcoming meetings, changes to arrangements or extra meetings. They could also invite suggestions for venues etc.
• Reminders can be sent for members evenings together with details of speakers, exhibits etc.
• The latest details about the biannual conference arrangements can be sent to members.
• Editors could ask for contributions or give news about forthcoming articles and perhaps solicit relevant comments (for the newslines section for example.)
• Recorders could request records for 'this month's vastly under-recorded but common species' or for sightings of a rare bird blown off course in the last few days. It would be possible therefore for more members to participate in important but simple recording schemes across the whole county.
• If the SNS council has any important news to give to the membership it will not need to wait until White Admiral or the Transactions is published in order to inform the membership.

Of course all the above does need enough members to want to join. It may seem that you would be bombarded with e-mails. I am sure that you will not find this happening, but such a scheme is easily regulated by feedback from members. It is by way of an experiment, it could work well and become a busy channel for natural history communication or it could founder for want of members and news. However I do think it is worth trying.

So if you would like to join in the members e-mail list then please forward your name and e-mail address to:

noticeboard@sns.org.uk 

and please feel free to add any suggestions or comments you may have. I will send out an individual confirmation for your e-mail and for every two weeks for the first eight weeks send out a general notice of some kind to get the system working. After that we will send out notices, requests etc. as required.

Finally, my apologies to those of you without a computer, and to those who feel that the internet and e-mail is not for them. I’m afraid that much of modern technology has divided society into two camps, at times because of personal decision and at times due to finances. We do have to carry the society forward into the 21^st century however and more and more the younger members we need to attract, in order to keep the SNS alive, simply expect these facilities as part of everyday life. And if you are kept out of the electronic age because of financial constraints do remember that internet access is available in libraries and many other centres, also free e-mail addresses can easily be set up so you need not feel excluded.

Adrian Chalkley

Any comments or suggestions arising from this article should be sent to:

webmaster@sns.org.uk 

© 2004   Suffolk Naturalists' Society

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