5. Overview: Improve your group's communications
You probably already know what can be done with Alberta's Community. As a reminder, you can (among other things):
- Have your own Web address - i.e., "www.Alberta.com/groups-[insert your group's name]".
- Attain a Web presence in minutes, without having to go through the often prohibitive costs of retaining a consultant and paying for Web hosting.
- Post text, graphics, photos, HTML files, and more on your own microsite.
- Control how your content looks and what content you include.
- Post events on the widely used calendar.
- Post timely and customized newsletters with graphics about your events.
- Host live chat discussions.
- Host forums (topical ongoing discussions via message boards).
- Include your constituents on group mailing lists.
- Keep an updated list of your group's membership (either a private or public list, you decide).
- Appoint a "Community Leader" to administer your site.
- Make your site private (only your group can look at and share information) or public (anyone in Alberta's Community section can look at your group's information).
What does this practically mean for your group? Well, here are some benefits your non-profit could immediately reap from using Community:
- Your group may never need another phone tree or expensive mailed newsletter.
- Your members will be able to communicate rapidly and often, without generating complaints from members about "too many e-mails".
- Important information can be maintained on the site in an organized fashion for reference month after month.
- You can provide links to helpful and relevant Web sites.
- Your members can set up a reminder system to include your group's events.
- You can arrange chat sessions to solve problems or plan meetings or events in real time.
- You may get wider publicity for your events and recruit members.
In sum, each community group site may include a Home page, additional pages, an Event Calendar, Message Board, Chat Room, Newsletter, and Links page. Pages include text and graphics, which your group can update at any time, and ultimate control of who can join the group and who can change what type of content resides with the Community Leader.
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