“Please” and “thank you” are commonly taught from our earliest years; they are just as important as adults. In fact, whenever I visit a foreign country, those are the first two phrases I learn in the native language (“tack” is “thank you in Swedish in case you want to visit Stockholm.) They’re also two English phrases that I’ve found best express myself as President of AIW, particularly this past month:
- If you haven’t yet taken advantage of the reduced $100 membership fee, please consider doing so before January 1, 2010 when it goes to $125 (but still less than the former $145!)
- If you are a member who has renewed since the $100 fee took effect, thank you! If you are one of the many former members who has rejoined because of the new fee, I add a third important phrase: Welcome back!
- To the Past Presidents’ Council which recently had its inaugural dinner: thank you. Thanks for your past service and for your continued advice and ideas as we work to increase membership, improve services, and develop strategic partnerships.
Based on the council and the recent Board of Directors meeting, we’re considering a number of programs that have either been in abeyance or that are entirely new including a revised mentoring program between our more and less experienced members, a grievance committee (particularly important for our fulltime freelancers who might have difficulties in getting paid by their clients), a mentoring program between any AIW member and at-risk inner city youth, new members-only genre networks, and the remote possibility of a new literary festival to accompany our annual conference. Some of these ideas are still in the genesis phase and we hope to work them out in the next month. If you have some suggestions or thoughts as we provide more details, feel free to email me.
In the meantime, communications remain vital for continuing and growing our organization. As such, here are some details about our blog and website:
The AIW Blog (http://theaiwblog.com) is officially up and running! Last month, we told you it had been established, but now it’s fully available and accepting content from AIW members and nonmembers. See the submission guidelines at http://theaiwblog.com/write-for-us/. On the blog, you’ll find insight and experiences on writing from fellow word lovers, including AIW members, your Board of Directors, the AIW staff, and other pros and experts in the field.
But that’s not the only thing that’s happening online this month. To better serve AIW members and in response to your feedback, we are in the process of creating a brand new AIW website at http://amerindywriters.org/home, and this month we’re launching it in beta. Effective immediately, we’ll be posting all new information from AIW on the new site. This includes AIW news items, member news, the monthly President’s Report, and event announcements. The old website will remain active and available until all of the archived content has been moved to the new site. Once that process is complete, your browser will automatically redirect you to the new site even if you type in the old address.
Some highlights of the new site (http://amerindywriters.org/home):
- Simplified navigational structure and search function that make it easy to find what you need.
- Searchable archives organized by publication date and type of content.
- Online event registration with secure payment through PayPal, which accepts Visa MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
- Secure online payment via PayPal for new membership and membership renewals, including Job Bank subscriptions.
- Easy access to AIW’s social networking profiles, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more.
- An RSS feed to subscribe to AIW News updates in your feed reader.
- Real-time headlines from The AIW Blog.
- Real-time Twitter updates from AIW.
Also in the works for the site are a members-only forum, a new member directory, and lots of members-only content. As we approach the final launch of the new site and decommissioning of the old site, you’ll receive a log-in and password via e-mail so you can access the restricted areas of the new AIW website (still in development) and create your profile in the member directory.
So, with all the big changes happening online at AIW, make sure you’re in on the fun. Link up with AIW on LinkedIn, join the AIW group on Facebook, follow AIW on Twitter, and join the AIW e-mail discussion list. AIW membership is NOT required to make AIW a part of your social network, so invite your writing friends to jump on board!
Thank you to board member Kristen King and everyone who’s helped her on the AIW blog and revamping our website.
And thank you to each of you for your continuing commitment to our craft, our organization, and “doing the write thing.”
Have a great month,
Claude
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