Use the Internet! You know what century it is; get with it!  Your group needs a website and an e-mail address, period. It is a heck of a lot more comfortable for potential new members to check you out on the web rather than just showing up at a meeting to find out what you’re about. If you need space for either web or e-mail, the SSA (in cooperation with the IHS’ humanists.net program), is happy to provide.  Just ask.  

Technical Support

Ideally you want to have one or more officers or volunteers whose sole responsibilities are upkeep of your website, listservs and databases.  Many groups find that keeping their web sites up-to-date is actually more difficult than creating the sites in the first place.
If you don’t have anyone with that knowledge or dedication:

• Keep your eyes open for someone permanent on your campus that can do the job.
• Contact the SSA for initial technical support. We have people who can guide you through building a basic website and how to update it.  

Web Site

Once you have someone who knows what they are doing from a technical point of view, build a website and keep it updated! Primarily:

• What events are coming up?
• What is their contact info?
• Who are your leaders?

Of course you also want to make your group website easy to surf with a professional and appealing design, but those things are secondary to keeping it updated week by week.

Announcements and Contact Information

Make sure someone is in charge of keeping contact information of students who have signed up during meetings or tabling and members, and that they are e-mailing regular announcements to them about events.

Listservs

There are three kinds of important listservs you want to have—a planning one, an announcement one and a discussion one.  The planning one is more important.

Your planning list should have your officers and any volunteers that contribute on a regular basis.  Having a planning list can be an incredible asset in keeping lost of people in the loop.  Be sure to keep the conversation on the list on topic.

Whenever you table, or send around an attendance list at a meeting, you should gather e-mail addresses for an announcement list—send a well edited, well formatted message out on it anywhere from once a month to once a week.  Use it as a tool to keep a large group of people up-to-date about your group.  Advertise this list on your website and in your brochure as well.

Your group can also become a thriving online community through discussion listservs. These lists sometimes become as active and vibrant as the real groups.  It is a good idea to have someone whose job it is to moderate the list… tempers can sometimes run hot.  It is also a good idea to have a list of proper behavior that can be referred to when a situation occurs.  The SSA can help you write this.

Yahoo offers free services at http://groups.yahoo.com.  The lists come with areas to share pictures and files with those on the list.  Let the SSA know if you need any help setting up a group.

Automate! (or rather, take advantage of our automation!)

No matter if you are a neo-Luddite or dream in binary, you can likely take some advantage of the SSA’s group running web services.
The SSA has created a system called the “TurnKey.”  It will help almost any group leader get a web site up and running with no more technical savvy than it takes to order a book online.  The system also has the ability to integrate with great flexibility into even the most complex web sites.

In addition to all the public web site tools, it also has password-protected services to keep track of members, financiers, equipment, meetings, tasks, leaders, and a great deal more.  Ask our Campus Organizer for more information about the TurnKey system.