I've gotten tons of free media, but it takes a tremendous marketing budget, that I don't have, to do more promoting. These forums are FREE so I'm not sure where the money is to come from for promotion. NABBW members pay 50 or 75 dollars and they can use these forums to promote themselves. We are also up against many other forum communities and social networking sites that have those tremendous budgets. However, I will say, I've seen other boomer sites come and go through the years, and we've hung in there.
I like the idea of surveying forum members only and making it a blind survey. I like that. We could send it through our data base and post it here using a Survey Monkey.
We survey NABBW members, but have never surveyed forum members about the fourms only. Looks like another project...
FYI: yesterday, after doing some social networking, there were over 60 epeople in the forums at once. None joined, but it's perhaps because they aren't looking for a forum to post. They are already Twittering, using Facebook, and LinkedIN, the sites I use for social networking. However, they hung out for some time and learned about a place for boomer women.
thx for sharing some general info. on your efforts, Dotsie and investment. Not sure if you would consider the idea of a senior college or university student in marketing course or ...community development, who would as an internship, assist you in some marketing efforts... this would include outreach to groups of women who may be harder to reach. but women who are still quite articulate on paper. I am thinking of some people who have skills in both marketing and community development that I've known over the years who can "speak" the language of diverse constituents.
Being articulate and literate in writing fluency, to participate in any forum is helpful but not everyone has the skill nor inclination nor interest. So some people gab alot on cellphone.
Also it is in English only. Let's be real. That already cuts out a ton of women's possible voices. And the language here will remain in English. We're not that inclusive in all open arms.
As for everything is fine..well if it's the same core membership posting often..then it tends to be a friendly, clubby to outsiders/onlookers. Others would interpet as requiring too much effort to penetrate with something to post, vs. just observing.
Please do not take this personally:
When white only men in country golf clubs, executive boards (and still some are like this) of companies, etc.: They thought their world was just fine and "perfect". Until others who didn't quite understand their culture in the boardroom, on the golf links, wanted to enter too to join in the dialogue. The wannabe joiners had something useful to say too..
Then the ruckus or perceived ruckus started. Now we know where history went...and it is still being made, as we speak.
___________________________________________________
Some degree of self-protection on what a forum member posts is useful but still allow honesty for safer topics.
_____________________________________________________
Eagle, it must be tiring to be here at times. Yet, there are times, you demonstrate nearly jaw-dropping strength and insistence..like your comments with Wisdom on setting boundaries. (Was that Eagle? Of course, that's her too. She's more normal than she says :D) . Would like to see more of that. Is that what living is about? Kinda of like a happy band that tried to play in tune but alot of voices and musical pieces popping out all over the place from everyone's instruments. At least the band is playing. It's not the symphony, but it is real soulful presence.
Previous Topic
Index
