Issue No. 2
February 18, 1997
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Issue No. 2 February 18, 1997 |
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Inside:
Dear Elk:
Welcome to the second edition of The Online Elk. Our first issue went out last month to 176 subscribers. For this issue, that number has swelled to about 440! I'd say the idea was a hit.
But not nearly the hit that this news should be: We've abolished the fee for general member passwords and have adopted a new self-registration system. More details are below in Gateway to Elkdom;
That announcement is a tough act to follow; nevertheless, What's New; tells of several of our newest features, and in On the Back Burner; we discuss our plans to distribute the entire GL Newsletter in the same manner weíre distributingh The Online Elk, and our plan to establish an events database.
Then comes an article on e-mail trees by Pennsylvania PR Chairman and active Internaut Ralph Hass. And finally, Jen Plants, assistant editor of The Elks Magazine, is back with a link to another site of interest On the Web;
Oh yah, we're still looking for volunteers to serve as correspondents for the Elks communities on the various commercial online services.
Without further ado, here's issue 2. Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Jim O'Kelley
Director of Internet Operations
BPO Elks
Mostly in response to feedback from the online Elks community, but for other reasons as well, we're abolishing the fee for member passwords to the Gateway to Elkdom. (Please note that we will continue to charge a nominal fee to use the Secretary's Resource).
Effective immediately, any member in good standing can register for a password by filling out an online form. On the downside, all current Gateway users will have to re-register; existing usernames and passwords will not carry over to the new Gateway.
How do you register? Simply go to the Gateway to Elkdom at http://cf1.elks.org . (For a period of two or three weeks, the links to the Member, Secretary and DD resources on elks.org's main menu will point to the Gateway menu to facilitate a smoother transition.)
Under the Members Resources link, choose Register as a New User. You'll see an agreement and a form. (Existing Gateway users should notice a difference in the speed with which pages download -- the new Gateway runs on a SQL Server, which is much faster than the old server.) Note that you'll be able to give yourself a nickname for the server's use as well as a username.
Each listing in the Members Directory will include:
1) They must include your domain name. JohnD doesn't cut it. If you are on AOL, your address is johnd@aol.com . If you're on ATT, it's johnd@worldnet.att.net . Compuserve users must replace the comma with a period and add @compuserve.com .
2) Internet routers do not recognize blank spaces -- John D -- so either delete them -- JohnD -- or replace them with an underscore -- John_D.
3) I've never seen an e-mail address that didn't end with com or org or net or edu or mil or gov or some other three-letter extension. Make sure you include yours.
Once your password is e-mailed back to you, you can use it and your username to access the Members Resources. Once in, choose Update Personal Profile to change your password or anything else you want or need to change. Note, when you change your password, you'll see a * instead of the actual character you typed, which is why you'll have to confirm your password in the Confirm field.
Be sure to update your e-mail address whenever it changes so we'll have your current address on file.
(Once registered as users, Secretaries and DDs should follow the How to Activate links under the respective Resource links for more information.)
And finally, while weíve abolished the mandatory fee, unfortunately we cannot do the same with our bills. The prevailing attitude out there seems to be that this is a Grand Lodge project and Grand Lodge should pay for it. But we're in this together. We're the pioneers of the Order's Internet movement.
A recent Elks Magazine survey concluded that 12 percent of our membership is currently online and an additional 8 percent planned to be online by June. That's a lot of online Elks, but four times as many are offline. Furthermore, well over 80 percent of the Grand Lodge officers and committee members, the Board of Grand Trustees and the Advisory Committee are not using the Internet. Relying on this vast majority to foot the bill seems a risky proposition.
So, if you enjoy the Gateway or the public areas or the e-zine, please consider making a voluntary contribution to the BPO Elks Internet project. You can send checks, payable to:
* The March issue of The Elks Magazine is now online! Be the first in your Lodge to hear all the latest news from Lodges across the country. http://www.elks.org/elksmag/archives/mar97 .
* The March GL Newsletter articles are now available via the Net,
If you chooose the latter option, you'll receive the articles within seconds, a few minutes at most, via e-mail. And see On the Back Burner for more on the GL Newsletter.
* We've started putting information online regarding July's GL Convention in Chicago. For travel and housing information, plus a schedule of events, check out http://www.elks.org/conv . More is coming, so stay tuned!
* Entire GL Newsletter by E-mail: We're currently distributing the GER Message and the Veterans Service and Elks National Home articles via an automatic e-mail responder. However, before the end of this month, we'll begin distributing the entire newsletter in the same manner we're now distributing the Online Elk. Because the newsletter is for members only, you'll have to register for and enter the Members Resource area to subscribe. (The Online Elk, incidentally, is availalbe to anyone who wishes to receive it; you don't have to be an Elk.)
* Events Schedule: In May, we plan to debut an events database at elks.org for use by Lodge Secretaries in promoting Lodge activities. As envisioned, the form interface would be in the Secretary's Resource area, but the database could be searched from the public area. Since many Lodge Secretaries are not online, we may make a provision allowing a member "deputized" by the Lodge Secretary to acquire a Secretary password. We do feel it is important, however, to limit input-access to the database.
by Ralph Haas, State PR Chairman
With a State Association consisting of 69,000 members and 115 Lodges, communications has always been a problem; but E-mail has done wonders to resolve this problem. Our Home page, allows Elk-related information to be available to the entire world, but our E-mail "tree" has been most effective, with each member appearing on a master list maintained by John Kammerer at our Bangor Lodge. The list, posted on our home page, also allows members to E-mail one another as desired and represent their Lodges Online.
Presently our E-mail represents 35 different Lodges, nearly 25,000 members who can be reached quickly with important messages. The passing of dignitaries can now be sent statewide in time to allow a timely reaction; and we have sent a wealth of Public Relations material to Lodges via these member's E-mail addresses.
Our Association E-mail allows fast 'bulk' mailing of messages to all Pennsylvania Elks; and since many E-mail recipients have easy access to nearby Lodges, we now cover the major portion of our entire population.
Articles for National and State publications are now routinely transmitted via E-mail; the overall result being a sharp increase in the number of Lodges receiving positive exposure for various programs and events. Requests for additional details are handled quickly, and we can now deal with numerous media outlets on a more personal basis; clarifying questions with little delay.
Assistant Editor, The Elks Magazine
The Elks Magazine's offices are in Chicago. And although I love the city and all it has to offer, the winter weather here can be gray and depressing. It's easy to get the blues when it's 40 below in the Windy City, and I'm always looking for some inspiration. My father recently found me a gift that didn't cost a dime, but is an everyday pick-me-up. Seven days a week, through my e-mail, I receive a "short, crisp, inspirational message." The sender, Word Art, is a company that hand-letters inspirational messages, turning the words into works of art, but you don't have to buy anything when you visit their website (which contains the complete Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, searchable by keyword), and subscribing to "Inspire" is free. Since my gift subscription from my father, I have printed hard copies of many of the quotations and tacked them up around my office. Those few words in my e-mail have helped me get through many a winter day, and with a quick visit to this website, you can subscribe too.
We welcome your feedback. Send comments to webmaster@elks.org.
The Online Elk, Issue 2, February 18, 1997
Editor: Jim O'Kelley, jimok@elks.org
Contributors:
Ralph Haas, civilwar@nauticom.net
Jennifer Plants, jennp@elks.org
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