2-19-09

Communications Committee Meeting

From left to right, your 2009 Communications Committee  members are Clint Cronic, Sarah Kohlbeck, Freddie Martin, Michael Moore, Lori Juszak, and Skip Murphy. Not shown, Mark Lynch. Unable to attend Denise Jensen, Mark Gazzigli.

The first meeting of 2009 began with introductions, and short statements regarding individual member expectations for the committee.  I was totally impressed with the depth of experience and enthusiastic ideas that this group brings to the table. As chairman, I reviewed our Mission Statement to general agreement.

Internal communications:  Resolution passed and later approved by the board to institute an online Community Forum separate from the largely unused Flex Bulletin Board system.  Expect to have that up and running in a day or two. There will be a public area for public interaction with our board, and a members only password protected section for members to post discussion topics and initiate online conversations that are not appropriate to the MLS bulk e-mail, but which will promote the interests of the membership. We’ll try it out and see if it gains popular acceptance, and adds value to our organization.

Committee members expressed the desire to see more information about what each committee is doing. Tom Whitacre and I were both hoping this blog area will serve that purpose, but it will probably take some time to get this really rolling. The available information seems to have improved greatly since this blog area was begun, and we hope to see it continue and expand. We will monitor progress going forward to make sure this program is filling that communication gap.

External Communications:  Proposed to put together monthly Press Releases with information favorable to improve Realtor reputation in the community. We are still working out the mechanism for putting this idea into action. A suggestion was to circulate a Press release outline via e-mail, and then have members flesh out the release with input and ideas. Board approval will be required, and then the Press Releases will be distributed to key media outlets. We’re still working through this idea, but expect to have a system in place for generating Press Releases monthly. The process needs to be systematized and automatic. We need to present a proactive, repetitive, unified, and cohesive message to the media to enhance the community standing of our organization, and to stop letting the media define our message and reputation for us.

Unfinished business from last year’s committee included the proposal to have an occasional MLS General Membership meeting in the evening instead of the morning, with the aim to encourage larger participation and greater camaraderie among members. Maybe even have some tastings go with that. We’ll throw that idea/suggestion over to the Education Committee, but we hear there are some changes in store for the weekly MLS meeting, and we’ll wait to see what that means.

We have a terrific group for the committee this year! With their guidance, you can expect substantial improvements in the always rapidly changing world of communications. My sincere thanks to all the committee members.

As always, any committee member will take your ideas and suggestions to the group. You are also invited to sit in on a meeting if you like. It is our intent to meet the third Thursday of every month at 1:00 PM at the board.  Please contact a member before making plans, as we may alter the schedule if needed. Skip Murphy