Bottom line is about 300 members go to Talk over a 2 day span, by Day 8 the number has crept up to about 400, and total for the month will be about 560.
And to follow up on a question raised by @MBlatz as a point of reference, the post made by @Diplomat 26 days ago about the letter from PureTax has been viewed 416 times (not sure if some duplicates are in the total, but possible). That would suggest that a maximum of ~75% of Talk visitors over the past 26 days have looked at Steve’s post.
I don’t see a reason to continue mashing this data given the ongoing consistency. Should someone want it for some reason, it can be pulled again in the future.
You can lead a horse to water
You can’t force it to drink
So it is with DMS members and Talk
It is the member’s responsibility to stay informed
Not the other way around
Just a point of reference … this effort all got started because I had anecdotal data suggesting Talk was assumed to reach more people than it actually does. Took a good bit of effort to actually define just what reach was real. It has never been a critical critique of the tool Talk. It is a “think about it twice” note when a committee or a BoD or any other group with a need to communicate adopts a thought process that says being on Talk is enough … at least at this point in time. Can we get more people to check it more frequently? Don’t know. Do we need to do more Office Hours concepts like the BoD has started? Other things?
I’m not prescribing anything … just uncovering what the readership looks like. Just keep the readership in mind when communications are critical and make sure enough bases are covered for the need at hand.
I have mentioned this before, so bare with me on this. The Columbus, Ohio Makerspace charges it’s membership $65 per month. After the new member takes 2 classes, an Orientation Class and a Safety Class, then their membership rate is discounted $5 to just $60 per month. So there is a financial incentive for new members to take these classes. If they drop their membership for a few months then they go back to $65 again and must retake those classes again. Again, an incentive to continue your membership.
The Orientation Class provides all the information about their Makerspace; how to sign up for classes, how to get involved, Internet access, where the restrooms are, and their version of Talk. The Safety Class provides the basic safety instructions on every piece of equipment in the building; here is the Emergency power off button, here is the First Aid kit, the closest Hospital is right around the corner (it really is), don’t look into the Laser, etc.
You are right, Marketing is Important. But, first you must give the new membership an incentive to take the first step, then the next, and the next. Here is your chance to tell the new member about everything we have to offer…now get involved! Heck, after being a member here for a couple of years I bet that I would learn something new taking an Orientation Class.
Maybe a change to the home web page is needed?
I tell folks during the open house to check the calendar when they ask about classes.
The Event Cal has ways to filter.
@artg_dms give up on @Draco,
His view seems to be no matter the cost, increased confusion, and increased complexity, we should hand feed the least willing to incorporate themselves into the DMS system. Its like going to the grocery store and complaining they have no milk, because your in isle 3 canned goods instead of isle 8 cold goods and dairy.
People know where to find information, they just want to be overly catered to. This just doesn’t work with the volunteer nature of DMS. Keep It Simple Stupid! Adding more platforms to watch, maintain, and try to incorporate is not following the KISS principal. TALK can and does what we need. Is it hand feeding you in your bed room? NO, but that isn’t our goal.
Yeah,
While @bertberaht spends his effort spreading the information he wants on many platforms, others like @nicksilva just hit those that miss the message with a BAN STICK. While I find some of Nick’s decisions course, he does manage to post in one place and get his message out. Also, it isn’t Nick’s fault if you ignored to refused to inform yourself on an issue, it is yours. Enjoy the ban for being that way. Bert’s method on the other hand put more of that responsibility on his own shoulders.
