Brags Page, Website Management

As aforementioned, I am the webmaster for the LCCOC website.  In 2009 I installed a Guest Book set up as a Brags page, where club members could post their dog's achievements. I wanted visitors to see how active our club members are and how successful in putting titles on their dogs. Further, it would be a more permanent and visible record than merely reciting a brag at the monthly meeting, and then POOF, it's gone and forgotten.  Most club members have no idea what other members are achieving all year long.

I spent many hours setting up the page, then invited members to use it, for themselves AND to help promote our club.  A few did, entering summaries for each weekend trial they attended, but this quickly became cumbersome.  Too many entries to read, and too hard to follow any one dog.  No good.  So I asked members, a few weeks back, to post a one-brag-summary of each dog's achievement for 2010.  I posted my own Maxie Brag as an example.

Alas, I only got one response.  So much for team spirit.  The sentiment seems to be "who has the time".  True, many of our club members are at trials most weekends and working during the week, yet I fear the page's emptiness makes it look like our members don't have anything to brag about. That won't do.

I reviewed a bunch of other dog club websites, and in each case where they have a Brags feature, the page is nearly empty.  Apparently the "post it yourself" plan is not the way to go.  So I'm trying to figure out new ways to get the job done.
Each year our members are asked to turn in their dog's new titles for the year so the club can present them with an award, either a plaque or a crate tag, at the Winter Party.  I wrote elsewhere in this blog about receiving my first plaque and how proud I was.  I'm not sure all of our members respond to that program, either, but a considerable number do, so I'm investigating posting that list to the website.  I'll make a presentation to the Board of Directors and see if that flies.

Some of our members wonder why I knock myself out doing stuff like this: videoing our team members' performances at trials, matches, and events; maintaining web albums, etc., while they are discouraging me with comments like "you'll tire of it soon".  Likewise, they can't believe I "waste my time" trying to maintain a Brags page.  My take on it is that it beats doing cross-word puzzles, watching game or murder shows on TV, shopping for clothes, having my nails done, hanging out in bars or cafes, or chit-chatting.  I'm not a small-talker, but I like people.  I like being active.  I need projects.  I enjoy studying the learning process.  Plus, "supporting positive effort wherever I find it" is one of my life-long mantras, and beats sitting around noticing all the things-gone-wrong in this world. I'd be drowning myself in the bottle if I had nothing positive to focus on, no one besides myself to pay attention to.  I seek out positive achievers, then do what makes me happy, which is promoting those achievements, even if it makes me sad that few appreciate it. 

Why we lavish so much attention on our dogs, with most of the humans around us bravely enduring but slowly dying of emotional starvation for lack of personal attention and positive reinforcement, I have no idea. As for me, I love to spoil unspoiled people (especially now that I have the time), believing that I may still be assisting humanity in some small way to move

Upwards and onward, 

Volunteer Recognition

CCCC 2010 Holiday Banquet

Today was my Cajun Clickers Computer Club's annual Holiday Banquet, where volunteers were honored for their contributions. I brought my Mom's Sweet Potato with Marshmellows Casserole, and there was tons of food and about 50 people. Turns out, I was one of the honored volunteers, being as I built the club's website earlier this year, http://www.clickers.org/, and still maintain it.  It was at last year's Christmas Banquet that I volunteered to build it, which required several meetings with the board and it took 3 months to build, but maintaining it is only about 2-5 hours/month so you can tell by the puzzled look on my face, I didn't really expect to be mentioned. Since I live mostly in the moment, 8 months ago seems way far back in the past. So many other people in this very active club do so much more on a daily basis. I didn't know John was taking a video and it's the only picture, so here is my presentation, given by our outgoing President, Roger Carlyle.

Gifts:  CD with 13 freeware programs, CCCC mouse pad,
box of sticky notes of various shapes and colors.
I also got a picture frame in the drawing.

Many other volunteers received award plaques, and/or were mentioned.

Roger is a gracious person.  He always comes up with gifts to give out at every function, plus he organizes drawings, raffles, and auctions throughout the year.  Here are 3 gifts everyone got at the banquet:



Phil and Michele.  We always have fun together.

I had John take another picture of me with our Educational Director, Phil Chenevert, who received a Lifetime Membership Award.  As soon as I joined, Phil snagged me at the first class I attended and got me busy volunteering.  As you can see by his Sanda hat and long blonde wig, Phil enjoys cutting up, also he's an expert at managing people, and spends countless hours at the clubhouse.  He certainly deserves his award.



Penny being honored by President Roger.

 My other good friend from way back (her son was my student for years), Penny Cano, the club's Membership Coordinator and an instructor, got a Lifetime Membership Award, too. She shies away from photos, but John got a rear view of her receiving her award.  She is very dedicated to the club, and helps a lot of members out with their crashed computers, including me.  She alone has been worth the annual dues!

 As to volunteerism, I've volunteered with lots of clubs whose mission I believed in.  Two years back, I built and now maintain my dog club's website, http://www.lccoc.org/ for which they renew my Clean Run subscription for me every year.  Sweet!  It's a $48/year subscription and the only magazine I have ever read cover to cover every month.

Recognition, even if modest, is nice.  Some clubs are better at it than others.  In my experience, most seem to take their volunteers for granted, expecting services in exchange for . . . . . er, nothing.  I think people volunteer to further a cause, and get paid back in comradery, connections, and the few perks they receive.  In my dog club's and computer club's case, it is largely for the learning which couldn't be purchased at any price if there weren't other club members willing to share their knowledge.

In any case, my feeling is that if members were better engaged from the start, better mentored, better recognized, more appreciated, there would be more volunteers.  While clubs don't generally pay for services, most clubs do have some free perks they can distribute, the biggest one being friendship.

So, it was a very enjoyable day.  I dressed up, and noticed that with me wearing mostly tennis shoes this last year for agility practice, my dress shoes with the 2" heels really hurt my feet.  I can hardly walk in heels any more!

So it's onward and upwards now, in my tennies!