No, I didn't go AWOL. Yes, I'll be handling the website for the peace caucus for the upcoming year (as I said I would back in November)! I unilaterally decided that, for this year at least, the APHA peace caucus' website would actually be a blog (it's the easiest way to go).
So I've been spending this morning getting things in line for this, the peace caucus' (hopefully soon-to-be, pending your OK) official blog. Actually, I have'nt really done too much yet. All I had to do was register our domain name (www.peacecaucus.org) and then set up a google account for the peace caucus blog manager (currently me, I guess) in order to get our blogger account.
So why did we want to get a website? Well, truthfully, we wanted was to download costs to you, our members. Seriously! You see it costs us about 700$ a year to print out our newsletter. Hopefully, we'll be able to print out a few less of those newsletters by providing a link (this is the newsletter from last year's conference) so that you can print it out yourselves. Hopefully this way we won't go into the red and can free up some money for better things!
We want to keep you abreast about what peace caucus-y things will be going on at the upcoming APHA conference. We're still in the process of figuring things out for next year, but I'll try to keep you posted as things come up. Oh, and by the way, the postings on this blog will not just be coming from me! You'll hopefully be seeing postings from other active peace caucus members that have important or interesting info to share.
Here's a little list of things I'll be working on in the upcoming weeks and months ... please share your ideas by adding comments : a nifty logo for the blog, a little bit of historical info on the peace caucus, and most importantly, figuring out how other active members of the peace caucus (you - if you have something you want to share) can add postings.
Kevin Brown
Statistician
Direction de santé-publique de Montréal
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1 comments:
Dear Bob, (please forward to Patric as I am missing her email.)
Kevin and I are working up the peace caucus website. Kevin has a domain established! . Google "peace caucus" and you can get to the domain and go to the cite.
http://www.peacecaucus.org/
FAB!!!
We have recommended the following addtions.
1. There are two way people can contribute to the blog. Blog items can be posted. That would go though Kevin. Kevin can be given a list of peace caucus members who can be given permission to plost a blog. Second people can make a comment. That is open to the blogosphere, people who are registered on Google Blog or Open ID (another new way to identify who is posting comments). If later on we find too many people from outside are commenting we can cut that off.
2. Add a "Peace Caucus Chairpersons's collumn" for news and views.
3. add a calender of events related to APHA, the Peace Caucus, and other peace related events. This could be updated by a couple of people who would be given authorization pass words.
4. Add an instruction menu. How to use the blog.
5. Kevin is working on ways to draw people into the blog. One way is for the blog to send an email out to all Peace Caucus members everytime there is a posting or comment added. The email would annouce the addtion, give the URL to click on, and give a hint reminder on how to sign on. (how to remember your logon and password for this blog)
5. We need to decide when to launch the site and how to launch it. I think a mass emailing to all APHA members would be great if APHA would do that for us. Otherwise we could just send out emails to peace caucus members. It would be great if you created an inaugration blog posting to start off a discussion as part of that launch.
With your permission we are going to continue work constructing this cite along these lines
Right now the cite is free. As we go along and have expanded needs the cite may cost some money but I think we have a great start for free. Kevin has done a great job!
Greg
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