[Businessmtg] Beginners' Resource/Forum Refurb

[Kristen Z]

Hello All,

We are having some great ideas coming in. I think several fresh eyes on
this is almost necessary at this point.

I would like to answer this question first:
>From Steve: "So, I'm really interested in what our newer members think
we could do that might have helped them when they got here."

1. Make the newcomer page more "NEWCOMER" friendly.
-I think there is a natural disconnect between old-timers (if you will) and
newcomers (folks in crisis when they enter these rooms).
2. Be kinder when approaching newcomers
-it comes off to me and others (perhaps newcomers or folks under 2 years
specifically- be asked for further evidence on this point) to be
"reprimanding" aka "slapped on the hand" aka " schooled."
3. Most newcomers (as stated by another biz member in this business
meeting) preface their email with an "I hope I'm doing this right, please
forgive me if not"
-this tells me there must be some confusion OR that they are fearful (of
what? I can't answer that for anyone else but I can say, I was afraid to be
scolded since I was living with active alcoholism and making mistakes was
not met with kindness and understanding). Unfortunately, when I did make a
mistake when I first shared and even a few times since it was received by
me to be very terse.
4. The main page of ASP Members has links on the bottom (that I frequent
when trying to find something). I think that may be a more helpful format
on the newcomer page and in the email that would follow a welcome note,
rather than just all subjects in the same text. Maybe the format of the
emails mush it all up too?
5. I would have liked having a couple email addresses specific for newcomer
support questions
-rather than reaching out to the List Admin (it seemed too serious to
contact that person, especially since I thought that was the person who
could "can me" if I made a mistake.  This may require a change in
responsibilities of service positions or a new service committee.

Just some thoughts, as this business meeting has turned into some brain
storming, which I believe is beneficial at this time. I will further sit
with this and report back!



On Tue, Mar 28, 2017 at 3:47 PM Steve Rankin <steve at serenitysys.com> wrote:

> Hi ASPers,
>
>
> Confused newcomers has been a recurring issue at ASP since the beginning 20
> years ago.
>
> Periodically, this issue has surfaced in the Steering Committee, and
> sometimes we've reached a consensus regarding making changes to the
> Newcomer
> Page, sometimes we've decided to leave it alone. Most recently the List
> Administrator and web master decided between themselves to make changes to
> this page, among others.
>
> Here are my thoughts on our Newcomer Page, as well as the rest of the ASP
> website:
>
> 1. I'm sensing some control & ownership issues regarding the ASP website
> that I think should be addressed.
>
>         A. The ASP website is the "ASP website" and it belongs to ASP. It
> doesn't belong to the Steering Committee, or the Web Master, or the List
> Administrator. The Web Master's responsibility is "Maintains ASP web
> sites."
>
>         B. The responsibility of the Steering Committee is to "Administer
> all technical affairs of ASP."
>
>
>         c. The Business Meeting is "The Group Conscience of ASP on issues
> not specifically delegated to the Steering Committee".
>
> Each of these points is contained in "The ASP Service Structure" page
> established by the ASP group conscience on Feb 24, 2006.
> http://www.serenitysys.com/A_Serenity_Place/Business/nbm/structure.htm
>
>
> It's pretty clear to me that the website belongs to ASP, and the
> responsibility of the Steering Committee, including the Web Master, is
> limited to maintaining the site and administering technical issues.
>
> The group conscience of ASP is reached in the Business Meeting that any
> member of ASP may participate in. The group conscience of the Steering
> Committee, which is closed to the general membership of ASP, does not have
> the ultimate authority to make decisions at ASP.
>
> 2. The voice and vote of ASP is the Business Meeting, not the Steering
> Committee. The Steering Committee reports to the Business Meeting - or at
> least they are supposed to - not the other way around. If someone disagrees
> or is even just slightly confused by this, then I'd like to have that
> discussion on the agenda of the next Business Meeting.
>
> 3. Sandie said "I beg to differ on the Newcomers Page. I get frequent
> emails
> saying how informative the Newcomers page and Thanks for the links to
> podcasts.  I am not saying that it cannot have more information/writing
> etc., I have never received a complaint saying that it was hard to
> understand or complicated."
>
> Wow, I don't recall ever hearing about compliments from newcomers about the
> Newcomers page or thanks for links to podcasts. I'd really appreciate it if
> Sandie would forward some of those emails. Since she gets them frequently,
> perhaps a dozen or so would help us better understand the newcomer's
> perspective so we can better make an informed decision.
>
> OTOH, I've heard of many, many problems involving newcomers as they
> struggle
> to figure things out. The Steering Committee has had several discussions
> over the years regarding the issue of newcomers not understanding a wide
> variety of issues.
>
> That many newcomers continue to struggle with confusion tells me that we're
> not done yet.
>
> Another thing that I've learned over the years is that the old-timers don't
> have all the answers. This is especially true when it comes to relating to
> newcomers. So, I'm really interested in what our newer members think we
> could do that might have helped them when they got here.
>
> Hugs,
> Steve
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
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>
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>
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-- 
Kristen in Chicago " I choose to use my inherent power to heal myself, mend
my broken dreams and reweave the fabric of my life!"