Carnival of Genealogical Societies
Second Edition: Collaboration
A genealogical society is founded so that a group of people with a common interest may share and exchange information. A common interest, however, will not sustain a society forever. Other components must be present for a society to be successful.
Among these components are the following:
Reasonable membership dues. This translates to more members and more support for the society.
An online presence. A printed quarterly or newsletter is barely adequate today as an online version is preferred by many and is less costly to produce. Another necessary online presence is the web site and/or society blog, which should act as the public face of the society. It should promote the society by listing coming programs and events and provide information of interest to all members.
Willingness to accept new ideas and technology. No society can survive today without embracing the technological advances important to genealogists. It is time to lose the attitude of "We don't do things like that. We prefer the old way." It is necessary to actively court new members because with new members come new ideas and, with new ideas, come the future of the society.
Most importantly, society members must collaborate or cooperate with each other. Each member is capable of contributing to the society, but it takes concentration and determination to see that all collaborate . When one segment of the group goes its own way or does not listen to the input of other members, the society has begun to falter. If not set back on course, the society is in danger of failing.
A society does not thrive without good leadership. There must be cooperation between the leadership and members. The leadership sets the tone of the society and if the leadership is not progressive and does not recognize that all members have equal standing within the organization, the society will not survive. The society is made up of people with various talents and genealogical interests. It takes a great deal of collaboration to see that those talents and interests are utilized to make the society strong.
Copyright on text and photographs
by Brenda Joyce Jerome, CG
Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog
http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com
1 comment:
Interesting take, Brenda! When Miriam suggested this topic for the carnival, neither of us thought about collaboration within a society. Thanks for broadening the interpretation and for writing a piece with so much wise advice!
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