Brainstorm!

callaway · **Posted:** Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:18 pm

Here are some things I'd like to see implemented in our spiffy new section...

List of ideas... please feel free to add or tell me they suck

- First and foremost some form of 'leadership' --> should we have a poll to determine?

- Who's really here? -- > Sign up on the new roll call

- Monthly calender of events in Illinois + other major events in other groups

- Bi-Monthly news letter --> 'Lost Illinois Magazine' ? include stories, pics from wrenching events, tech blurbs/info other stuff, trail ride info ( would be available in pdf form? )

- Monthly meetings continue --> be nice to have some sort of agenda for the get togethers

- Phone Tree --> This is something I've been wanting to do for a while...

Any other things to do?

jeepfrog · **Posted:** Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:19 pm

More of my .02

Leadership: maybe keep it informal for now - maybe a chairperson or something. Once we get a better idea of how many active IL members there are, we can create a better hierarchy.

Newsletter/Calendar/Phone-Email tree: Definitely

If we set up a Yahoo! group, we could also have a "real-time" calendar there for any last minute stuff. (maybe include member birthdays???)

Meetings: working pretty well, so far. Maybe set up a rotating schedule of locations? That's something we can also determine once we have a better idea of who's LOST in IL.

For marketing purposes, maybe come up with a modified MW logo to say "Illinois Chapter" or something like that.

jeepfrog · **Posted:** Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:21 pm

Can we ask one of the Mods/Admins to make the roll call thread a sticky?

Inc · **Posted:** Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:04 pm

jeepfrog wrote:

Can we ask one of the Mods/Admins to make the roll call thread a sticky?

jeepfrog · **Posted:** Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:21 pm

Thanks, Inc!

oddball · **Posted:** Fri Mar 20, 2009 8:48 pm

Um, phones don't grow on trees. :roll:

Seriously though, I don't do yahoo.

oddball · **Posted:** Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:54 pm

Well personally I don't see any need for a President of LOST Midwest or even for local groups. If anyone should be a president, vice president, etc., it should be the big dog's who run this web site.

So I agree with keeping it informal. Maybe having a "Director" for LOST IL, LOST OH, and so forth should be the way to go. Now without putting anyone on the spot or hurting anyone's feelings, from what I've seen, I think yellocoyote would be a excellent choice for this position because it seems she is always initializing meetings and such. As I would think tommudd would be for OH. But with that said, I believe the best option is to have a poll here in our new IL LOST forum to elect a Director or whatever.

Which brings me to the newsletter and online communication. For starters, I don't think it's a good idea to have a yahoo group. Not because I am anti yahoo, but because we are apart of the LOST org. I feel all internet communication should remain within the confines of this forum. Now if someone has the time and ability to write a monthly newsletter, it should be done here. I would suggest it be a monthly sticky such as the "Rig of the Month" poll we see each month. But with that said, I realize it takes a mod or admin at LOST to submit a sticky and if I am correct, no one from IL is a mod or admin? No one active anyway? So one of two things would have to happen, either the admin here will post our monthly newsletter, but seems like like a pita for whoever would handle the task, or have the admin make our Director a moderator for our forum. Not sure how that will go over but maybe they will agree or have a better solution.

As for monthly meetings, I like what you're doing now. Although I think changing locations once in awhile would be nice too. But if it works for most people traveling to Arlington Heights, then I would say keep it that way. Also, for those who miss a meeting regardless of reason, they could be brought up to date in a sticky thread here (again, in our new IL forum).

Although I was joking about the phone tree in another post, I think comunication would be easiest through this forum. But with that said, I am not opposed to sharing my email or phone with other members. Keep in mind, some may be troubled by this.

As for marketing our group with third parties and such, I would think anything we do would have to be approved by LOST. I could be wrong but it would be a good idea to know where they (the big dogs) stand on this.

That's all I got for now.

oddball · **Posted:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:11 am

Oh, I had one more thought. I also think it would be a good idea to keep the LOST IL forum clutter free. We're all going to spend time in other forums / threads, so I would say if you're going off topic, talking KJ, KK, CRD, tires, CB's, etc., do it in the general forums. I think it would make it easier for everyone involved to keep the IL forum neat & tidy. That way we can find important things and subjects we all need to be aware of, quickly and easily.

callaway · **Posted:** Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:03 am

yellocoyote wrote:

The main reason that I would even think to incorporate a yahoo group would be for the calendar feature. All other communication, I think, should remain here as it already does. Unfortunately the LOST site doesn't have a calendar feature... and a yahoo group-type calendar can be made to keep events real-time.

There is a current yahoo group that henri set up but no one uses =/ It has online calender but again no one uses it =/

That's why I suggested a monthly pdf - could be done in excel and posted in a sticky in the boards

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:29 am

I dunno, i'd kinda prefer to keep all the information in one place, here at the lost forums. Yahoo for use other than the messenger kind of gets on my nerves

I don't mind giving out my email or phone, I have most of that stuff already on my lost profile

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:41 pm

would probably be more convienent for most, wouldn't it? i mean, i don't have a ton of experience with such things, i just figure it's probably easier to ensure that everyones got all of the information if the information delivered is centralized to something common, I wouldn't throw at fit or anything if it were to start being used more

i do very well at doin' what I'm told

usually

overclocked · **Posted:** Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:47 pm

Well as i see it, yellow is trying the hardest to make this work, keeping in touch with all and gathering lists of who is attending the meet...So I wouldnt mind YC representing us...I feel she might make the mod list too...If you run out of time I can also volunteer, just ask my wife she says I have a lot of time on my hands....
Marketing wise, if we use the lost logo, i think we should be required to get approval of all advertising done...If we create our own "jeep riding up Lincoln's nose" we get approval from our leader chosen...
Marketing wise i would like to have a pdf all can download anytime to create a handout card size and a nice handout 8.5x11 to maybe give to dealership and 4x4 repair shops... I am willing to post them on one of my websites and just link to there....
I think we are settling on the second sunday as a meeting standard (which we should do) unless a holiday falls in that weekend... thus this can get placed in the pdfs

jeepfrog · **Posted:** Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:53 pm

yellocoyote wrote:

The main reason that I would even think to incorporate a yahoo group would be for the calendar feature. All other communication, I think, should remain here as it already does. Unfortunately the LOST site doesn't have a calendar feature... and a yahoo group-type calendar can be made to keep events real-time. It doesn't specifically NEED to be on yahoo groups - especially if someone else knows of another good calendar keeping application. Does google have something, anyone?

Google does have a calendar feature, more info here
Google logon required to manage calendar, but I think it can be viewed/rsvp'd to without google account.

tommudd · **Posted:** Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:24 pm

If someone gives me a fax number I can send you a 8.5 X11 sheet that we used to use from on the OLD LOST forum. I have several printed up that I still use.

If my scanner (in the work office) gets repaired I could scan it to someone as well

jeepfrog · **Posted:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:07 am

Thanks Tom - that would be great! It'll give us an idea of format, etc. You wouldn't happen to have an "emailable" version of it would you? If not I'll pm you my hubby's (overclocked) business fax#.

You Ohio folks aren't so bad after all!!!

callaway · **Posted:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:42 am

This should turn into a separate thread... let's try and keep this thread geared towards brainstorming ideas to better the Illinois section.

callaway · **Posted:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 12:51 pm

I'm liking that google calender - much friendlier than the yahoo version ( I really like the agenda feature

)

Is this linked to an account or can anyone edit/add events ?

jeepfrog · **Posted:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 12:59 pm

Nice work, Jayme! I liked the Google calendar better than Yahoo! It seems more accessible.

oddball · **Posted:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:20 pm

Looks good.

(as long as I don't have to have a Google account to access it. I don't foresee any future need to be able to add / edit).

Of course it should be linked via this forum too. We link to everything else, right?

overclocked · **Posted:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:36 pm

i like the calender too...however do we want all to have acces to it...maybe having it controlled is better...events get approval...advertising generated/created and event release forms created so as to not have any situations arise...just typing out load...

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