[NABS-L] Purpose of the NABS Email List in the 21st Century?

Tue Aug 7 16:30:36 UTC 2018

Hello All:
I have been thinking about the discussion that has been taking place, and in
lieu of president Webster's questions, you can find my thoughts, or at least
some of them, below:
1. Should the Outreach Committee institute weekly discussion starters on the
list?
	I am of the opinion that this should absolutely be the case. I do
not think that we should ask questions merely to ask questions-"what is your
favorite animal?"-but I think that facilitating discussion weekly would be
useful. There are a lot of people with a variety of circumstances
prohibiting group participation, or, asking questions that may be on their
minds. It's the old adage, "there are no stupid questions; ask, because
someone else most certainly has the same question."
	Further, I think these directed questions could be utilized in a way
to assist our students in understanding, and engaging with, our
organizational philosophy. Our philosophy and history is rich and wide
reaching. Often I have found that our members do not know where to start. If
provided the  first step, I believe our members will be fully capable on
continuing exploration and find their place in our beautiful organization. 
2. How do we make the list more active, but also not too overwhelming with
email traffic? 
	This question has been on my mind for many years. I do not believe
that you can have both simultaneously. As our student division  grows we
will necessarily see an up in traffic. If we, the membership, are
contributing thoughtfully and continuing to provide engaging questions and
comments, there likely will be more contributions. My only suggestion is
that people be conscious regarding the number of posts and the information
provided. For example, we should all try to read the entirety of the
conversation so we do not duplicate information, and try not to post back to
back to back with no other responses between our posts on a given topic. 
3. What are ways we can better engage our members?
	Electronically, we need to move to other social media platforms.
People like me, isolated to Facebook and twitter, are behind the times. We
are losing out on possible connections with a younger audience. Instagram,
snapchat, and the like are ever popular with those born after 2000. Although
there are a lot of students in their collegiate years, we must find those
students in compulsory education. Those in K-12 need us, and quite frankly,
we need them to. 
I have other thoughts, but I need to reflect a little longer.
Respectfully,
Michael Ausbun
Secretary/Treasurer, Louisiana Association of Blind Students
Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of Nevada

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of President, NABS |
Kathryn Webster via NABS-L
Sent: Tuesday, August 7, 2018 6:22 AM
To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: President, NABS | Kathryn Webster <nabs.president at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NABS-L] Purpose of the NABS Email List in the 21st Century?

I love this discussion! It sparks so many ideas on how we can further
improve our mailing list. 

Some initial thoughts come to mind -
1. Should the Outreach Committee institute weekly discussion starters on the
list?
2. How do we make the list more active, but also not too overwhelming with
email traffic? 
3. What are ways we can better engage our members?

These are just some immediate questions I have, but I am excited to hear
from all of you! Let's get our creative juices flowing!

Love,
Kathryn

Kathryn C. Webster
President | National Association of Blind Students
   A proud division of the National Federation of the Blind
(203) 273-8463
Nabs.president at gmail.com | www.nabslink.org

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jessica Dail
via NABS-L
Sent: Tuesday, August 7, 2018 9:14 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Jessica Dail <jldail13 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NABS-L] Purpose of the NABS Email List in the 21st Century?

Hi,
Yes, I feel the email lists are absolutely necessary for people like myself,
who are not allowed on social media.

Having these lists still allows everyone to communicate and keep up with the
happenings of the NFB. 

Thanks,
Jessica

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 6, 2018, at 10:18 PM, Elizabeth Mohnke via NABS-L
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello All,
> 
> As the National Association of Blind Students reaches out to new 
> members
and new partners, there has been an increase in various media platforms used
to connect with these new members and partners. So in the new age of media
platforms, how do you see the NABS email list fitting in with these other
media platforms?
> 
> What do you believe should be the purpose of the NABS email list now 
> that
we use other media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter? Do you still see
a role for the NABS email list among these new media platforms? If so what
do you believe the role of the NABS email list should be among these new
media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter?
> 
> I feel as though the discussion on the NABS email list has decreased 
> as
other media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have become more popular.
So I am just curious if there is still a place for the NABS email list in
the 21st century.
> 
> I look forward to receiving your ideas in regards to this matter.
> 
> Warm regards,
> Elizabeth
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