[foh-mail-list]foh web site

[Lloyd Kumley]

Thank you Forrest (and Pete) for starting the discussion.

I reply to Forrest's request for a discussion about what we are doing as an
organization, and more particularly, what purpose we want our web
site to serve.

>He suggests our web site is for:
>1) adding members?

I agree that this is one purpose. (Without some advertising, we're slowly
disappearing.

>Forrest asks further:
>What is a member?  Just someone who subscribes to the newsletter?

This is a good question...the bylaws say

"any person is eligible for membership who is in general sympathy with the
aims, positions, and purpose of the FOH." And, "Every member shall
contribute annually toward the support of FOH either in money or in
personal services or in both. Each member is expected to contribute
adeqeuately according to his or her means and abilities. Membership fees,
if any, shall be fixed by the Board."

The aims and purpose are set forth in 2 paragraphs...
Perhaps, all or part of the bylaws should be on the website, as well.
I've not been alerting subscribers of all requirements of membership for a
great number of years.

As secretary, in elections, I've given one vote to each family or group
with a subscription to one of our newsletters. Now that we no longer have
multiple newsletters, this is less of an issue...but the bylaws say every
member has a vote...I've been giving one vote per subscription. Maybe that
should change?

Some organizations have a variety of membership types: individuals,
couples, families, students, etc...others have several levels of support:
regular memberships, donors, larger donors, etc...

I note that the bylaws say "every person who has satisfied the requirements
of membership may vote ...". The last several elections hardly any members
have voted.

Forrest suggests another reason for the website:
>2) selling HFK and Why Evolution?

I believe this is an essential purpose in order to help fund the website.
We may want to expand our offering of products. Devin and Jan had books
that seemed interesting to me. We have a number of musicians...maybe we
could put together some tapes or cds of humanist songs?

Forrest also suggests the website could be
>3) a service to people who need guidance in how to raise children in
>a world surrounded by Christian fanatics?

Certainly this has been one attraction subscribers have mentioned as a
reason for joining the group and reading our publications. Another way to
say it is we offer a "family" or "community" to other humanists.

I believe we could make this one aspect of the website, especially if we
feature some of the other literature and services we've developed over the
decades, such as our service badge series that Devin developed, and have
some interactive function, such as Forrest suggests next.

>4) a forum for Humanists with families or young children?

I believe this can also be a feature of our site. If we offer our
publications in an atractive manner and have a forum that is adequately
publicized so that it draws an adequate audience of participants, then one
result would be to achieve item #3.

We may have to develop each step one at a time...and it could take some
time to do it well?

--------

Forrest asks:
>Does the Family of Humanists fill a niche that is not filled by other
>Humanist organizations?

I think we did more completely and better previously, but because of HFK,
we still do. I've read the AHA's and Secular Humanists newsletters aimed at
families...they are exclusively aimed at adult readers... We need to
recruit editors of our youth newsletters to once again offer more that was
unique to us.

--------

Forrest askes further:
>What can be added to the website, or how can the website design be
 changed, to better serve its purpose?
 - Text from back issues of the newsletters?
 - History of Humanism reprints?  (Devin, are you working on this as a
 publication?)
 - Advice on how to deal with Christian relatives or how to raise kids
>as Humanists?

In addition to the forum Forrest suggests and the revival of the youth
newsletters...or something equivalent...that I mentioned,

I agree we should put some of our past newsletters...
say all of 2003 and some of the "best" from years before,

Devin's cycle of celebrations (with a reference to another site I located)

Pointers to other worthy sites.

Perhaps, some humanist music or lyrics

Feature some of our other literature and developments, such as the humanist
youth service badges, winter solstice paper, Devin's humanist profiles, and
probably other items we'll remember as we proceed,

And, feature some parts of our bylaws...aims, purpose, etc.

Lloyd


PO Box 4153, Salem, OR 97302
(503) 371-1255   <lloydk@open.org>
-- end << Lloyd Kumley: