Since my last update, there have been some very positive discussions and I believe that there will actually be some follow-through in the world of communication. We have put together a "Website Enhancement Group" and have met twice, to date.
First off, we are working on synchronizing the "Shared Tribal Council Calendar" with the website so members from anywhere will have access to our daily schedule. We presume that this will be relatively easy but it is moving forward and that is what I am excited about. There is research being done regarding the capabilities of blogging on the website. We are also discussing a blog page for any interested departments within the organization and this would obviously have to come with a set of policies. It is a work in progress with "progress" being the key word.
I believe that something we will all see in the very near future is the Legislative Action Committee (LAC) meeting minutes being posted on the tribal member side of the website. Another item from our list of website enhancements is using the email database in order to send registered users information in more of a timely manner. Another suggestion that I believe will move forward in the near future is posting all of the information sent to the membership via United States Postal Service (USPS) to the website immediately. This seems more timely than waiting to receive it in the mail.
It is our hope to put together "downloadable" press kits on the website that would allow individuals to download a kit that introduces Tribal Council (with photo) and explains the tribe's history, cultures and other pertinent information. We would also like to post the information provided at the General Council Meetings on the website as well as getting a PDF of the "Smoke Signals" online as soon as possible so the membership doesn't have to wait to receive it in the mail. One thing that I am pushing to move forward ASAP is providing all website users an extension from each department so users can easily obtain contact information and make communication with tribal staff more convenient. It has also been reported that changing the requirements to become a registered user is now being worked on. Basically, one would only have to submit the last four digits of their social security number rather than the entire number to become registered.
To me, these are great things and there are people who are committed to following-through and not letting these issues become dead issues. We all need to understand how important communication is and we will relentlessly continue our efforts.
Keep your fingers crossed and your hopes high.
Thank you for reading,
Toby
