Fall 2009 NEC Agenda posted

[heliodoc]

^^^

A one sentence change?  Folks ought to be doing THAT silliness by email!!  If CAP is "UP" on its technology!!

Well that vote ought to take 3,34567890 seconds to complete..

Any longer still will make any Agency in the US a more effective decision maker

[heliodoc]

^^ Correction

3.3456789 seconds to complete

Although my prev post stands...it still will take 3,345678890 to get done

[Robert Hartigan]

I have comments on the social media agenda topic. I am sending them up the chain. I was told at NSC that comments from members are welcomed. We will see how the process unfolds.

[AirAux]

The social media agenda is going to a sticky wicket to say the least.  Freedom of speech and activities outside of CAP meetings, etc.  We are not bound to CAP 24 hours a day and the cadets certainly aren't.  Why not just admit big brother is here and get over it??

[RiverAux]

On the other hand, perhaps we should see this agenda as a positive since it appears unlikely that they'll be doing anything that has the potential to hurt the organization.  Sort of a "no news is good news" perspective. 

[lordmonar]

The social media one is just outragious!

[bosshawk]

After reading the whole agenda on eServices, my question is this: why spend the time and money to go to St Louis to act on this agenda?   In most cases, email or teleconference would do the trick.

[JC004]

I like how they cite unofficial CAP social media as ours in the agenda item.  CAP needs to get a grasp on social media itself by like...yesterday.  No official YouTube channel and all?  Come on, folks. 

Check out the list of the largest non-profits in the country...you'll find them on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and the like.  Of course, it's not like one of our target markets is 12-18 or anything.   

If they want to talk social media, why don't they:
1. get 110-1 revised
2. make a STYLE GUIDE so it all looks the same
3. start official CAP sites on the major sites.  We need youtube.com/CivilAirPatrol, twitter.com/CivilAirPatrol, and facebook.com/CivilAirPatrol like...now.

I could do this myself in no time if properly empowered.  What's their problem?

[jimmydeanno]

I like how they cite unofficial CAP social media as ours in the agenda item.  CAP needs to get a grasp on social media itself by like...yesterday.  No official YouTube channel and all?  Come on, folks. 

Check out the list of the largest non-profits in the country...you'll find them on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and the like.  Of course, it's not like one of our target markets is 12-18 or anything.   

If they want to talk social media, why don't they:
1. get 110-1 revised
2. make a STYLE GUIDE so it all looks the same
3. start official CAP sites on the major sites.  We need youtube.com/CivilAirPatrol, twitter.com/CivilAirPatrol, and facebook.com/CivilAirPatrol like...now.

I could do this myself in no time if properly empowered.  What's their problem?

This was actually the topic of our practicum at NSC.  Throughout the week the theme was the same from the members...

CAP needs to get on board with the social media outlets, regardless of whether or not they like them.  It allows them to control their own message, rather than putting it in the hands of "unofficial" sources.

[Chappie]

The CAP Chaplain Corps has a FB group.  Here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=16639568303

Note the disclaimer.

[Eclipse]

Without a legitimate, top-down strategy, CAP needs to steer completely clear of this arena, and stand-down anyone who has taken it upon themselves to pretend they are a legitimate voice.  Right now most wings can't even figure out the simple process of moderating an email list to keep multi-forwarded political messages, hate speech, and "just had to try" urban legends off them from fellow members, and you expect someone to be able to moderate and monitor public arenas filled with non-members?

Social media = a spectacular waste of time & bandwidth while doing nothing but making messages less coherent, and feeding the narcissism which is inherent in the human species.

Being involved in it provides no more (or less) "control" over the media, message, or members.  There's nothing "new" here, just repackaged Web 1.0 content spread out over less coherent media.  Great idea!
Instead of just having a personal website to espouse my conspiracy theories regarding 2012, I'll light up 6 different accounts, all with different user bases, and then try to get my message out that way.

Every hour or so I'll post an update no one is reading about being someplace nowhere near where 9,999 of my 10,000 "friends" are.

Meanwhile, I'm never actually "with" real human beings, because my nose is glued to my Phone reading messages about where I'm not, or will be in an hour. (unless you have an iPhone, in which case you're dancing around trying to get a signal long enough to post your update about your battery being dead).

News flash - you don't have 10,000 "friends".

Outstanding use of time.

Further, for those of you crying "free speech", forget it.  This is one of the "advantages" of our corporate dichotomy.  Being a private organization with at-will membership termination (subject only to internal regulation) means CAP can put any rules in place, and you are free to abide or leave.

Since unlike the military CAP holds no legal jurisdiction over its members outside the organization, there's no court challenge to make.  CAP can't curtail your right to make noise publicly, only to do it with an CAP ID card in your wallet.

If I create the "Eclipse Happy Fun Time SAR Rangers and Tea Club", and decide my members aren't allowed to have Facebook accounts.  Guess what?  You have a decision to make.

[JC004]

lol - Eclipse, Eclipse

[flyerthom]

I like how they cite unofficial CAP social media as ours in the agenda item.  CAP needs to get a grasp on social media itself by like...yesterday.  No official YouTube channel and all?  Come on, folks. 

Check out the list of the largest non-profits in the country...you'll find them on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and the like.  Of course, it's not like one of our target markets is 12-18 or anything.   

If they want to talk social media, why don't they:
1. get 110-1 revised
2. make a STYLE GUIDE so it all looks the same
3. start official CAP sites on the major sites.  We need youtube.com/CivilAirPatrol, twitter.com/CivilAirPatrol, and facebook.com/CivilAirPatrol like...now.

I could do this myself in no time if properly empowered.  What's their problem?

This is what I was hoping to see. I made a similar comment at the 2008 National PAO Academy. It remains one of the reasons why I'm reluctant to charge into this in NV.

[JC004]

It isn't that hard.  Many, many members agree.  Many, many members see the need for a style guide and the immediate stop to the continued proliferation of new logos, tag lines, and domain names (read: diluting of our brand).  We are too big an organization to have this sort of identity crisis.  Let the NEC talk about that and drop the social media restrictions issue. 

I am not the absolute expert in branding and marketing for large organizations, but I can say that the way we are doing it is not it.  This is really simple - that's the point.  Simple, consistent branding and marketing.  How many seals, symbols, logos, etc. do we have now?  I have NO idea.  It has to stop.  How many logos does McDonald's have?  Coca-Cola?  or for non-profits...United Way, Red Cross, Girl Scouts? 

Seriously...I agree with canceling the meeting if that's all they have to talk about.  Talk about marketing, branding, recruiting, retention, and developing our missions (because I've got news for you...if the missions aren't there, all the cute tag lines in the world won't help you). 

As a paying member, I demand the immediate stop to the waste of my financial resources on:
1. the continued development of additional logos, symbols, slogans, and the like
2. the continued senseless changes to uniforms.  these are costly.  did ya notice?  Since I have joined, there has been the round flight suit patch, the shield with "US Air Force Auxiliary," the shield with "US," and the shield without "US."  This is not to mention the "U.S." branch tapes, new uniforms, flag patch, and other crap.  KNOCK IT OFF.

I know that National staff, NEC members, and NB members watch this board.  Some even participate.  Will one of you propose a moratorium on this insanity?  Stop the identity crisis.  Stop all uniform changes that are not safety-related until a comprehensive review of CAP uniforms is conducted and made into a NB proposal (are there authorized gloves with the flight suit? nope.  Are there proposals at these meetings on other things we can add to our flight suits?  You betcha.)  Will one of you stand up for reducing the burden on your members by making it more simple and less costly?

[a2capt]

I know that National staff, NEC members, and NB members watch this board.  Some even participate.  Will one of you propose a moratorium on this insanity?

Not necessarily social media related, but .. web presences in general, surely there has to be a CMS that can handle documents without pissing all over the file names. When I download CAPR-060-001, I get 29lgsldkfgl23023glka23135.pdf

Thats just RIDICULOUS.

..and the gross over use of so many graphic elements on the site that they challenge all but the laboratory specimen browsers to load without stuttering, pausing and puking.

..and if I have to change another freaking sticker on a vehicle because of the ongoing identity crisis.. ugh!

[JC004]

I'd love to see that.  I have wanted that ever since the old site.

The new site's silly use of Adobe Flash and all is obnoxious.  Plus, they didn't work on content structure - a lot of the site is just imported over from the old site.  Looking under NHQ for some of the links in the navigation?  Seriously?  Who is going to think of that?

In one sense, I am sort of having fun with the identity crisis because I get to add new logos to my chart of in-use CAP symbols.     Please, NHQ...every time you make a new logo, a kitten dies.  Think of the kittens.  Oh, and kittens really like Pantone colors if you could pick some.  Remember...it's for the kittens.

[FARRIER]

Further, for those of you crying "free speech", forget it.  This is one of the "advantages" of our corporate dichotomy.  Being a private organization with at-will membership termination (subject only to internal regulation) means CAP can put any rules in place, and you are free to abide or leave.

Since unlike the military CAP holds no legal jurisdiction over its members outside the organization, there's no court challenge to make.  CAP can't curtail your right to make noise publicly, only to do it with an CAP ID card in your wallet.

If I create the "Eclipse Happy Fun Time SAR Rangers and Tea Club", and decide my members aren't allowed to have Facebook accounts.  Guess what?  You have a decision to make.

Its not that you can't prevent members from having the facebook account. Its identifying themselves as members of a corporation, then posting thier private views for all to read.  Corporations have already tackled this without much hassle.

I see the slippery slope in forums such as this. Discussing CAP and Non-CAP business alike, will a remark about a future national commander, like those made in the past, get a member 2B'ed?

And, the first one to be removed from the organization due to a speech issue, they take this to court, do we as an organization want to spend the time and money to flight it? A company I used to work for, at one point, only had enough money in the bank, that it would have taken one sexual harrasment law suit to shut it down.

Food for thought.

[NCRblues]

This is not where cap needs to be headed right now. Is the NEC saying there are no problems in the organization other than this? I live right outside St. Louis proper and I just can't bring myself to go. I would say I am shocked that this is all they could come up with, but really nothing in cap shocks me anymore.

[FW]

Coolgan is right.  CAPR 110-1 should be revised; not 35-3.  Guidelines should be set; not have threats of termination heaped upon the membership for what may considered abitrary reasons.  There needs to be clearly defined standards, IMHO.

Usually, in NEC meetings, the "meat" of the agenda is in the committee reports.  My "sources" tell me there are 2 committees which will bring up very important issues to the NEC which could effect what we do as an organization, IMO, for a very long time.

If there are any current NEC members reading or participating on CT, I hope they give a lot of thought on what will be presented;  before voting on every issue. 

[RiverAux]

Regarding the "What is the NEC thinking" type statements regarding social media, remember that just because someone proposed that the item be put on the agenda, doesn't mean that the NEC as a whole supports it.  I remember the cheers that erupted in the room after the NB voted down the proposal to allow shorts in CAP planes.