The success of this blogsite, just as the success of Curry's Chronicle, depends on contributions of content by club members. Fortunately, the articles and letters to the editor continue to pour in for Curry's Chronicle. This enabled us to publish our blockbuster spring 2009 edition, which featured 16 articles. In contrast, only a handful of members---maybe 10---faithfully visit this blogsite, and if several of these members' contributions were eliminated, there would be nothing for other visitors to view. This isn't the way it's supposed to be.
This blogsite is a community domain, where community efforts are required to produce a sense of community pride. Our vision for this blogsite is to have a forum where Carson City coin enthusiasts can meet to exchange information about their passion. We want it to also serve as a reference source for Internet surfers with questions about the Carson City Mint and its coins.
Our original expectation for this blogsite was built on the if-you-build-it-he-(or they)-will-come principle. We believed that a blogsite devoted to preserving the legacy of the Carson City Mint would not only attract our club's members, but would also attract anyone who had even a remote interest in the subject. We wanted the site to resemble a wiki, as in Wikipedia.
If all had gone according to plan, this site would now have hundreds of small postings from our members that covered dozens of different topics related to "CC" coins and the history of the Carson City Mint. In addition, there would be hundreds of comments posted by members and non-members, in reference to the mini-articles, the images of coins, and the questions raised.
If the site had experienced this kind activity, we would have reciprocated by posting dozens of other articles, excerpts from books, a gallery featuring information on each of the 111 different date/denomination combinations in the "CC" coin series, and much, much more.
Visitors to this site could find information on many of the varieties found within each series of "CC" coins, price estimates for every "CC" coin in every grade range, population data for surviving "CC" coins, facts and stories about GSA and Redfield "CC" silver dollars, updates on "CC" coins in the auction place, and images of hundreds of "CC" coins. There would be everything that's found in each issue of Curry's Chronicle and a whole lot more. And the best part would be, that new bits of information and exciting new things would be added to the site every day; plus, visitors would be able to ask questions all the time and people would be able to comment on anything they saw on the site.
I know the faithful few that visit this site on a regular basis are asking themselves, "What are we waiting for?" What I'm hoping is, if you're not one of the "faithful few," and you're just a casual visitor---or even a first-time visitor---to this blogsite, you'll send a comment to express your interest in helping us achieve our goal of transforming it into a popular destination spot for Carson City coin collectors. If you know of another Internet site that's already offering what I've outlined in this article, please let me know about it and I'll post a link to it.
One word about our club
The Carson City Coin Collectors of America is a club that every serious "CC" coin enthusiast should join---you won't find more information on this fascinating subject anywhere. If you collect Carson City coins and you're not a member, you're like a baseball fan without access to ESPN or the sports pages in the newspaper. You're like a food lover without any good restaurants to enjoy. Do yourself a favor and before you add another "CC" coin to your collection, join the Carson City Coin Collectors of America---stop being a fish out of water.
You can send your first year's dues of $20 to:
TREASURER
P.O. Box 16776
Boise, ID 83715-6776
Make checks payable to CCCCOA
P.O. Box 16776
Boise, ID 83715-6776
Make checks payable to CCCCOA
Please be sure to include your name, your mailing address, and your email address.
Posts
7 comments:
I don't know why more of us don't use this either. It's surely been advertised enough. frankly, I'm as baffled as you are Rusty. This really is a profoundly useful tool for any and all "CC" fans. I too wish more of us would use it.
I couldn't agree more but I must also say that I haven't taken full advantage of it either...
Even when things are posted or commented on, there are relatively few comments coming in.
Maybe the forum concept would be easier for people to participate in. If you look particularly at the forum on www.coppercoins.com and also www.vamworld.com , there seems to be more of what you are describing, "hundreds of small postings that cover dozens of different topics...".
It doesn't matter what kind of blogsite/forum we have, if members don't show enthusiasm, it won't be successful.
Plus, the sites you'e referring to, have volunteers to run them. No one has stepped forward to volunteer to run C4OA's blogsite.
What do you guys think about the bogsite's ease of operations? It that what Garry is referring to in offering his comment about the "forum"?
I once sent a business presentation with out to about 80 of my investor partners. The written presentation was supported by a CD with photographs and graphs. The CD was not a plug and play format and required the simple process of selecting "My Computer" locating the subject CD icon and then opening it. The CD was a failure as 75% of the recipients did not, would not or could not open it.
I made sure that the next presentation a month later and to the same group, included a "plug and play" CD. The result was opposite the first presentation with 75-80% successful viewership.
It's was clear to me that one should never underestimate the intimidation factor of computers for many of the baby boomers generation and older. Sorry about the long comment...but I hope you get my point.
Perhaps some of the members are very computer savvy or have teenage or young adult children who could look at the blog site and comment on its usability. I will ask my son (a computer systems engineer) to take a look and will get back to everyone with his comments.
Off Belay
The two forum/Web sites referred to above are operated by volunteers and/or are financed by individuals.
www.vamworld.com is managed by John Austin and is supported by at least 325 members.
www.coppercoins.com is owned and operated by C. D. Daughtrey.
Every Web site, blogsite, and online forum is paid for by someone or by a group of people. And they are managed by webmasters or forum administrators.
It costs someone money and time (lots of time) to sustain an online site and to make it interesting enough to attract visitors. So far, C4OA's president and his company's staff have absorbed all the costs and volunteered all the time required to keep C4OA's blogsite in operation.
We launched this blogsite two and a half years ago in faith, with the hope that members would get excited about it and participate in its operations. So far, only a handful of members have shown their support.
In order for this blogsite to succeed, it will require members to step forward and either build a new site that meets everyone's expectaions, or pay a Web site development company to build one. Even then, it will require the participation of dozens (if not hundreds more) members.
As far as the blogsite's "usability" or "user friendliness" factor, the college-age female employees at Southgate Coins, say that it is one of the easist sites of its kind to use---much easier than Myspace and Facebook.
There's a learning curve involved when using any technology for the first time (how many of you remember the blinking "12:00" on your remote controls?). If a person is committed to learning how to use this blogsite, it can be conquered. And, I and a couple faithful members of my company's staff (Maya, in particular), have always been available to instruct and offer assistance to anyone who calls upon us for help.
Remember: if you have suggestions on how to make this blogsite better, or you would like to see an entirely new C4OA blogsite, you will need to provide the solutions and the resources to carry your idea through---there's nobody else to do it: You are the man (or the woman).
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