{"id":97918,"date":"2025-11-15T08:15:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T13:15:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/?p=97918"},"modified":"2025-11-15T08:15:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T13:15:48","slug":"__trashed-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/?p=97918","title":{"rendered":"Communications Column – November 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Walter Boomsma<\/a><\/em><\/strong>
207 343-1842
Communications Directo<\/em><\/strong>r<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Communication Changes and Challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re already in the second month of a new Grange Year! It may be appropriate to review some communication tactics and techniques with a brief update on some changes and challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could easily write an entire column and more on the role of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in communication. In terms of our website and Bulletin, I\u2019m increasingly relying on AI, and it\u2019s becoming more sophisticated. For some time now, all submissions have been spell and grammar-checked before release. But AI is not actually writing content, nor do I allow it to substantially change what\u2019s been submitted. And it doesn\u2019t always get things right. For example, the National Grange Communications Handbook insists the word \u201cGrange\u201d and derivations (Grangers, etc.) always be capitalized. AI doesn\u2019t know that. Yet. That\u2019s a minor point, but also a reminder that accuracy and consistency are important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Communication is happening faster all the time. We can debate the value but not the fact. I mention this because we occasionally lose time due to omissions and errors. I occasionally feel compelled to remind people that the Communications Director\u2019s job is, practically speaking, a volunteer job. I still try to maintain a 24\u201348 hour turnaround time. If, for example, you submit something for the website, you can expect it to be posted within that time frame. But that assumes you\u2019ve included all the necessary information. If not, and I have to contact you, there\u2019s a delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One idea I am pursuing to help with this challenge is creating a dedicated online form for submitting events, which will make all our jobs easier! Your thoughts and ideas are welcome! I might be bragging, but I do maintain some great software, and I am a pretty creative problem-solver. A few years ago, if someone submitted something written on a Mac or Apple computer, it was a nightmare. Today, no problem! Just recently, I received a link to a photo stored online. I was able to get it with a couple of clicks thanks to a screenshot program I maintain. My point is not to brag; it\u2019s to bring the big challenge to the front. The big challenge is getting Grangers to submit the information<\/strong>. I can\u2019t communicate what I don\u2019t know. If you send me something, I can probably work with it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks in part to AI, I\u2019ve \u201cbranded\u201d our Words for Thirds programs, Book Exchange Boxes, and most recently Craft Fairs with logos or icons. Craft Fairs, in particular, seem to have exploded this year! We may be a bit behind the power curve, but we can certainly promote Grange Craft Fairs in Maine\u2014if we know about them!<\/p>\n\n\n

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After the posts themselves, the more static pages of information get lots of  \u201cviews.\u201d The graph to the right reveals which pages were most frequently viewed over the last twelve months, and brings us to another challenge. Are you surprised? The most viewed page is the directory of Granges. The information will be updated when the new roster is released, and I am looking into making \u201cFind a Grange in Maine\u201d more user-friendly. But everything hinges on the accuracy of the information. To keep this page useful, it must remain accurate throughout the year. You can help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One other area worthy of note is that we\u2019ve increased the number of subscribers to the website by 10% this year. Look forward to some additional efforts in that area. We can do even better! We will do even better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FACT: The two most popular categories of posts are Grange Activities and Grange News.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Walter Boomsma207 343-1842 Communications Director Communication Changes and Challenges We\u2019re already in the second month of a new Grange Year! It may be appropriate to review some communication tactics and techniques with a brief update on some changes and challenges. I could easily write an entire column and more on the role of AI … Continue reading “Communications Column – November 2025”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[165,218],"tags":[206,272,202,233,29],"post_folder":[505],"class_list":["post-97918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-communication-2","category-resources-for-granges-and-grangers","tag-grange-advocacy","tag-grange-communication","tag-grange-events","tag-grange-policy","tag-grange-procedure"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"post-thumbnail":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Walter Boomsma","author_link":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/?author=2122"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Walter Boomsma207 343-1842 Communications Director Communication Changes and Challenges We\u2019re already in the second month of a new Grange Year! It may be appropriate to review some communication tactics and techniques with a brief update on some changes and challenges. I could easily write an entire column and more on the role of AI…","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1arC1-ptk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=97918"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97920,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97918\/revisions\/97920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=97918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=97918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=97918"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_folder&post=97918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}