By Steve Mallory

January started out really slow but it ended in a flurry of activity.  

A marquee was added to the top of the message board. We have activities in the chat room scheduled just about every evening. Some members have asked when chat is. They say, every time I go in the room nobody is in there! Well, now you may quite wondering. Host Bonnie is updating the marquee on a daily basis to let members know when the chat room will definitely have people in the room. We also keep an updated monthly schedule, but if you want a reminder of what is happening that day all you have to do is point your browser to http://www.strokeboard.net. and watch the marquee. From time-to-timer other important organization news will also be on the marquee.

Have you always wanted to post to the message board, utilize the chat room or write a blog so you can vent? Did you join our organization because you needed stroke support, but found the message board too complicated? The Stroke Network has just finished bringing on extra staff and writing procedures that will hopefully boost our active membership. Every newly registered member will be emailed shortly after submitting their registration information and be asked about needing assistance with things like problems with logging in, forgotten usernames, lost passwords and how to use the message board. We have officially created a new staff responsibility called the Welcome Committee!  

Anything that we can do to meet our mission of providing on-line stroke support will be offered. We want to help more people and we cannot do that by just assuming that our new members can access the message board. If you are a member and are reading this but do not know how to use the message board you will get all the help you need by emailing Sarah Snow at ssnow@strokenetwork.org. Sarah is coordinating this activity and will make sure you get assistance. Fred King is our newest staff member and is the Host for our Welcome Committee. If you know Fred, can you think of anybody better to greet our new members?  

Have you ever wondered who is reading your post and whether they would be interested in getting together for a cup of coffee? How about which members live locally, or at least in close proximity to you? Have you seen the new forum that we just added to the message board? It is called, Members meeting Members, and it has a message board thread for every state and every region in the world. The threads are organized this way so that members can easily post there and post about where they specifically live.

You can post back and forth or just click on their name to send an email or a private message, PM, and exchange phone numbers and other personal information. You are encouraged to get together with other members! Our organization will even sponsor the activities and foot the bill for the coffee, dinner or something equally special. Just email me so we can work out the details. I also want to mention that a new Gallery forum has been created so that pictures of your get together can be shared with the other members.

The members meeting members concept is about to be tested out by six members from Arizona. The members are meeting for coffee on Saturday, Feb 3. What a great way to extend the Stroke Network family! I am certain that these functions will evolve into long lasting relationships! Pictures from the get together will be posted on-line at http://www.strokeboard.net/index.php?automodule=gallery&cmd=sc&cat=8

We have a celebrity in our midst! Well, kind of, Jean Riva, our Message Board Administrator, has followed her intuition to write professionally. She has been submitting articles that she has written to the Associated Content.

Per the AC web site: Associated Content is The People's Media Company, the ultimate destination site for both the inquisitive public and Content Producers from around the world. Associated Content curates and publishes a robust, ever-expanding collection of engaging, insightful, original multimedia content on the Web, connecting information seekers with the knowledge they want and the widest range of diverse Content Producers.

You can read Jean’s latest published article at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/128349/
the_stroke_network_the_largest_online.html

Well done, Jean! You write exquisitely!

Steve is CEO and Founder of The Stroke Network