I love online community. In 1995 I wrote a business plan that focused on providing any organization password protected online communties. I registered and still own the URL's www.onlinecommunity.com My first online community was called studentaccess.com in 1996 which provided free home pages, email addresses to college students. I advertised in student magazines around the country and waited, waited and nobody came! So I went on to createonline communities for 300 alumni associations. Also love to write. In 1998 wrote a book, Create a NET-Centered College Campus, suggesting that colleges use the Internet to develop online communities for parents, prospective students, students and alumni. (all are still focused on using the Internet for administrative purposes) Later I wrote Alumni Online Engagement, where I provide 101 strategies to engage alumni online and just finished a business book, Internet Dough, Make More Dough Marketing Online.

After a decade in the college market I'm still amazed that colleges in general don't get it? Most have lost a once in a lifetime opportunity to engage alumni online via the Internet. Few are putting the resources they should into their online inititatives. All blindly invest money in their alumni magazines, when few are reading them. None recognize the behaviors of alumni have changed drastically and nearly all are using business concepts developed in the "Leave it to Beaver Era". It's not a money issue, its a vision thing. The President and VP's need to reallocate resources and focus on building communities of interest online. Studies prove online communities will increase student recruitment, retention and contributions!