Then, our boards were really the first web home for PTO and PTA leaders to share ideas and solutions (and sometimes commiserate). There was nothing else like it on the web. Those first few months it was like we’d invented the wheel or provided oxygen to a drowning man. The enthusiasm was palpable, and there was this “where has this been?” reaction. Well more than 100,000 posts proved that our boards were helping tens of thousands of leaders.
In the ensuing 9+ years, all kinds of sharing came around. From facebook to myspace to sub-groups on the big parenting sites – over time our message boards became less cutting edge. More importantly, they became less essential. Still great and uniquely active – but there were other places to get similar feedback, many of them with all of the bells and whistles of Web 2.0.
That’s why I’m so excited about our new PTO Today Community. It has all that stuff – the profiles and the private messaging and the ratings and the friending – plus several other “only at PTO Today” tools that make life easier for PTO and PTA leaders. And all of it is integrated in our community. There’s our Ask a Question feature for quick responses (from many) to your most perplexing questions. There’s our File Exchange for sharing the best flyers and letters and posters from other groups.
And the action is back! That’s the cool thing. It’s like that first launch in 2000 – new leaders finding out that ptotoday.com is the most practical site on the ‘Net for helping them do their jobs. Love that.
Just check-out our PTO Today Community homepage for a snapshot of just how much is happening every day. Dozens and dozens of new members; new files in the Exchange; new questions; new answers; new threads in the still-great message boards. It’s the place to be. Hope you’ll make it work for you. More activity, more leaders getting help and helping others, and more great groups helping kids.
Now, a request: Here’s my community profile. (Yes, I’m “Rockne”) I need some PTOtoday.com friends. Seriously. We can’t have Lisa Gundlach, our Community Host, out-friending me so badly. ☺ Send me a friend request, and we’ll be connected.
Look forward to seeing you on (and all over) the site.
