Participation builds communities

Hello fellow Instructional Design colleagues!

Last night our President spoke to new students of the program, as well as students who've been with us for a few semesters.  Some existing students told us that they had joined Ning but they don't see fresh content. They would like to contribute, but they don't see the Ning community alive so they don't bother coming back.  I'm sure the same might have happened to you as well!

I am writing to you today to ask you to contribute blog posts, participate in discussions, join and participate in groups of interest and give us your ideas (there is a new widget at the bottom of the ning page).  This is a catch-22 for our community (as well as other online communities).  People want to contribute content, participate, communicate with friends and colleagues and learn new things and share what they know.  Of course they won't come and contribute unless they see recent signs of life online, so no existing content and interaction equals no new content and interaction, and our community thus goes in a downward spiral.

You, as recent alumni, officers, seasoned students of the program and distinguished guests of our community are in a unique place to help the community grow and encourage the new-comers to be part of our learning social circle.  Please log in frequently and contribute :-)

Here are some ideas:

• Are you trying out a new tool?  Write a review (or air your grievences) about this tool :)
•  Have you attended a conference?  tell us about it!
• Have you published an article? please let us know! we know people are interested in reading it!
• Are you having an issue you can't solve? let us know and it might be solved!
• Did you read something interesting? share it with your peers
• Are you presenting at a local or national ASTD or ISPI event? Let us know! (we'll cheer for you!)
• Do you want to meetup with local instructional designers? Have a venue in mind? Let's organize something!
• If you are a current student and want to know more about which courses to take or have questions about the capstone, let us know! Start a discussion and your peers can help you out. 
• Do you see someone asking for help or a sounding board on Ning? Can you give some advice? A small response goes a long way! :)

These are but a few of the many possibilities! 
Make http://www.umassid.com a frequent destination, it is only with your help and contributions that our community will grow :-)