[Chapter-delegates] Membership Database Maintenance

[Ted Mooney]

Thanks for your email, Rudi,

No individual will receive any more emails than what they may normally receive in the course of regular communication.  For Staff the issue, Rudi, is that our database is full of records and email addresses that are unreachable and yet are counted as members.  Since among the characteristics of a member of ISOC is a working email address, we are obligated to eliminate from the membership ranks any record that has no working email address.

However,  you will have noted that while we are implementing this to begin a proper maintenance protocol for the AMS membership database it also is a service to Chapter administrators by providing them useful information regarding their membership.  Any record can be re-instated at any time.  Records with additional valid email addresses can be flagged as well, though we currently believe those will be few.  Chapters should absolutely be the arbiters of  their chapter membership within the parameter that any chapter member must also be a global member.  As I stated in my first message on this subject, we will share the list with all potentially affected chapters and provide the opportunity to adjust the list as needed so that all membership data synchronization going forward contains current and valid data as well as new data.

As the keeper of the global membership database, Staff have the obligation to assure that it is maintained and accurate.  I hope and believe this best serves our chapter community and our larger membership community overall, without taking over any Chapter prerogatives.  

I would be very happy if you and other chapter leaders can provide us ideas how to implement this maintenance on a global basis through the chapters and remain open to any and all such suggestions.

Best regards,

Ted

Ted Mooney
Sr. Director, Membership & Services
Cell: 301-980-6446
Skype: ted.mooney3

www.internetsociety.org





On Mar 8, 2013, at 1:04 PM, Rudi Vansnick <rudi.vansnick at isoc.be> wrote:

> Dear Ted,
> 
> Interesting process you are highlighting here.
> 
> I have some questions about the process :
>> we will monitor all primary email addresses of all member records.
> 
> does this mean you will send emails to each email address ? 
> 
> Wouldn't it be helpful if chapters would be enabled to monitor this process ? We experienced negative reactions from some of our members as they receive seamlessly email message they don't want to receive. Perhaps a better concept of email communication should be used to avoid members unsubscribing from the chapters.
> 
> We are willing to translate the email communication that will be used through this given process in the appropriate language so at least members will be addressed in their language.
> 
> I consider still the chapter being the "leader" in the process of monitoring their membership, as they will most probably be first a member of the chapter and secondly being a global member. I'm also referring to the privacy regulation being different depending on the continent / region / country.
> 
> Please do not consider the present mail as being negative criticism but rather a way of involving chapters in a process that affects directly their members and of course also part of their existence.
> 
> Always willing to collaborate in increasing membership processes.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Rudi Vansnick
> President - CEO			             Tel +32/(0)9/329.39.16
> rudi.vansnick at isoc.be		       Mobile +32/(0)475/28.16.32
> Dendermondesteenweg 143		   B-9070 Destelbergen
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> www.internetsociety.be	      "The Internet is for everyone"
> 
> Op 8-mrt-2013, om 15:38 heeft Ted Mooney het volgende geschreven:
> 
>> To all Internet Society Chapters,
>> 
>> ISOC Staff are undertaking a long overdue maintenance of our database.  We are starting with member records and want you to know the plan and what it means for you.
>> 
>> Over the course of the next two to four weeks, we will monitor all primary email addresses of all member records.  Any email address that returns four "hard bounces" to our system will flag that member record as "unreachable".  At the end of four weeks we will unsubscribe all such records in the database from receiving email from ISOC, and we will cancel these memberships.  
>> 
>> We will not, at this time remove any name from the database.  We will also, within two weeks following this action,  compile a list of all removed members and make that list available to all Chapters affected. 
>> 
>> It is important that any separately maintained Chapter Membership lists are updated as well so that future synchronization with the ISOC AMS does not return "dead end" records to the subscription and membership lists.  
>> 
>> We are aware of the possibility that few of these records may be members who prefer contact through other means.  For this reason we will provide Chapter Administrators the opportunity to review the list and when agreed with Chapter Support, re-instate any valid member to the membership roster.
>> 
>> This is a critical first step to improving our overall database maintenance and integrity and ultimately, upgrading the systems to make it much easier and more accurate for Chapters to administer their membership lists as well.
>> 
>> Thanks for your understanding and assistance for this activity.
>> 
>> Ted Mooney
>> Sr. Director, Membership & Services
>> Cell: 301-980-6446
>> Skype: ted.mooney3
>> 
>> www.internetsociety.org
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically subscribed
>> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society
>> Chapter Portal (AMS): https://portal.isoc.org
> 

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