This month, The First Shot introduces two new items: an online reader survey and a user “bulletin board.” The survey is at
http://www.odcmp.org/survey and the bulletin board at
http://www.odcmp.org/cgi-bin/forum. We’ve added these items so we can know more about the people who use CMP web sites and on-line services as well as to allow users to interact with other users or pass on information.
We’ve started with a general reader survey. (Please note, although we ask for your name and e-mail address, this information is optional. Furthermore, any information you give us is strictly
confidential.) Like any service-based organization, we live or die on knowing what our members are interested in, want or need. It is important to know, for instance, if the people who visit our web site are members of CMP-affiliated clubs—if they’re not, then we can direct them to clubs in their area. Or if a significant number of users are looking for “safety tips”—if we can provide them with the information they’re looking for, then they’ll keep coming back.
Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey.
As a regular feature of The First Shot, each month we intend to include a short survey on specific topics. For example, as the National Matches draw nearer, we may want to know more about how we can make it easier for participants to register. In the past, this meant sending out a mail survey to past participants—an expensive proposition that only reached people who had already been to the event, while missing those who might be interested in participating, but who don’t know how to go about doing that. Now, as we build our readership, using on-line surveys will help us reach more people without spending a penny in postage.
Next, with the expansion of on-line services and publications, it also made sense to add a “bulletin board” so that users could freely interact with other users. If someone in Connecticut has a good idea for teaching gun safety, for example, he can share it with other users in California.
What you need to know to use the bulletin board. To use the bulletin board, you need to register a username and password (at the top right of the first page). For most users, once you’ve registered, the bulletin board system will automatically remember you. Furthermore, if it doesn’t and you forget your username and password, the system can send you an e-mail with your registration information.
Once logged in, you can either click into a current forum or create one of your own. Keep in mind, we’re on somewhat of an honor system here—we’re looking for a free exchange of ideas. We also hope the ideas and experiences that are exchanged will help all of us better fulfill our common goals of instructing U. S. citizens in marksmanship and promoting firearm safety.
Mike Wallace is the Editor of The First Shot. Dr. Wallace is President of Spectrum Research & Consulting, and holds a PhD in Mass Communications from Florida State University. He can be reached at
spectrumresearch@earthlink.net.
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