Today, as I write the very first blog post for our new Rotary Club of Indianapolis website, just days before launch, I am reminded of how far we've come (and further we will go) as we evolve. This is a momentous leap forward for our club. And our hope is to spread the word about our club even more because it goes beyond our little part of the world in Indianapolis. Rotary is a global effort. And today more than ever, a global effort influenced by what we can do technologically.

Can you imagine Tim Dudley posting YouTube videos from his experiences in Western Jamaica, moments after they've happened? Or, seeing a blog post as it's written from Fran Quigley about the latest AMPATH/IU-Kenya Partnership news? Or, President Julian showing us photos from his experiences as President? And let's not forget our sister clubs throughout the world. Our new website will allow anyone to join and contribute information. And sharing information is what it's all about.

Our new website will continue to evolve and with the help of key individuals and all of you, it will become a repository for not only making our Rotary lives more connected, but to also encourage more fellowship through technology. Committees will now be able to report on their own activities, share them with other committees, create committee news items or schedule a meeting all with a few simple steps. We hope to eventually use our website for online payments and donations, tracking special projects when raising money, and many other things that we have yet to imagine. A photo section has been created so you can upload images to see in slideshows, we may tie-in to other clubs directories, create polls that may make it possible to do our voting online, the list is vast.

In conclusion, the Communications Committee hopes you enjoy using the site. There may be a few bugs here and there so we ask for your patience. Remember, a social networking site will allow you to work at your convenience, so PLEASE do - we're counting on it.

Sincerely,

Greg Albright, Communications Committee Chair