GWA Website

**"* S* <a*@amystewart.com>**

I sent an e-mail to GWA a few months ago about the need to upgrade the
website.  I think it's important to emphasize that this need not take a
great deal of money or volunteer time.  I was asked if I would have the time
to serve on a committee to implement my suggestions.  You don't need a
committee--you need an IT guy and a little cash.

Most of this technology can be purchased inexpensively and implemented
quickly.  My ISP (Webmasters), for instance, charges me $10/mo for a website
with enough bandwith to handle 50,000 visitors a day, and free,
already-installed software that I could use to host discussion boards, send
e-mail newsletters, and other things.  It takes a little technical know-how,
but not much, to get these kinds of things up and running.

As for online member databases, I did a quick Google search for "membership
database website application" and found several off-the-shelf packages for
just this purpose priced at $60-$250 per month.  We could have a similar
solution for the speakers bureau so that people could search for speakers by
topic, location, etc.  (Actually, that could be all one database--members
could choose to "opt in" and provide speaker data or not.)

Then PLEASE spend some money and time marketing those databases to editors
and event planners so they know how to find us.

If the GWA stopped printing and mailing newsletters and switched to e-mail
instead, I would think that the cost savings of that alone would be enough
to pay somebody to get this up and running quickly.  Post the website
project on elance.com and I bet you'll have affordable bids within a couple
days.  It would be nice if they could make it look nicer too, but I'd take
functionality over appearance at this point.

I agree with Saxon that the events are not worth the money to me personally.
I make a decent living as a garden writer, and I've managed to get all of my
work by e-mail and phone. I wouldn't even know my publisher or literary
agent if I hadn't chosen to fly to NYC to meet them.  Not that face-to-face
isn't important--I'd like to get out and meet more garden writers (and
editors) but the seminars etc. never seem that useful to me.  (I heard
recently that GWA pays very little for speakers; this may be why.  It is
difficult to raise the money for speakers fees, I know, but if GWA can't
find the corporate sponsors, etc. to pay speakers decently, how do they
expect anyone else to pay us decently?  If the assumption is that it's
simply too hard to pay us what we're worth, then what is this -- an
organization for hobbyists?)

Perhaps all GWA events should happen in conjunction with garden shows or
some other event that more of us might be attending anyway.  (I know that
already happens on a regional basis.)  I guess it depends in part on whether
these events are money makers or money losers for the assocation.  I know
someone who puts on an annual member conference and it makes them a fortune.

I'm also not very interested in those "garden trend surveys." Let somebody
else in the garden industry do those things.

That's it--I've got work to do! Enough ranting for now...

Amy Stewart
www.amystewart.com
www.gardenrant.com

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