When I created a listserv for the MAC division in during my tenure as division head (1999-2000), I knew we needed to find ways to connect with each throughout the year. My, how time flies! Our listserv has been the engine to support some important announcements, profound conversations and important exchanges. Since that time, we have had awesome website and newsletter tools being created, as well as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram spaces, thanks to the incredible talents of many subsequent members and officers (shout-out to Mas!) who have taken our division to higher levels. But, in light of our growth, new technologies and shifting needs, I would humbly like to invite a conversation about where we go from here with the MAC listserv. As the listserv exists now, members choose when to comment, what to discuss and how often to do so. Sometimes this is great, but other times, I hear from members that this can be too much. I am attaching a guide sheet with basics about how to use the listserv, including how to sign on and off, so that each member can have more personal agency about using this tool. Perhaps some of you, like me, are members of other listervs that offer digests of announcements or organize them into sections for job announcements, conference calls, etc. These exist because there is some type of administrative oversight to make this happen, and I cannot offer this. Truthfully, my own commitments at this time only allow me to intervene if a member has a problem or a question—and that can take a few days for me to address. I can no longer add individual members to the list, or unsubscribe them, or take any more active role in managing the list than what I am doing currently. However, while I appreciate how the listserv has served us so far, I have no pride of ownership if the leadership and the members decide that we need to change our communication strategy. We have new 21st century tools, especially in social media, that should be part of the conversation as well. Another way of thinking about this is to ask the question about whether we have grown to a place where we now could use some light policy guidelines about all of our communication tools? I am certainly not trying to be overly bureaucratic, but I note that many successful organizations often are intentional and strategic about how, when and why they communicate with internal stakeholders, as well as external ones. One suggestion that I would like to throw out is that if we continue with the listserv, we define its use more narrowly—say for conference, job and publication announcements? Maybe we select other tools that can also post these offerings but also host extended discussions, personal reflections, congratulations, and other supportive conversations that I feel are so necessary to building and sustaining our community. Or, maybe someone else wants to host the listserv someplace where there can be more active management of the content. So, maybe this is a start. I won’t be in San Francisco, sadly, but I will hold each and every one of you in my thoughts during conference time and beyond. Enjoy, and have a productive meeting. I await the will of our amazing group about the future of the listserv, and in the meantime, I trust you will find the tip sheet useful. Yours, Meta Meta G. Carstarphen, Ph.D., APR Professor Gaylord College of Journalism & Mass Communication 2005-2012 Gaylord Endowed Professor University of Oklahoma ** 395 W. Lindsey Blvd-Room 3120B Norman, OK 73019--PH: (405) 325-5227 * FX: (405) 325-7565