Years back as wifi was becoming the rage, there was a push from folks for the RCSC to become wifi friendly. It just seemed to make sense to take the centers, bowling alleys and golf courses and make them accessible for folks with a laptop (pre-ipad). It took a couple of years to make it happen and i won't say hundreds of people use it daily, but it does tickle my heart to walk by a swimming pool and see users logged on and surfing...no not in the swimming pool. In another thread Cynthia suggested a website directed at Sun City residents who might want to volunteer. It was pure genius, but the drawback is it would be a labor intensive site. I mentioned one of our goals in the now disbanded communication committee was to create our own app for Sun City. We had also brought a propsal to the board regarding a test program where we would split the cost of a computer with the clubs in the test and see if it was a viable method of interacting with the clubs office. The beauty was that incoming officers would have a permanent record of years past. When we first started the now gone Marketing committee, there was volumes of discussion about social media. We were lead down a path by a contract person who was long on promises and short on delivery. Point being, we are still sorely behind the game when it comes to our use of social media. Finally, there have been any number of studies that show with each passing year for the boomer generation, the number of internet users grows significantly. That means the targeted population of potential buyers who might use the net grows as well. Perhaps it's time to consider a more permanent and strategic approach by the RCSC to use the net more effectively?
Morning, You will probably start seeing an increase of residents who have spent their entire lives in Information Technology (IT), some of us have never done any else. Personally, when I get home I do not want to get on a computer, but they are an ingrained part of our life. Looking at the post, a couple of questions need to be asked - the first and most important is "What is your intent?" Are you looking to communicate with the inside or outside (existing residents or potential residents)? From there we could take the project any different places. I would LOVE to help with solving this puzzle - but don't wait for me, I'm not slated to be down there until Q3 of 2016. PS (one of the first things I would do is get this forum on "Tapatalk"
Hey J and V, thanks for jumping in here. You make my point spot on. The more technologically savvy we are, the more people like you will see Sun City as something other than the oldest Sun City community in the country. In Minnesota in a previous life, we were building one of our 4 websites (3 of them interactive) and in the planning, we hired 2 strategists to work with us. The first thing they said was answer the "what" question. I've embraced that mentality on almost everything I do. Unfortunately others don't always buy into that theory. We talked at length when we started our Sun City marketing website and we got caught up in it being pretty rather than functional. Bad mistake and one that has been addressed, but not without a cost. Our web presence still has a ways to go, but in time we'll get a better handle on it. My biggest frustration has been the unwillingness to understand the importance of interactive web sites. There's an inherent fear from organizations of people being critical, but there are ways to control what gets posted and as long as you tell posters that when logging in, it all can work nicely. The beauty of your question, "inside or outside" is one we wrestled with in Minnesota. The reality is the net is wide open and no matter what you do, it's both. Clearly the messaging is different and the best of both worlds is multiple sites with different messages for each. Just means more work, but I think the squeeze is worth the juice. And not worry, there will still be plenty to do by the time you get here in 2016. The pace of life in Sun City is far slower...and that's a good thing.
Here I am back at work, so I'm back online - looking forward to the slower pace and the opportunity to volunteer on this type or any type of project that comes along.
You bring a smile to my face J. While at the Sun City Home Owners Association (SCHOA) I wrote two magazines for our members and those we were trying to attract. On page 18 of the second one was this paragraph, that was also used in a short promotional video we did: "Sun City is unique, a throwback to a more genteel time. While those outside our walls rush about, the pace of life in Sun City is slower, the sense of togetherness greater and the commitment to enjoy what we have here almost limitless. If you ask, most of the residents will tell you, "it's a better way to live." Soon kiddo, soon.
Thanks Emily.... We have friends who bought in SC 3 years ago, they are snowbirds (6 months in Sweden, 6 months in SC - long story). We visited with them in SC for the 2nd time this past March, and we were lucky enough to get on the Saturday tour. I didn't make it to the museum, but it wasn't for the lack of trying. I was able to get a TON of information from the Visitor Center, and I have the flyers and maps laying all over the dining room table. I should have grabbed more stuff, or we should keep our plans quiet. Even though we don't live there yet, we seem to be "selling" the idea of moving to SC rather convincingly.
Yesterday at the Visitor Center there was a couple from Europe considering SC. People are arriving from all over the world! And, "Yes", the Center has tons of information.
Bringing this thread back to life. SC and Technology - Since I do not currently live in SC, I really can't have much to say, but I can ask questions - I need to learn. For those of you living in SC: 1 What one problem could the RCSC solve with technology? 2 What one technology convenience would you like to see the RCSC implement?
1 & 2. Create an online forum connected to the RCSC website so that questions could be asked and answered by either the Board or Management. Sometimes a FAQ section doesn't get specific enough and a more detailed answer is needed. Answering questions online would be a step towards transparency.
Exceptional point aggie; an online blog connected to the RCSC would be a boon for anyone looking at Sun City and what it has to offer. I've been fighting that battle for years with absolutely no luck. In my previous life we ran 4 websites, 3 interactive and one had a feature I have been begging for since moving here. Anyone that has built websites knows content drives search engines and changing content with key words is golden. One of the sites we built had a question and answer box called "Ask The Rep." I would field anywhere between 10 and 40 questions per day. It was an ever changing dialogue that was all content specific. Imagine if we had that for Sun City. The potential to become a quality resource for anyone thinking about retirement or Sun City specifically would be off the charts. Hell, I even offered to answer all the questions. Beyond that, the idea has been mentioned here; how cool would it be if our entire community was wired? Right now COX is holding us captive and I find that pretty darn sad. There's some locations where Century Link is available but I hear a lot of ****ing and moaning about them. And for my money, the RCSC would be ions ahead if they went totally connected. Scanners for all events for sign in, clubs with their own computers for record keeping and log-in and every thing they did was recorded and played back on their own website or even cable station. Fairway has now gone to card reader access on some of the club rooms, but that should be the norm across the community. For so many of the long time residents, these things would seem silly, but for the next wave of boomers coming it's what folks will be expecting. The key is to institute these kinds of innovations without losing sight of the idea we maintain the quaint lifestyle we now enjoy. Several folks have told me recently they thought the idea of a club called the Sun City Futurists was a good idea, perhaps I will get off my butt and move it forward.
Comment sections are good and bad...they can be very time consuming to manage because people use it to gripe anonymously. If comments are allowed it would be better to have it tied in to a real name but I guess that would be possible if its the RCSC site.
Kind of like the automobile will never replace the horse and buggy? I hate to break it to them but the "next wave" are already here. It would behoove Sun City to be ahead of the curve on this one. The more tech, the better. Starting with a wired community. Someone get on the horn with Google.
We'll talk when you get here V. I get excited about the prospects of those of you moving here being willing to help push the peanut up the hill. And wired to me was drinking 10 cups of coffee before I left for the job back in the days.
