CUNA Councils Connect: What are Discussion Groups?

CUNA Councils
July 11, 2008 | COMMENTS

In a matter of weeks, council member after council member has signed on to our new online community to find other members and leverage the power of focused networking. Aside from the targeted searching functionality, another major aspect of CUNA Councils Connect is the discussion group section. Think of the discussion groups like little list serves...on steroids!

Here is why:
Your council's list serve is for anything and everything related to your discipline….and  will continue to serve that purpose. However, with CUNA Councils Connect, you now have the ability to create a focused discussion group around a specific topic – regional, areas of expertise, etc. – and have a targeted conversation(s) away from the hundreds of other members who it doesn't apply to. You also have the added benefit of being able to converse with members of all six councils.

In addition, all groups may be subscribed to via email or RSS (you can even choose to subscribe to just a single thread of discussion). Unlike the list serve, each post and reply is tied to the author's profile. This is helpful when you want to see what an author's asset size is, etc. You can also share files (any type) within a group.

So what do you do when you want to pose a question?
First, think about your question. Is it a general question that all of your council members would have an answer for? Then pose it to the list serve instead. Are you looking for info on a specific vendor or question relating to your city? Then try doing a member search to find a member or member(s) who can help you. This is also helpful to find members with a specific area of expertise who might have advice for you. For example, have a mortgage lending question relating to doing business in Illinois? Narrow your search by city and area of expertise to find members to query.

Still have a question? Then browse all discussion groups (click "View all Discussion Groups" from the left-hand menu) and see if there is one that is related to your question. If so, then click its title and then enter your question by clicking "start a discussion."

If there isn't a relevant group, do you see value in creating a discussion group around your topic? Is it something that people can discuss in different ways over time? Then click the "Create a Group" button on the main discussion groups page. Then enter a title and description (and picture if you have one). Remember that your title and description should be as broad as possible to encompass a series of discussions within the group - don't pose a question in your group description. Think of creating a group as creating a new list serve. Then, from your group page, click "start a discussion" to seed the first thread of conversation! View all Discussion Groups for examples of group titles and descriptions.

Most popular discussion groups so far:

• Executive Dialogue - The Executive Dialogue is where Council members can gain insight from leaders of other areas of credit union management on subjects that cut across management boundaries.
• Compliance Group - Focuses on all types of compliance regulations and issues.
• High Gas Prices & Effect on CU Employees - This group is for discussions relating to high gas prices and the effect on CU employees. Telecommunicating, credit union relief ideas, etc.

If you ever have questions or comments relating to discussion groups (or any council web-related matters), please contact Council Web Manager Christopher Morris at cmorris@cuna.coop or 608-231-4102.

> Click here to learn even more about discussion groups

> Click here for more help & FAQs on CUNA Councils Connect

Remember: Your council list serve is not going away. We've created CUNA Councils Connect to enhance and complement the list serve and other resources. The list serve is one of the most treasured and useful tools of membership….we hope you also find CUNA Councils Connect invaluable too.

CUNA Councils Connect - We've taken professional networking to the next level.