Tips to help you build your local network
Here are steps to help you build a local SPN network around your school (check out these resources to help you in this task):
1) Get someone from the school community who has access to many parent email addresses and who has credibility, to join SPN (typically a PTA leader/member, an active school volunteer, a school administrator, etc).
2) Request this person to start inviting others thru our site - here it helps if this person is "known" so that when someone gets an email invite from them they will take action and join. This person could include an optional personal message when they send out invites (Ex: "I am a PTA member and think this is a useful site. I plan to use blogs/sign-up sheets to interact with parents.")
3) Request this person to create a blog/sign-up sheet. It helps to have relevant content posted on our site before you invite others - it creates a motivation to join. Hence we also have a feature to "invite parents to view blog" that can help to pull in new users after relevant content is created. Note that we have provided many examples/sign-up templates and we can provide support as needed (we also have links to detailed "how to" tours in our FAQ section).
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Here are some points to highlight during a phone call with a school/parent leader:
1) Social network for parents, teachers, administrators.
2) Site provides an online "directory" which is very useful at the start of a new school year - as new users register and create a profile, the site automatically groups them with relevant network members at multiple levels - same district/city, school, grade and even classroom.
3) All network members can invite others they know and trust and hence the site shifts the challenge of network building, creating contact lists, etc. from individuals or organizations (such as PTAs) to all network users.
4) Site leverages schools to create a secure online environment through mechanisms such as "school security code".
5) Site provides a very useful sign-up sheet tool to help manage parent interaction - this is especially relevant for elementary grades (ex: room moms trying to set-up class party, PTA trying to sign-up volunteers for an event such as a Halloween carnival, etc.).
1) Get someone from the school community who has access to many parent email addresses and who has credibility, to join SPN (typically a PTA leader/member, an active school volunteer, a school administrator, etc).
2) Request this person to start inviting others thru our site - here it helps if this person is "known" so that when someone gets an email invite from them they will take action and join. This person could include an optional personal message when they send out invites (Ex: "I am a PTA member and think this is a useful site. I plan to use blogs/sign-up sheets to interact with parents.")
3) Request this person to create a blog/sign-up sheet. It helps to have relevant content posted on our site before you invite others - it creates a motivation to join. Hence we also have a feature to "invite parents to view blog" that can help to pull in new users after relevant content is created. Note that we have provided many examples/sign-up templates and we can provide support as needed (we also have links to detailed "how to" tours in our FAQ section).
--------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some points to highlight during a phone call with a school/parent leader:
1) Social network for parents, teachers, administrators.
2) Site provides an online "directory" which is very useful at the start of a new school year - as new users register and create a profile, the site automatically groups them with relevant network members at multiple levels - same district/city, school, grade and even classroom.
3) All network members can invite others they know and trust and hence the site shifts the challenge of network building, creating contact lists, etc. from individuals or organizations (such as PTAs) to all network users.
4) Site leverages schools to create a secure online environment through mechanisms such as "school security code".
5) Site provides a very useful sign-up sheet tool to help manage parent interaction - this is especially relevant for elementary grades (ex: room moms trying to set-up class party, PTA trying to sign-up volunteers for an event such as a Halloween carnival, etc.).
posted by CZ at 10:50 AM
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