Guidance for members

The 2003 Committee worked hard to improve communication during their year in office. This has taken many forms, including a monthly newsletter including distribution of committee minutes, the provision of various email lists, and the development of a comprehensive web site.

Dive Bookings

We have designed and implemented a system for advertising dives on the web site - one which allows you to both volunteer as marshal for the dive, and manage the details, and which allows you to register your interest in a particular dive.

Both of these facilities require that you are properly registered on the Member's Only site.

This was intended to be the primary method during 2003 of registering bookings for dives, and was designed to be easy to use, and we encourage its use. The advantages of this system are:

• Any member with an Internet connection can book themselves on a dive.
• You don’t have to go to the club or pool to look at the noticeboards.
• You can plan your year, and book as much as six months in advance.
• The marshal can see who is booked in the dive.
• Changes, including new diving days, can be made easily.

The system is flexible, but the effort involved in running a paper system alongside it (such as notices on the Club Noticeboard) will be almost impossible to manage and keep up to date.

I appreciate that there are a few club members without an internet connection, and would ask them to contact me so that we can discuss how to keep them informed and up to date.

What you can do to help

As a committee, all of this work has been done to improve communication, but communication requires two parties. We are doing our best to keep you informed and up to date, but you’ve got to do your part as well. If not, then all this effort is wasted.

The Committee therefore ask you to:

• Please read the emails that are sent to you, and remember to put events that affect you into your diary. We have had frequent occurrences recently of members missing lectures etc, because they had forgotten about them, or hadn’t read the emails properly.
  
  
• Please use the website, register yourself on the Members-Only site, and check regularly for changes. This should be a quick and easy process now, as there is a new facility telling you exactly what has changed recently, and the news-flashes will also highlight items of interest and relevance.
  
  
• Let the committee know if you do not think that they are communicating things effectively, and in good time, or have any other criticisms or ideas to improve things.