Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: On sending Cohousing-related permission-based emails

[Raines Cohen (rc3-coho-L]

I think what Craig is saying, as I read it, was: Hey forming groups,
go ahead and post on Cohousing-L if you feel like.

However, as Joani mentioned recently, there is little overlap (last we
checked) between the audience of people who are out there actively
searching for community via Cohousing magazine online plus the
Marketplace on cohousing.org and the
enthusiasts/activists/organizers/communitarians here on Cohousing-L.
As one who was involved in doing Cohousing magazine broadcasts and
facing some of the challenges he describes, I do believe he is simply
trying to make transparent some of the work that is constantly quietly
going on behind-the-scenes, driven by dedicated staff and volunteers
working hard to provide effective infrastructure to support the
communications we need to run and grow the movement.

So, if you want to reach new members most effectively, and spend less
time, and reach the best prospects, then it is well worth your
investment to do some small amount of paid outreach via the
association in addition to the "easy, free" posts here . Anything that
groups and professionals do through the association gets the leverage
of cooperation and the benefits of economy of scale and modern
infrastructure investment currently in progress and made over the
decades... which can reach those best prospects in ways that generic
list email often does not in this age of ubiquitous spam filters.

As a longtime participant on this list (more than a decade now! How
time flies) and as a former Coho/US board member (I did my two terms
and worked as part of the webteam and communications team and am now
happy to support the collective efforts without personally spending so
much time), I have to say: it's not either-or. It's "yes-and". I'm
excited that the association, with the tools Craig is talking about,
is finally realizing some elements of visions we set in motion as much
as a decade ago, and that communities are taking advantage of the
tools.

Longtime cohousers, seekers, burning souls, and list participants:
please do understand that the web is evolving, and communication
tools, the housing market, and cohousing are changing. This does not
in any way take away respect for what you have accomplished in
creating or seeking community and the work you put into it. But as we,
as a movement, grow and reach new people in new ways, please find room
to forgive growth pains and language that may feel like an
attack/devaluation of your work or approaches, and join me in looking
beyond that to the excitement of helping more people get more
communities going faster, deeper, with more support and caring for one
another.

Raines Cohen, Cohousing Coach
Planning for Sustainable Communites (at Berkeley, CA cohousing)
Northern California Cohousing regional organizer

In the Research Triangle for the next two weeks, looking forward to
meeting with cohousing professional Giles Blunden and communities in
the area in spare moments.