From l.stogner@ieee.org Wed Dec  1 21:54:21 1999
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 20:08:35 -0800
From: Lee Stogner <l.stogner@ieee.org>
To: r3-excom1999@ieee.org
Subject: Communications Report - Fall 1999 EXCOM




The Region 3 Communications Committee has been active this summer
participating in the E-Conferencing project.  This project seeks to
develop guidelines for using a number of electronic technologies to
foster good communications between members.  This type of
communications can be point to point between two people or between a
group of people.  In fact the Communications Committee met as a whole
one night this summer using an Internet "Chat" application.  With
Chat, you can communicate with others by typing your messages on a PC.
Your message is displayed on a common screen that can be accessed by
people anywhere in the world through the Internet.  One member of the
group acts as the host.  The host coordinates who types at any one
time so that everyone gets a chance to participate in turn.  With a
little practice, a group can have an organized meeting without the
expense and time of travel.  A report about the progress of the
E-Conferencing project was given at Sections Congress '99 by William
Ratcliff.  For more information on the project, please access the
website at https://www.ewh.ieee.org/reg/3/e-conf/

One of the hardest things to do is to tell others about yourself.
Engineers in particular have a hard time sharing with others the
accomplishments that they have earned.  We do need to tell the local
press in the Southeast about the good work that IEEE members do in
their community.  What has been missing is a good kit of instructions
about how to write a press release or what to say to the local TV
station or Newspaper.  We have been working with IEEE to build a PR
kit for section use.  The information is being assembled now and will
be downloadable from the Region 3 website.  The website also needs to
know more about the sections in Region 3.  If your section web address
has changed or is new, please let me know so we can provide a link to
you from the Region 3 web site.  Also if you have comments about the
format and content of the region web site, please let me know.  We'll
make changes to support your needs.

During the Fall 1999 EXCOM meeting in Nashville, the Communications
Committee will be releasing the first edition of a Communications
Resource CD.  This CD brings together into one "toolkit" all of the
applications required to implement e-conferencing on your PC.  Other
applications as well as IEEE-USA, PACE and Region 3 documentation is
also available on the CD as a convenient means of delivering files
that might not be easy to download via standard modem dial ups.  The
Communications Committee wants to connect as many members as possible
by distributing a common base of Internet applications.

Finally if you know a good IEEE story, please let me know.  We'll
write an article and post it in the next issue of IEEE-USA This Week.
Remember, technology is not everything, we need good writing to
deliver the message of the IEEE in Region 3.

Lee Stogner
Chair, Region 3 Communications Committee