We wanted to know how you communicate with us and how you prefer AOCS to communicate with you. Therefore, we had a section on “Communications” within the biannual Membership Survey. A short section of five questions. I guess this post will be short too.
Question 1 was on communication preference. How do you communicate with your peers, colleagues, and fellow members?
Answer: Almost all (92%) responded with “personal emails.” And 42% stated the AOCS Membership Directory as a preferred communication resource. Blogs (5%) and Listsev posts (2%) adoption definitely is slower. And, I believe, we are seeing this on our newish blog too. I’m glad that you are an active reader of our blog!
We were also interested in knowing if you are interested in “Professional Networking Sites.” We were thinking of LinkedIn or if AOCS should manage a networking site. 36% responded to using such sites. AOCS does have a LinkedIn account. If you haven’t already found it, then here is the link. Some interesting discussions are happening there.
Remember, respondents could select more than one answer from the listing. Hence, the total greater than 100%.
Question 2 was on preferred ways to keep current on industry trends/research.
Answer: Half or more indicate using a mix of methods to stay current. Such as online articles, print journals/magazines, attending industry meetings/workshops, and electronic newsletters. This mix of traditional and somewhat newer media is preferred above a set of other programs. Those other programs included webinars, e-learning/distance learning, DVD/CDs of material, and podcasts.
Question 3 asked for your most relevant category to your primary professional role.
Answer: In retrospect, perhaps this question should be in Section 5 (demographics). But it was in this section and this is how it was answered. Processing and Manufacturing (1st), Analysis (2nd), and Nutrition (3rd). This aligns closely with our Division membership. The 4 largest Divisions (based on 2012 membership) are Surfactants and Detergents, Processing, Analytical, and Health & Nutrition.
Question 4 asked you to rate the information you receive from AOCS.
Answer: 83% responded good or excellent to the relevance of communication you receive from AOCS. We do try to send information and marketing materials that would be of interest to you. It seems we are succeeding in providing relevant information – that we aren’t just cluttering your email in-box. Now if you disagree, please let me know.
Question 5 asked you to rate the frequency of communication you receive from AOCS.
Answer: Ah, maybe this is where you state that we are cluttering your email in-box. But no, 87% indicated “AOCS communicates as often as it should”. Only 8% thought we communicated more than you prefer.
And that ends the questions on “Communication.”
The final post will cover “Publications and Media Use.” Think the AOCS website for “media use”.
As always, let me know if you want to discuss the report more fully. Or just want to talk about AOCS.
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