Using the Internet to Promote Organizational Goals
John D. Corrigan, PhD and
Gary L. Lamb-Hart, MDiv
The Ohio Valley Center for Brain Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
The Ohio State University
Introduction
Glossary
of Terms
Model
and Issues
Introduction
Membership-based associations are asking, "how
can the Internet be used to promote our mission and goals?" As recently
as 1995, only one in three associations provided any online services for
its members; two years later, 80% had e-mail and almost 70% had World
Wide Web sites (Association Technology Trends 1997, American Society of
Association Executives). Exploring ways to use the Internet can be overwhelming
if not approached systematically. This paper presents a framework for
strategizing the development of online services--a kind of do-it-yourself
planning guide. This framework can be applied within the context of any
given association's goals, objectives, membership, resources, and level
of technological sophistication. Our Perspective An initial frame of reference
can be instantly captured if the question is changed from "how can the
Internet be used to promote the mission and goals of our organization?"
to "how can the telephone be used to promote the mission and goals of
our organization?" This juxtaposition illuminates the single most salient
characteristic of the Internet: it is a method of communication, a way
to exchange information. What sets apart the question "how can the Internet
be used..." from "how can the telephone be used..." is that most citizens
of industrialized countries have a good working knowledge of the telephone
and its capabilities (although the case can be made that few people other
than organization executives and marketing professionals fully appreciate
all the possibilities for using the telephone to promote organizational
goals). The same cannot be said of the Internet. Thus, leaders developing
strategic directives for an organization may not know all the options
available to them via the Internet. And of course, technological developments
are extremely dynamic. Regardless of oneís current cyber-sophistication,
it is nearly impossible to anticipate the ways the Internet will be used,
even in the near future. The Language of the Internet As is true of any
cultural phenomenon, the Internet has acquired its own language, customs,
and mores. While acculturation is beyond the scope of this article, a
minimal familiarity with the jargon of the Internet is needed to discuss
its use. The box below provides some beginning definitions.
Internet
A network of computers connected via telephone
lines, satellites and high-speed computer lines using common protocols
for data exchange.
e-mail
A protocol for exchanging text-based messages on
the Internet.
listserver
A computer program that sends e-mail messages to
a predetermined list of subscribers. One subscriber’s message, or
posting, is automatically sent to all other subscribers. Messages can
also be collected over a longer period of time and sent to a subscriber
in digest form.
electronic newsletter
A one-way listserver in which the owner can send
e-mail messages to subscribers but subscribers cannot send messages to
each other.
newsgroup
A computer program that collects e-mail messages
sent by subscribers and organizes them chronologically by topics or threads.
Unlike listservers, messages usually are not automatically sent to subscribers,
but are viewed on the news server maintained at the host computer. Access
is usually open to all Internet users.
World Wide Web
A protocol for exchanging graphic, audio, video,
and text-based information on the Internet. Usually abbreviated as WWW.
web site
A unique address on the WWW. Each web site normally
contains multiple web pages.
webpage
WWW document that can contain text, graphics, audio
and video clips. Web pages use hypertext markup language (html) to link
to other web pages.
home page
The overview or entry web page for a web site.
chat
A program that provides synchronous, text-based
communications among multiple visitors to a web site.
forum
A program that allows visitors to post text-based messages about specific
topics or threads. Like a newsgroup, messages are organized chronologically
by topic and can be viewed at the convenience of the visitor.
synchronous
Exchange of information on the Internet that requires
the sender and the receiver to be participating at the same time. Chat
is synchronous, while e-mail is asynchronous.
push
push Information on the Internet that goes to recipients
without their seeking it out. Listservers are push communications because
they are sent automatically to subscribers, while newsgroups and bulletin
boards require the user to go to them to view messages.
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