As I write this, it is the Winter Solstice, and the New Year (can it really be 2005?) is just around the corner. A new year is traditionally a time of change, or at least of resolving to change, as we evaluate the past and plan for the future. One of the things we know about successful users' groups is that they are constantly changing…it's the nature of the technology to which we are all attached. The best way we have to communicate these constant changes to ICON members is our ever-evolving ICON web site (www.iconusersgroup.org).

We've continued to add interactive features to the site…calendar, forums, links, an opinion poll, a news feed, and most recently, an image gallery. (ICON's image gallery is a place where our members can share with us their digital photos, original drawings or animations. There's even a section where you can upload a screenshot of an error message then refer to it in the forum, when seeking help with a computer problem. Detailed gallery rules are posted on the web site). Each of these features has been created to communicate and interact with you, our members. It is disheartening to a webmaster, however, to have created the tools only to find them not being used. If there are features you'd like to see added to the site, or ways we can make existing features more useable for you, PLEASE let us know. Those of us who post event information have not always been diligent about posting it so you can plan your schedules, I know. This has possibly caused you to feel you cannot rely on the site. In 2005, we will remedy that situation.

As webmaster, I resolve to:

• Personally use and to train SIG leaders to use the communication tools now in place, such as the calendar, to make information about SIG and meeting topics available to you in a timelier manner.
  
• Continue to make ICON's site user-friendly and interesting with upgrades to existing features and new features. (What would YOU like to see?)

As an ICON member, would you add these resolutions to YOUR list?

• I resolve to visit the web site and:
  • Review the calendar and SIG pages for information about upcoming events
  • Vote in the weekly poll
  • Read, register and/or post to the forum
  • Suggest links that would be beneficial to other members
  • Visit the image gallery to see fellow members' efforts and/or post some of my own images
  • Make suggestions to the webmaster regarding the site

As a SIG leader, would you please make the following resolution?

• I resolve to plan and post the topics and related links for my SIG(s) in a timely manner so that members may plan their schedules accordingly and may use the links both before and after the meeting to enhance their learning
  
  
• I resolve to work with the web master to enhance the web site's functionality and usability.

Lots of folks make New Year's resolutions that fade a couple of weeks into the New Year. I'm not one of those folks; I'll keep my resolutions. Will YOU?