BoatU.S. - March/April 2010

atthehelm

VOLUME XV, No. 2, MARCH/APRIL 2010

About Time To Face It

n looking for inspiration for this month’s column, I went to my drawer full of letters from members I’ve collected over the years, some full of praise and others, well … not so much.

Just last week, I got an e-mail that said BoatU.S. has not done enough to allow its members to communicate easily with its staff. It blew me away since I thought we’d invented “transparency” here long before it became the buzzword on Capitol Hill. I immediately went to BoatUS.

com to see what addresses and phone numbers we have online. It’s all there, but not as easy to find as I had hoped. So, that’s Step 1 toward improvement — making sure you can easily find the right address online to write us. Step 2 led me to a conversation with our executive editor Mike V. about “increasing accessibility” and the next thing you know, he was signing me up for a Facebook account. I am a bit out of my comfort zone here, but it’s my next step in attempting to reach out and touch — no, that’s old technology — reach out and text someone.

Are you on Facebook? Do you Tweet? Have you gotten Linked In to
the world of social networks? There’s always a chance
my fellow high school and college grads could dig up
and post some old and potentially incriminating photos
and flashbacks after all these years. I say TMI (that’s
too much information), and BTW (by the way), but I’m
not sure I’m ready for this. What about you? Will you
follow me and BoatU.S. Magazine on Facebook?

We really do want to know how you feel about
BoatU.S. How about the redesign of BoatU.S. Magazine;

do you like it? Do you read the digital edition of the
magazine or just the printed version? And are we fulfilling your boating
needs, or is there a new service out there you’d like us to start up? Over

60% of you have added your e-mail address to your membership record, so I assume that’s how you want us to communicate with you. Send me an e-mail ( President@BoatUS.com), or call me, or send me a letter the old-fashioned way!

And if you’re doing the social network thing, I’ll make sure
that’s where BoatU.S. is too. After all, we’re here to serve you and I’m
listening. Just remember, if you take the Facebook route to communicate
with me, I’m in training!

I

CHAIRMAN & FOUNDER Richard Schwartz

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Nancy S. Michelman

CONSULTING EDITOR

Bernadette Bernon

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Michael Vatalaro

MANAGING EDITOR Elaine Dickinson

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ryck Lydecker

CONSUMER EDI TOR Caroline Ajootian

TECHNICAL EDITOR Chuck Husick

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Ann Dermody, Tom Neale

PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATE

Claire Wyngaard

I am a bit out
of my comfort
zone here, but
it’s my next step
in attempting
to reach out

ART DIRECTOR Carla Shamblen

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Rick Kelvington, Marcus Floro

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING

Elio Betty
PHONE: 703-461-4383

FAX: 703-461-2845

ebetty@boatus.com

ADVERTISING SALES

John Bratten, Advertising Sales Manager PHONE: 703-461-4389

FAX: 757-383-6132

jbratten@boatus.com William J. McVey, Jr.

PHONE: 212-316-0383 / 800-447-4766

FAX: 212-666-1980

billm@mcveymichaels.com

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

PHONE: 888-282-2628

FAX: 703-461-4664

MEMBER SERVICES

800-395-2628

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Lauren James

President & Publisher

EDITORIAL OFFICES

880 S. Pickett St.

Alexandria, VA 22304

PHONE: 703-461-2864

FAX: 703-461-2845

e-mail: magazine@BoatUS.com address change: 800-395-2628

©BoatU.S. MAGAZINE (ISSN 1090-1272) Published bimonthly by Boat Owners Association of The United States, 880 South Pickett St., Alexandria, VA

22304 (six issues). Periodicals Postage Paid at Alexandria, VA. and at additional mailing offices. Subscription is $6.00 annually to BoatU.S. members. Contact BoatU.S. for permission to reprint articles, (703) 461-2864.