Using an ONLINE bulletin board is something of a cross between requesting information via telephone versus requesting it in writing through the mail. In order to function, one must have a Webmaster to set it up, as well as someone designated to routinely monitor the activity. This is not the equivalent of censoring, although some worry, and see it as such. NOVA uses its Members Networking Message boards to allow an exchange of information and sharing of ideas and opinions related to individual sub-groups or based on specific topics. Membership Secretary Cheryl Knowles checks NOVA’s site each day and reviews postings for appropriate content and urgency of referral prior to posting it for public viewing. She is on the NOVA Board and is the VISN 2 Lead Women Veteran’s Program Manager (at Bath, NY VA).
It is our desire to expand on the theme of “ONE VA” and to have VA nurses step forward with the current technology. Individual members of NOVA can sit in the driver’s seat and speak their minds, ask questions, get feedback, network and grow professionally. Thomas L. Friedman describes these changes in the work and communication world in his #1 bestseller: The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.
Bulletin board topic areas are broken out by chat boards for APNs and VISNs organized by regions, as well as specific concerns and questions such as: Legislative Issues; NOVA Foundation; NEWS FROM NOVA; and Membership and Chapters. Our newest message board is focused on a very exciting project: the VA NURSE Certification Project.
Once a submission is posted to the bulletin board, it remains online and becomes part of what is known as a thread. For those new to this technology, it is similar to an e-mail message, where the first message to start off the chain is at the bottom of the message line. As people add their comments and questions, they are added to the top of the chain and will appear as the most recent item to be read. With this little gem of clarification, it becomes easy to untangle what can often be seen as a confusing and often meaningless tangle of messages. It’s a bit like playing detective but a wonderful way of checking in with like-minded peers and colleagues on a huge variety of concerns and questions. Often it becomes a direct line to someone in the business with whom one would not necessarily cross paths or have an exchange of ideas.
For those members too who do not have local physical access to an active chapter, we encourage full and regular participation in our online activities. One can truly belong to an online community and be an active member of a virtual NOVA chapter.
The next step is to go to your computer and log on. Type in our URL (address line), if you haven’t already saved to your favorites or sent the shortcut to your desktop. That’s www.vanurse.org. Click onto the home page and follow the links to the bulletin board. Be curious. Investigate. Check it all out. You’ll be surprised what you may learn or who you may encounter out there in nursing cyberspace! Do your own posting, so you are no longer a cyberspace rookie. You never know who you may be helping. And we’ll look for you out there. Be well. Stay healthy and Happy New Year 2009!
