Building a New Digital Hub
You will hear a lot of talk over the next several months about the big changes we have in store at the AMA Tampa Bay.
We wanted to give you a preview.
One of our volunteers interviewed board members, volunteers and other members to get a better sense of what is in the works. This is what she came up with to describe what is in store. Let us know what you think.
AMA Tampa’s Vision
Big changes and benefits are coming for AMA Tampa members! We have a new vision: to create an interactive, dynamic, and engaging digital community. For our members, we want to be a source of education, ideas, inspiration, and relationships…not just a LinkedIn group and an annual membership fee. One key step in creating a strong community is ensuring that all of our members truly feel the benefits of their membership. Several plans will launch us toward that vision.
The First Step: Our Digital Hub
To achieve the dynamic community we envision, we will have to build it. This will require us to replace our current website with a more robust one. AMA members will congregate here to learn, write, share ideas, and connect with each other. Choosing a company to build our digital hub was time consuming, but worth it. From the start, we knew we wanted our web developer to be a Tampa based shop. We were looking for a highly skilled and experienced establishment that was excited to become one of us and to help strengthen our community.
We finally found our match! Ten companies responded to our request for proposal and our board was impressed with every one, which made the decision tough. First, the review committee interviewed 5 of the 10 companies and then chose 2 finalists from that group. There were some technical considerations involved in the decision. One company was a .net platform and the other a WordPress based solution. Both platforms were different in how they would allow the site to grow, in the future maintenance costs, and in the learning curves associated with them.
Each platform had its benefits, but we ultimately chose WordPress, which partially dictated which company we chose in the end. Technicalities and skills aside, our 2 finalists were chosen because they truly shared our vision of building a strong community and they were excited to build a site that will help us do that.
Group Effort
Our website developer will kick-start our efforts to be he hub for marketing innovation in the Tampa Bay area. The website is only the beginning, though. To become a true hub for Tampa area marketers, we need more than a great website. Rebuilding our chapter is a huge ongoing project; we must involve the entire AMA Tampa membership in building the community we envision. Our members who put effort into the overhaul of our chapter can mold the chapter to fit their individual needs. Those who are most involved will benefit the most from their memberships in the end. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities for members with all different skill sets and levels of commitment, so don’t be shy!
About the Author
Chiara Tedone
Chiara is Digital Content Creator and Blog Manager for AMA Tampa Bay. She is Co-founder and Director of Winning the Fight, a non-profit organization specializing in neurodegenerative disease research. Chiara is also a freelance digital marketer for small businesses and is finishing up her MBA with a specialty in marketing from the University of South Florida. Prior to moving to Florida, Chiara lived in Washington, DC. She earned her BA in International Studies from American University’s School of International Services in 2007 and worked for Booz Allen Hamilton and the Department of Defense thereafter. Her hobbies include obstacle racing, running, swimming, kayaking, SCUBA diving, and opera/classical singing. She also loves country music and chocolate!
Contact Chiara
Email: Chiara at [email protected]
Social Media: LinkedIn