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COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY RESULTS—Members who want to use Facebook are already using it

Karen Runtz

Many of us look to online communications for information and connections between our meetings and field trips and the Macnamara club would like its members to get the most from the access such channels provide. That was why we sent you a survey in early January to gauge your interest in and usage of channels such as Facebook.

Thank you to the 44 members who responded.

Facebook:

  • Seventy-three per cent of those who responded (32 respondents) said they were on Facebook while 27 per cent (12 respondents) weren’t.
  • Several of those who weren’t on Facebook had security and privacy concerns; others were not interested in the time it consumed and said they got enough information by other means.
  • None of the 12 who weren’t on Facebook were interested in learning how to use the channel—an important finding for the executive as we were assessing whether or not hosting a “how to” workshop would be helpful to members.
  • Eighteen or 56 per cent of those who use Facebook access it at least once daily. Another seven or 22 per cent access it at least once a week.

Other:

  • Other social media channels were less popular with members. YouTube was used by 39% of respondents.
  • Eight of those on Facebook did not know we had a Macnamara Club Facebook page; a similar number were not aware of our Friends of the Macnamara Trail Facebook page. Some of these members have since joined.
  • E-mail was popular with 88 per cent of respondents accessing it at least once a day. We will continue to rely on the efficiency and reliability of email for time-sensitive messages and every-day communications.

Demographics:

  • Twice as many respondents (64%) indicated they were retired than working full- or part-time (32 per cent).
  • The majority of members identified as being 56 or older: 57 per cent of respondents said they were 56 to 70 years of age while 29.5 per cent were 71 or older.

The friendliness of the club and its members was a message that was echoed by several who added comments. As one person noted, “This club is fantastic because all of you are unpretentious, welcoming, and informative.”

So congratulations to all of us!