GCSS Community Events

by Eric Pudalov, Community Events Coordinator

I thought it worth mentioning that one of Whitney's recent ideas for a new website was some sort of forum, in which people could discuss restaurants, theaters, and other public places as they pertained to people with disabilities.

In a sense, it would be similar to Access Atlanta, except the reviews would include such factors as whether or not a venue was wheelchair-accessible, had provisions for the hearing-impaired, etc. As someone without a physical disability, it's easy to overlook those factors sometimes.

While recently discussing this with the tech department, some of the folks there said web design wasn't their specialty, but recommended a couple of sites that were good platforms for setting up your own blog and/or forum. I'm in the process of looking over some of these sites now, and I think once I'm familiar with them, it should be easy to decide which would be the best to use.

The one thing that I hesitate about when it comes to using one of those sites: what if we want this to be more than just a message board? In the long run, I might want to have a fully functioning site; of course, it could start off as a message board, and we'll see how that catches on.

Well, just tossing some ideas around...if anyone wants to contribute their thoughts, feel free!

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by Eric Pudalov, Community Events Coordinator

The next edition of our newsletter, while still in progress, should be completed relatively soon. Though it would be inappropriate to give away the content here, I should note that it contains my first contribution to the newsletter, as well as a list of "10 Things You Might Not Know About GCSS," which was a collaborative effort between Amanda Duckworth, LaRue Griffin, and me, with added support from several other members of GCSS.

I'll soon begin work on other projects as well...when they begin to take shape, I'll certainly make more of you aware!

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by Eric Pudalov, Community Events Coordinator

I'm sure many of you have heard the word "persona" before. Some of you may even be familiar with how it applies to business.

As part of my ongoing business/marketing education, I had a lesson in creating personas, in other words, fictitious consumer types within a target market that might make use of our services.

While I had completed the customer profiles that I talked about in earlier blogs, the persona concept is a bit more in-depth, and requires more field research. Conversation Marketing defines them as "your marketing campaign's imaginary friends." At the site, the blogger, Ian Lurie, goes into detail about customer demographics, personalities, and their relationships with you (meaning the business).

Forgive me if I'm preaching to the choir at all here...some of this information I knew in theory, but certainly couldn't have taught to others. As I'm in the process of storing the knowledge in my own head, it helps tremendously for me to discuss it with others.

One thing that Sherry Heyl (of Concept Hub, Inc. fame) asked me to do was to go out and find out where people in our target market hang out, so to speak. It would help to have more real examples from which to create the fictional personas.

So...how does all this sound? Any ideas to contribute?

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by Eric Pudalov, Community Events Coordinator

Unfortunately, due to my being scattered and somewhat distracted by the holiday, the Community Events Calendar isn't complete yet. However, I assure everyone that it's in progress, and should be finished by tomorrow.

I'm also aware that I missed a major meeting today which I had hoped to be a part of, and I regret that, but thank you for your acknowledgments nonetheless! Hopefully I'll be able to make the next meeting of this sort.

In any case, besides the calendar, I've received what I believe to be the last bit of important info. for the newsletter, so hopefully that too will be available shortly! I look forward to producing more great work with your help and support.

Thank you, GCSS!

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On Nov. 14, preempted by writing about our Facebook Cause, I decided to do a general article on Associated Content entitled "Join Causes on Facebook," in which I mentioned GCSS' "Support Individuals with Developmental Disabilities" Cause.

I know that some of you have had the chance to read it, but if you haven't, please click the link above when possible. I'm happy to say, however, that 10,233 people have read the article thus far, according to the stats listed on the site. I wrote about more than just GCSS within the article, but I feel that simply including us within it should help draw attention to the Cause.

Evan did make the point one afternoon that Facebook isn't necessarily the most likely place to get direct donations, but if it is a place to help make more people aware of what we're about, then that's just as helpful (in my eyes).

So if you have read the article, then I may be repeating myself, but if you haven't, I certainly encourage you to do so.

Oh, and about the aforementioned customer profiles, those are basically finished, and I'll be submitting them to Sherry Heyl today. There will be more updates as that concept develops.

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by Eric Pudalov, Community Events Coordinator

The previous blog entry, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," will also be published in the next issue of GCSS' newsletter. I'm proud to say that this is the first time my writing will be in the newsletter (not to brag or anything)!

There is also a pending interview with Pam Peterson, who is organizing our "Holiday Bazaar," which will take place at the GCSS office on Dec. 14th. So look for a full article in the newsletter coming soon!

Today at the office, we will be having a "pre-Thanksgiving celebration," if you will, featuring delicious food, eclectic (but clean) music, and perhaps dancing (as that's been an essential part of our last few celebrations!). Although I have some idea of what's in store, this crew always tends to have a few surprises up their respective sleeves, so you never know...

In any case, happy early Thanksgiving to everyone once again! When the newsletter is complete, I'll put the word out!

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by Eric Pudalov, Community Events Coordinator

Well OK, maybe not "Charlie Brown," per se, but with childhood memories of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, that would be my ideal November holiday.

This year's Thanksgiving baskets, developed by the Excitement Committee, are already on their way to consumers in need and their families. Each contains a $10 gift card towards the purchase of a turkey, as well as additional non-perishable food items, as mentioned in the blog titled "Happy Birthday to Chi...and Pre-Thanksgiving Madness!"

In difficult economic times, it is still important to be thankful for those blessings that we have, whether they be food, water, clothing, shelter, loving family, or even less tangible things such as freedom. We would all do well to remember the rights that we sometimes take for granted in the U.S., such as freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. Though some might debate the truth of that statement, we have also seen that in some nations, both men and women are often executed or tortured for opposing religious beliefs or taking actions that are considered unethical.

That said, I will personally be spending Thanksgiving in NY, my home state, with my parents and sister. Living in GA, in various programs like this one, has helped me to better appreciate my family, in that they supported my decision to come here and have partly provided me with the funds to do so.

A young woman in her 20's might say that any time she's spent living at home with her parents has been a challenge...I'm sure many of us would agree with her. Nonetheless, when we're apart from our families (assuming they're not abusive or psychotic), we ideally begin to realize how much they love us, and how thankful we are to have them.

In my case, as well, I will admit that sometimes I've gotten very frustrated over some of my limitations, especially in the areas of short term memory, judgment, and emotional control. On the other hand, having spent time around people with other kinds of disabilities (and even other people with brain injuries), I've realized how much I'm capable of and also how I may have misjudged some people that I first saw as "low-functioning."

So, as always, I write this blog not only for myself, but to inspire others at GCSS, as well as the random stranger who just might happen upon our site.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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