Brain Candy #10 - Mensa Resources

The URL for the U.S. Mensa organization is http://www.us.mensa.org. It has been around for quite a while and it has a variety of information. For current members, there is an index to local group pages and individual member pages, a list of pending gatherings, a SIG page and a page dedicated to member resources. There is also a link to Mensa International. For prospective members, there is a page to request information and an FAQ. I've found that browsing through individual member pages is especially interesting (a few have been referenced in previous columns). This site is definitely worth a look.

We have an Annual Gathering coming up near us. Cincinnati will be hosting the 1998 AG. They have a web page dedicated to the AG at http://w3.one.net/~siren/ag.html. This site has hotel information, tentative programs, a list of tours available, city information and an on-line registration blank, among other things. If you're interested in attending the AG or you're already registered, make use of this convenient page.

ECOM now has our own page at http://www2.acorn.net/~ag291. When we discussed what we might do with a local page, we thought about our audience. There are three groups that we might 'talk' to. First, we can use the page to talk to ourselves. This isn't actually very useful, though, since we already do that with the Braegen. But the Braegen only comes once a month, so perhaps a "Last Minute Changes" page might be in order. Occasionally, Fate strikes a blow that requires a last minute change of plans. It remains to be seen if there are enough ECOM Web folks for this to be of much use. Let us know.

Another group that we can address with our site is other Mensa groups. But we're not quite sure what we have to say to them. A page dedicated to our RG is, of course, a natural, but what else? We're certainly interested in ideas; if you have any, please pass them on to Dick Turner, Linell Vines, myself or any ExComm member.

The final group, the one I think is most important, is local prospective members. We have a lot to say to them. The local site includes a map of the ECOM region, an excellent "How to Join Mensa" FAQ written by Ken McMurray (better than what National has!), a slightly tongue-in-cheek and frequently reprinted article on "Mensa Etiquette", written by Michael Davis, an article entitled "What Can ECOM Do For Me?", author unknown and an article called "What is the ExComm?", written by Catherine Rock. These articles comprise an excellent introduction to Mensa for a prospective member in our area.

I strongly urge all ECOM members with Web access to look at our site. Share the URL with prospective members. If they don't know about it, they can't look at it. We're looking for ideas, too, so share them with us.