Communications Officer Report 2000/2001
Mail Outs
The season began on a wave of optimism with Peter Kenyon unveiling
plans for the Fans' Forum. IMUSA took on the task of sending out over
2000 forms to members current and ex to try and get as many of
"our" supporters onto the forum as possible. At least one
IMUSA member - John Wroe - was selected from the forum through those
efforts.
The most recent mail out was concerning the AGM. It was not possible
to mail out in line with the demands of the constitution for reasons
already documented. Phil Shaw played a key role in ensuring the AGM
flyers were produced and distributed to all members.
Newsletter
The impact of the organisation's financial concerns meant the third
newsletter of the season had to be abandoned. Under direction from the
then-Treasurer, the second newsletter was reduced to four pages instead
of the six-pager which had become the norm last year.
Though only ten pages have been distributed to members, the
newsletter has many more contributors - regular and otherwise - than
before. Those ten pages contained more words than many footballers'
autobiographies (and a lot more content!) and it is important that all
IMUSA members feel they can make a contribution. The newsletter now
links to the web site and e-mail discussion lists much more closely than
before and thanks go to Linda Harvey and Monica in particular for their
contribution.
Thanks also go to Ray for his photo's, Phil Shaw (again) for putting
the newsletter together. Thanks also to Gareth Jones for his patience
this year.
When I started working on the newsletter, just prior to United's 1996
'double', I wasn't based in Manchester. Thus once I had finished putting
the finishing touches to the newsletter with Phil, I thought the hard
work had been done. In fact this is the easy bit - getting the
newsletters out to members is no easy task as I have found out.
The mini-army of 'stuffers' receive no praise at all, in particular
those who do the task without feeling the need to drain my fridge of
Stella as recompense (and therefore do the job much more efficiently)!
So thanks go to Sarah, Sue, Sue, Eddie, Alan, Paul Sneyd, John Wroe and
many others. The rest can get their own next time!
Fanzines
With the lack of Newsletters the fanzines have been the primary
source of distributing information. Thirteen IMUSA columns have featured
in the four fanzines this season. Thanks go to the editors of those
publications for space and patience. Thanks also to Andy Walsh for
assisting in ensuring those articles go out and also for his own
contributions.
Future
Increasingly the Internet is being used by IMUSA members to keep up
to date. Linda, Monica, Mark Southee and Duncan Drasdo amongst others in
playing a role in that work.
At Christmas a number of committee members met to form an outline
plan for developing communications links. My failure to implement that
plan in view of work pressures has helped convince me of the need to
step aside in this present role. I hope to continue playing a role in
developing the newsletter.
As soon as this AGM is complete a newsletter will be produced. I hope
members of the committee will assist my successor to put that newsletter
together through their articles and editorial input.
I also welcome the decision of the Officers to recommend to the AGM
the re-introduction of a dedicated Press Officer to take the strain off
our Chairman.
As the Officer's reports have indicated the value of the constitution
has already been underlined, even if not quite as foreseen. My thanks go
to the other officers in particular Mark Longden, for the support and
patience they have shown over this season.
Nick Clay
