BigTent Blog | Product updates and news for groups » online community

Keeping Groups Safe and Secure, Part 2

BigTent — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:46:51 +0000

Thanks for tuning into part two of our series on BigTent security features. This time, we’ll take a look at some features that groups use stay safe on our site:

1. Timed memberships. Sit back and relax, while BigTent manages the membership process for your group. With BigTent, you can have automatic renewal invitations sent out to your group, and lock out anyone who fails to renew in time.

As a result, you ensure that only paying and/or active members get to enjoy the benefits and resources your group has to offer.

2. Membership approval. BigTent gives group leaders controls to approve or reject potential new members. When someone first applies to join, you’ll have a chance to review his membership form before letting him into the club:

3. Customized group information sharing. Each group leader on BigTent gets to decide how information sharing works within her group. She decides how much admins get to see about members, and what members can see about each other. In small groups, members often see lots about each other, such as phone numbers or addresses, while larger groups tend to restrict this information to leaders.

No matter how you set up your group, group admins can access the information needed to keep the group running, while members can feel comfortable participating online.

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at hello@bigtent.com. Want to try Big Tent? Click here to sign up your group.

-Mia & the BigTent team

BigTent: Management Magic for Your Multiples Group

BigTent — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:19:09 +0000

It all started in August 2006, when a local club, the Marin Parents of Multiples Club, became the first group ever to adopt BigTent. Supporting close to 300 members in Marin County, Calif., the group and its leadership team were seeking a better way to manage its membership, including tools to organize a special sub-group for parents of twins over five.

Today, BigTent currently hosts many parents of multiples groups that span 15 states, with new states coming into the pipeline each month.

So what fuels the passion that multiples groups have for BigTent? In some ways, the proof is in the pudding — or rather, the increased rate of participation. Mica Garretson is Newsletter Editor for St. Petersburg Parents of Twins and Supertwins in St. Petersburg, Fla. Mica loves the fact that Big Tent has streamlined membership renewals for her group.

“This time last year, we had 16 people pay their dues on time,” she says. “This year we have 33. Thank you so much, BigTent, for making this process so much easier!”

Wondering what BigTent can do for your group? Just check out the screenshots below for more examples. You can also sign up to attend a live web demo, or start setting up your group today.

Membership forms

With BigTent you can design a custom membership form to collect vital information for your club. Find out who’s interested in volunteering, who’s on bedrest, and more:

Database reports

Use our secure, admin-only database to look up information for your group! This will allow you to contact members and support them more efficiently:

Sub-groups

Want to organize playgroups and hobby clubs for your group? You can create sub-groups to your heart’s content on Big Tent. Plus, you can make private sub-groups for your board and other special commmitees:

Have questions about starting a group on BigTent? Just email learnmore@bigtent.com for more information.

BigTent launches in Nebraska

BigTent — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:02:55 +0000

Please join us in giving a warm welcome to Bethel MOPS! This active North Platte, NE group is our first in the state — a feat we owe to the innovative work of their Publicity Director, Kendra Carper.

In her efforts to spread the word about MOPS, Kendra was delighted to discover BigTent as a web solution for her group. Kendra raves, “Every part of Big Tent is created as though it was intended for our group!” She’s a particular fan of Big Tent’s color-coded calendar, our folder for sharing newsletters and other documents, and sub-groups for organizing her steering team.

Kendra has been involved with Bethel MOPS for three years. When asked what fuels her community involvement, she said, “I believe whole-heartedly in MOPS International’s ministry philosophy that ‘Better Moms Make a Better World.’ I love helping women become better mommies, which in turn grows a whole generation of better kids.”

Kendra credits her husband, Steven, for helping her balance her schedule and build quality ministries within her MOPS group. When not working with MOPS, Kendra is busy with her two boys, four-year-old Jackson and one-year-old Brady, and the family’s “temperamental dachsund,” Abby.

Our team applauds your hard work, Kendra, and wishes you and Bethel MOPS the best of luck in your ongoing endeavors!

All Aboard! BigTent rides Cluetrain

BigTent — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:59:54 +0000

We just can’t seem to leave you alone! We love it when our group admin list teems with suggestions of new ideas. We’re giddy when a new user takes our survey on ways to improve our current technology. We devote many of our communications to spotlighting our groups’ efforts to stay innovative and organized.

You may be wondering, what’s our thinking around always stirring up the conversation with members? Recently, Laney and I participated in a conference honoring the 10-year anniversary of the Cluetrain Manifesto. Back in ’98, some visionary techies declared that marketing was going to completely change, and companies had better get with the program. They predicted the extinction of “one way marketing,” where companies have control over what is said about their products and services. Instead, they spoke of marketing becoming a two-way conversation, where customers would spread their product reviews in wide-open public forums on the Internet. According to the manifesto, companies who participated in these conversations with authentic and honest responses would thrive, while those who tried to control all the messages would, well, die a slow and painful death.

Now here we are in 2008, where the incredible channels of blogging and social networking give power to the people, who in turn keep companies honest. There is no room for “spin.” We at Big Tent couldn’t agree more! Our team is here because we’re passionate about a partnership with our groups and their members. We love your ideas. And if you haven’t been part of the dialogue yet, please feel free to send us a line at hello@bigtent.com — or better yet, post it in your blog.

-Donna Novitsky, BigTent CEO