How to Run the BJP

Commenting on the previous post (Next Year), Bobbi K asked a good question. What does it take to run the BJP? I'll answer that by listing the steps:

1. Determine the starting date (I suggest keeping it Jan. 1, same as this year)
2. Determine the registration dates (I suggest Nov. 15 - Dec. 15
3. Somebody has to be the registration angel. This person will set up an email (gmail?) account for all registration correspondence. Registering members and replying to correspondence about the BJP is the most time-consuming job. It takes a very organized person who has time to deal with the correspondence on a daily basis.
4. Write a post on each of the three current BJP blogs asking members to "advertise" next year's BJP and registration dates on their own blogs. They should list the registration dates, email address for registration and web page where an interested person can read about the program.
5. Our current web angel (Brenda) may be willing to continue. If so, she would post the registration information, rules, etc. on the Bead Journal Project website. She's done this previously.
6. When registration opens, new and returning members will email their information and request to be a member to the registration angel.
7. The registration angel will make a spread sheet with the name and other information about all members.
8. The registration angel will send a form email to each member telling them they are now officially enrolled.
9. The blog angel will set up one or more blogs for the year and will take the membership information/list from the registration angel and assign members to a specific blog and send an invitation from the blog so that they can post on it.
10. For the most part, the registration and blog set-up goes fairly smoothly, but there are always a few problems. With our experience in the past three years, I can give the two angels some tips that should help a little.
11. After the year's project begins, there is little to do, except to monitor the blogs making sure the content is appropriate and relevant.
12. I have the "form correspondence" we used this past year, which can either be used again or modified to suit the new team's needs.
13. Generally this past year, my angels did most of the actual work, while I served as advisor and troubleshooter and coordinator. We emailed back an forth quite a bit at the beginning of the year, making decisions about various details. But after the first month, things ran fairly smoothly.
14. As the leader, I have made an effort to be active, reading the BJP blogs and all posts on active member's personal blogs that are relative to the BJP and taking the time to write comments on all of them. This is rewarding and inspirational to me, also time consuming.

Hope this isn't too much information. A team of four people (the leader plus registration, blog and web angels) can do the job. The bulk of the work would be between Nov. 1 through Jan. 15. Bobbi K has already said she might have the energy to be part of the team (and she'll be fabulous to work with)... any others???

Thanks for taking the time to read this and think about it....

Robin A.