I watched some of the 2-day broadcast along with as many as 200 other Optimist Club members around the world. Other than hearing the live announcement of the candidates for office for 2012-2013, it was about as interesting as watching dry paint. The dullness was not the fault of the participants, the staff, or the content being discussed; the problem was the inappropriateness of the medium.
When one stops to consider that on the same day more than 1,000,000 people tuned in on a Saturday evening to watch Sheen's Korner and get a 45-minute glimpse of the train wreck that celebrity Charlie Sheen has become, it's easy to say when we log onto our computers outside of work, we want to be entertained.
So what should Optimist International live stream that would be entertaining?
- Addresses from our International President
- Projects from Optimist Clubs
- People who make a difference outside of the boardroom
- Announcements that affect Optimist Clubs such as program guidelines and best practices for hosting projects
- Speeches from candidates for office
- Celebratory presentations for new charters or fundraising efforts
- Forums to discuss issues, causes and progress
- Highlights of local impact made throughout the world by Optimist Clubs
I believe that Optimist International should broadcast things that make us feel proud to belong to an Optimist Club.
As the umbrella organization of nearly 3,000 clubs consisting of 100,000 members, Optimist International should strive to be a better coordinator. Most members are not interested in micromanaging the administrative decisions that are made in order to run an organization effectively. They are, however, interested in getting the word out that they do good things in their community.
I'm already publishing stories about the positive, worldwide impact of Optimist Clubs. I could use some help. Our clubs could use some help. Let's broadcast stories of local impact with local color, okay?
Photo credit PurpleKat_1982.
