Service Group Support Committee Minutes - Sunday, January 24, 2021
3:30pm – 5:00pm ET
Serenity Prayer
Attendance
Abi W Amherst, Aieda D, Akia W Washington, Anita F Florida, Barb C Canada, Bob Florida, Claire T UK, Daniella P Sydney AUS, Delores W Decatur, Di M Sarasota, Erika R, Jackie W Washington, Joan J AB, Joe P Augusta, Katheryn W Brooklyn NY, Ketura P DC, Leona WC California, Linda B, Linda C Toronto ON, Mac M Texas, Marcia W MI, Nancy C New Hamberg, Nancy M Toronto Ontario, Pam K BC Canada, Reina D Topsham, Roz H Amelia FL, Shannon T Dallas, Sherry W Cape Coral Fl, Susan T Midland, Tracy F BC, Yaser AB
Intergroup and Chapter Updates
Anita – EAI SGSC Chair
They have created a virtual library table. Continue to look at what are some of the outreach activities. They are researching what virtual outreach days will look like. They do have announcements in the south west Florida area on Eventbrite. DC is having a virtual wellness event and will capture results. They
are in the research stage of looking at technology practices: zoom and other technology. They are in the process of creating a toolkit to be used by local service groups.
Shirley – Chapter Chair – Maine
The Maine Chapter is affiliated with the EAI. It has their own committees for Office, PI, a 12 Step committee and more. They have recently added a new IT Chair. There are 22 meetings affiliated with the chapter. The benefits of having a Chapter are being able to make motions to the WSI and they have board approved motions to be added in February.
They continue to work on how to carry the message of recovery in the virtual world. They will be holding two virtual information sessions: one in February and one in May. They are looking at different ways to connect. They have announcements in print via Ad Buys, recently finalizing one in newspapers that get
into individuals’ homes that are free of charge. One newspaper wanted to do an article on FA. The HOPE Recovery Conference which was to be held in-person was cancelled. They will be holding a 1.5-hour online information session which is scheduled for February.
Leona – WAI SGSC Chair
Not currently having WAI meetings. The board has been meeting.
Meetings are being held in the Pacific Rim area which includes Australia and New Zealand. The Pacific Rim is holding face-to-face meetings (in-person) and would like to modify their trifolds accordingly.
Modifications to the Trifold is acceptable for the back pages where the meetings are listed. The actual text of the Trifold cannot be modified. Please contact Pam K @ SGSC@foodaddicts.org if more information is needed regarding modifications to the Trifold.
There is a new WAI LSG. It is the Western Canada LSG which is comprised of four Canadian provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.
Australia LSG is broadcasting on a local radio station which caters to 12 Step Programs.
Presentation - Getting the Word Out: How to Post an Event on Media Sites - Part 2
- Introduction of the revised OCAR (Online Calendar Announcement Resource) now available on the FA website. Search for "digital outreach" > Calendar Announcements > Online Calendar Announcement Resource (OCAR)
- Highlight Craigslist how to: create, edit, add image, publish, and copy URL for the announcement
- Update the OCAR log with the details of the announcement including the URL of the announcement
- For a copy of the presentation, please reach out to SGSC@foodaddicts.org.
Presentation Q&A/Discussion
Previous Months Questions:
Q: I live in an area where there are no meetings, can I post on media boards like Kijijji?
A: Yes, you can add announcements to any media boards, directing people to the meeting contacts on the FA website. Some LSGs have their own email address and/or dedicated phone number which are supported by LSG fellows.
Q: Where can I find meeting minutes?
A: On the main FA webpage, select Service Group Support from the tool bar at the top. Halfway down the page, after the listing of next meeting dates, click on the link to "SGSC Minutes MM-DD-YY".
Previous months minutes are just below: click on "Previous Minutes of SGSC". For a copy of the presentation, send an email to SGSC@foodaddicts.org.
Current Questions:
Q: From Nancy C ON: How do we embed the phone number in the announcement / posting?
A: The phone number is automatically embedded as a function of the Craigslist application.
Q: From Sherry FL: My account has been blocked in Craigslist; I have been unable to determine why this is happening.
A: Craigslist and Eventbrite have been known to block accounts at their discretion. Mac M. has been blocked on Craigslist for trying to post too many meetings at one time (too many posts) but would not know why that would happen if you're only posting rarely. An individual person may have flagged the announcement / post as inappropriate. A violation of the Terms of Use will result in an outright IP address block. See also https://www.purevpn.com/blog/craigslist-ip-blocked/. “Craigslist blocks your actions on the site if it deems them suspicious. You will usually get the “This posting is being blocked” message from Craigslist whenever you exceed a daily post limit on a single account. The limit of Craigslist postings varies for each section of the site.”
Q: From Akia DC: Their LSG has posted on Eventbrite using an LSG email address and an LSG designated phone number. They have received unsolicited emails. They have been able to block the emails via Gmail. Is there anything else that they can do to prevent the unsolicited emails?
A: Eventbrite does have a Security web page (https://www.eventbrite.ca/security/). Have a look there to see if anything is available for you to use. They also have an email address that you can use to contact them with your concerns (security@eventbrite.com). The Craigslist security information page can be found here (https://www.craigslist.org/about/help/)
Q: From Daniella P - Sydney: Is it preferred to use multiple people or one designate to manage the emails?
A: Many LSG's are creating their own email addresses and deciding amongst themselves if they have one designate or multiple people managing.
Q: From Abi: When using Gmail accounts, google will want to authenticate the email address. Craigslist and Eventbrite will want to authenticate you as well. What is the protocol for using the FA headquarters number vs. local meeting phone numbers?
A: Please do not use the FA office number during the creation of the accounts. Use a number that is easily accessed by an LSG member.
Q: From Ketura: For the Craigslist posting is community / groups the best category to use?
A: No one has used any other categories. As best as we can see that is the best category. When someone is searching in Craigslist, they would be searching for Food Addiction, not necessarily for community or groups. We are open to using other options.
LSG Reporting
Western Florida LSG (Barbara/Sherry) They will be participating in a virtual county wide health fair next month. They have listed gatherings on Eventbrite using a group email for their LSG and a group phone number. These announcements included meeting contact information. For the Eventbrite announcements, it is mentioned in the description that tickets are not needed. When they do receive emails from the announcements, the LSG does reach out to the individual and provide more information. They have also created a shared google drive site where they post the service positions for each of the meetings and who is currently holding that position, the phone lists for each of the meetings is also stored there. This helps to provide a central location for the LSG to know what is happening in all the meetings. A service position has been created by the LSG for one person to keep that information up to date. One of their members works for a small newspaper, they have put an ad in the newspaper. For Eventbrite, they have created an auto response. If you would like to receive a copy of the auto response, please email your request to faswfla@gmail.com. Placed announcements in the Natural Awakenings health magazine, which is a free online calendar listing, https://corp.naturalawakenings.com/local- magazine-directory/.
DC LSG (Jackie W) Has not had any real success with Eventbrite notices or craigslist. A local medical facility has monthly virtual sessions highlighting health initiatives. Their LSG has been invited to participate. They will be looking at how to place racks / trifolds at local hospitals.
Western Canada LSG (Joan J) Started a new LSG this month. They already had their first meeting. They reviewed the purpose of the LSG, created service positions, and fellows volunteered for those positions.
New York City / New Jersey (Katheryn W) Are in the process of creating a new LSG.
Question and Answers:
Q: What is an Ad Buy.
A: An ad buy is where one can purchase space in a newspaper to get info out about FA.
Q: Amherst (Abi) Where do you get the free phone numbers for the LSGs?
A: The DC LSG use google voice as a free service that is managed by one of the fellows. The number is listed on trifolds. When the number is called, an email is initiated.
Q: What is google voice and what is the URL for it?
A: The signup page for the google voice phone line is https://voice.google.com/u/0/signup. It is free for one phone number. One must have an existing US based mobile or landline phone number to qualify for a Google Voice line using this link.
Not all countries support free Google Voice, for more information go here: https://support.google.com/voice/answer/115061?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en.
Sydney Aus. (Daniella) We use a toll-free number paid by the WAI, the Pacific Rim initiated the request and WAI now pays for this and the insurance that is needed by the meetings.
SW Florida (Barbara) has a regular phone line, and the meetings share the cost, at about $13 per month.
CHAT Question and Answer:
Q: Can't we download a logo and resize it to fit on Craigs List?
A: It is recommended to use the logos in the OCAR document. The OCAR has been updated to include logos that fit Craigslist requirements.
Q: How do we embed the phone number in the ad?
A: The number is automatically embedded by Craigslist after the announcement is published.
Q: If we have many postings with meeting addresses, phones, and gathering details, what if these are not updated anymore or accounts logins are lost. is it better to only post fa website and direct people to main meeting page on fa website?
A: This is what the OCAR log is useful for. After an announcement / posting is published, grab the URL associated with that posting and add it to the OCAR document in the Online Calendar Announcement Log (item 3 on the How to Use OCAR tab). This is where the user account / password and FA fellow contact information is stored. If you have any specific questions about the OCAR document, please reach out to weblinks@foodaddicts.org. Alternatively, have a discussion at your local level on how to organize information so that there are records of account information. The OCAR does have a template on the tab "How to Use OCAR" for your reference (item 4). Postings and announcements do expire and will eventually disappear.
Follow up question:
Q: Are Ad Buys considered promotion not attraction?
A: They are not, provided FA approved content is used.