Technology and Communications Committee Report - July 2025

Good morning, Area 41, 

     Here are some highlights, and I may prepare a longer report that you will be able to find on my committee page on area41.org.

     We met in June (online), and again yesterday. Over the course of our time yesterday, we had a total of 18 members attend, with four of those participating online. At first-timer orientation, I invited members with shorter committee meetings to join us, and a few members stopped by in the second half of the committee. Thank you for feeling comfortable joining us! 

     We had a long list of topics and knew that three hours would not be enough, so we focused on having brief group discussion, identifying the desired timeline to move items out of committee, and forming subcommittees/working groups as needed. 

Email Subscriptions 

     We are making another attempt to get feedback from you. The feedback form is live at area41.org/subscribe. Please discuss this with your districts and groups, and send in your feedback. You can use the form or email me at [Committee Contact Form]. Here are our questions: 

• Do you want emails with certain Area 41 content or information? 
• About what? When (how often)? 
• Do you want to be able to choose specific categories of content to receive? 
• What content is a priority to you? 

     We will test “Subscriber” user logins on WordPress and a subscription form with our committee members. Additionally, we will explore the ability to send messages and create email lists/groups within our Google Workspace.   

Equipment Purchases 

     On the topic of future equipment purchases, we will address the area equipment needed for hybrid assemblies first. A proposal will be brought forward in October, with the hope of approval in January. We’ll begin by focusing on guidelines related to this equipment–owned by Area 41 to support assemblies–and will then address the broader issue of equipment purchases. A subcommittee of five members was identified.

Newsletter and Website Coordination 

     We continued discussion on three potential agenda items related to the newsletter and how it interfaces with the website. These were initially raised in my January report. One key issue is our contact information: what level of effort should we make to keep phone numbers and email addresses off the website, to reduce spam risk? The committee reached consensus to request a workshop/sharing session to better understand the Area fellowship’s perspective on these issues. This session would be held in collaboration with Report & Charter, and we aim to hold it early next year to engage with the new rotation of trusted servants. 

Lincoln Intergroup Collaboration 

     We also discussed collaborating with the Lincoln Intergroup on how we can support their group of Area 41 districts while maintaining their appropriate self-supporting status. We are exploring the boundary between support and affiliation and will conduct further research. It is expected that the Lincoln Intergroup website will be streamlined to include only Intergroup-specific items, linking to or embedding Area 41 content that would otherwise be redundant–such as the meeting list and district pages. More updates to come! 

Supporting Other Districts 

     We’ve supported the Omaha Intergroup districts by creating booking calendars for upcoming events–this is a feature available within our Google Workspace. We are energized to support Area 41 districts with more than just static site content. Please reach out to discuss how we can support your technological needs, even if it’s just to help you brainstorm. 

Website Improvements 

     Regarding our website content, we will explore replacing our PayPal donation page with a Gravity Form that uses PayPal Checkout. This would give us greater control over the page’s language–for example, allowing us to say “Contribute” instead of “Donate.” I believe PayPal’s fee structure is slightly different between a direct PayPal donation and a Gravity Form using the PayPal Checkout Add-on, so we will consult the Treasurer first to understand any fee implications. 

     The committee also requested that our site logo include text identifying us as “Area 41 Nebraska.” This change has already been implemented as of yesterday. 

Upcoming Additions 

     We will add a Region page that includes: a link to AA.org information on regional forums, a link to the West Central Region website, and blocks listing the latest posts and upcoming events in the Regional category on area41.org. 

     We will also add an Intergroups page that includes: verbiage from the AA Service Manual explaining what an Intergroup/Central Office is (i.e., it runs parallel to the General Service Structure but we cooperate), and links to the Omaha and Lincoln Intergroup websites. 

*****

Items Still In Committee 

• 2022-10-09 014 re. Email Subscription Service through Website, tabled for final feedback and testing (now underway). 
• 2023-04-15 08b (Tech confer with Finance): Create guidelines and answer Traditions questions for future Area 41 purchases of electronic equipment. Tabled. Status as reported above. 

*****

Please feel free to contact me at [Committee Contact Form].

In service, Sarah R., Committee Chair