Welcome to the new MCA-I Chicago Chapter Website

A new look for the coming new year

Undoubtedly the last year has brought on many changes for many MCA-I Chicago members, and hopefully those changes have been predominantly for the better. So where would we be this holiday season without some changes to usher in the New Year?

It all started when the parent organization MCA-I upgraded their web look. The board felt we might want to revisit our website look, to make it more contemporary, and fitting with the look for the parent organization. The result is what you see here today. It bears some resemblance to the national site, with a local twist.

There are also some other major changes coming to the website over the next few months. Some features are started, and others might take a little while, so your patience is requested. We do think you'll find it worth the wait.

Here's some of what's coming:

Membership Management. In the very near future, you will be receiving an e-mail with your MCA-I Chicago website membership information. Members will be able to log into the site to update their membership information, including change your address, change your e-mail address, preferences for receiving membership information, and even renew or upgrade your membership. In this electronic age, it's all about convenience, and we want your membership to be convenient for you.

"Member's Only" Area. This area of the website will feature a discussion board for MCA-I Members only. We'll likely have several boards, for members to talk about professional subjects, technology, and just kvetch about industry trends in general.

Trial Memberships. You'll be able to recommend to your peers that they sign up for a short trial membership, to see if they might benefit from MCA-I Chicago.

Member News/Press Releases. Members will be able to log in and submit their own member news items for listing on the website and publication in the newsletter.

Events Calendar and Meeting Notices. We'll be keeping you updated about upcoming MCA-I events and meetings with notices on the website.

Member Classifieds. Members will be able to place on-line classifieds for goods and services, viewable by other MCA-I Chicago Members, or the general public.

Find a Professional. Similar to the search on the National site, Members will have the option of choosing to be included in the "Find a Professional" search which will allow visitor to the site to search for special services and skills, and get the contact info for MCA-I Members who meet their requirements.

Of course, a website is never a finished project, it's always a work in progress. And as such, we're always looking for suggestions from you about how we can improve the services we offer our membership. The membership is the core of MCA-I Chicago, and the members of the Chicago community have been some of the most dedicated members of any MCA-I Chapter. We want to keep it that way, and make sure that the members of the MCA-I Chicago chapter membership are getting the most from being part of this organization. So please, don't hesitate to give us your suggestions for adding services or features to our website, or content ideas for the newsletter.

So enjoy the new, improved newsletter and website. We hope that you continue to find them valuable resources for news and information about other members and activities. Have a happy holiday season, filled with friends, loved ones and happiness. We'll see you next year!