State of the RCCEHA Website, June 10, 2009

Have you ever stopped to think about the variety of interests, skills and talents represented by our approximately 1500 full-time residents in RCCE? When I’m out jogging and see one of our orthopedic surgeons training for his next marathon, I know with whom I’ll make an appointment if I have any problems in his specialty. The finest plumber I’ve used in Fort Worth lives just a few houses from me. Even closer is a neighbor who loves books and is an active member of her woman’s book club. RCCE’s own local vintner also doubles as a sommelier and has served as such for our annual French soirée in the Estates. We have a Spiritual Director whom I once had the privilege to join at the monastery of the 20^th century’s most famous monk. Another resident has a permanent membership at the first ever(and now widely imitated) Country Club for Sports Cars 20 miles south of us, and has sponsored several local residents driving there.

How would you like on-line access to ALL of these talents and perhaps make personal or professional use of some of them? Such is one of the more powerful possibilities of our ever evolving website. It is a database driven website meaning among other things its most valuable information is entered by residents themselves. We’ve been waiting 3 years now for each of our families to enter and associate with their home family members, local relatives, and trusted friends. Adding these people will allow us now or eventually to:

1. Gather neighborhood demographics for the first time ever.

2. Observe the remarkable connections of our many related families and friends.

3. Offer families new to us nearby potential playmates their children’s own ages.

4. Establish multiple emergency contacts for each of our 624 residences in case their heads of house are not available.

5. Interconnect our people through not only their aforementioned interests, skills and talents, but also their businesses, schools, places of worship, pets, etc.

The first four points I mentioned we can do relatively quickly, after each of our families has entered those people they would like to associate with their home. The fifth interconnect point awaits the writing of substantially more software, and then with it, entry by each family of their interconnect points like, but not limited to, those just mentioned. With this fifth point we’ll see one another as never before: who from my church/school/company lives in RCCE; which businesses offer discounts to their fellow residents? The choice is up to you: we cannot move beyond our current 30% website completion state without your entry of your unique information. My website assistant Ed Oertel has recently and substantially improved this data entry process. (Stand Ed/Charlotte). Questions?