[Description to come]

As we graduate Plus level with our first class in June 2008, we open our dances and membership to all, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, ethnic background, or sexual orientation.

I have incorporated a non-profit before and would be willing to help if we decide that’s what we want to do, but be warned: forming a corporation is easy, but running it is a pain. We would need a bank account and an accounting system; someone to deal with tax returns and various filings; and we would need a board that meets and keeps minutes and other records. And we would need seed money to start — as I recall, the state requires around $1,000 to incorporate. $800 is returned once the IRS issues a determination that the corporation is non-profit, but that takes a while (months, possibly years). Until that determination is made, the club has to pay a minimum of $800/yr to the state franchise tax board.

I assume the Saucy Squares are incorporated already; maybe we could work something with them, and not duplicate the effort.

Either way, I’d be willing to lend a hand.

Fred

Just a reminder that we’ll be having ourselves a little party on April 14 to celebrate the completion of the first 50 calls by our SECOND beginners class.

Bring a bite to share, dress up if you’d like and we’ll take some time ‘tween the early and later class to whoop it up!

annette

First, you will need to log in by clicking on the “Login / Logout” link at the top of the right sidebar. You’ll be taken to a login screen where you will need to enter your username and password. If you don’t have one, send an email to our contact email address below and I’ll issue you one.

After you log in, you will be taken to the screen called the Dashboard that looks like this (click on the thumbnail for the larger version):

From the dashboard, you can begin to write a post by clicking on the “Write a New Post” button. This will take you to the compose page, which looks like this:

The Write Post page looks like a word processor with a few options. You can categorize a post so that it is easily accessible using the categories links on the lower part of the left sidebar. The default category is “uncategorized”, so you should remember to check the appropriate category for your post. Posts that are categorized “discussions” are easily accessible using the link under “Forum” on the lower part of the left sidebar.

Remember that your post will not be private unless you check the “Keep this post private” checkbox above the Save and Publish buttons to the right of the compose area. When you check “Keep this post private” only registered and logged in members of Redwood Rainbows will be able to see your post.

To edit or delete your post at a later time, click on the “Manage” button at the top.

By default, comments are turned on for our posts. This means we can have a discussion by adding comments to the post by clicking on the “comments” link at the bottom of the post. If you’re a registered user, your comment will appear immediately; if you aren’t logged in, it will go not be published until I review it. Moderated comments are a way for us to avoid getting spam in our blog.

If you would like additional categories, just email me at contact@redwoodrainbows.org and I’ll add it.

That’s pretty much it. Feel free to explore the Dashboard and your profile.

In developing this site, I’ve made sure it works well by testing it on Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 & 7.0, Firefox 2.0, Safari 3.0 and Opera 9.0. These are the most common browsers in use as of this date. Older browsers (such as Netscape 7.1 and Internet Explorer 5.0 on the Mac) may not render the site correctly.

If you’re using an older browser, you might want to consider getting more current. The way web sites are coded has changed a lot in the last 3 to 5 years, so those older browsers often don’t have the ability to recognize the newer HTML and Cascading Style Sheets code (CSS, the code that controls layout and fonts on the web).

My favorite browser is Firefox, then Safari and Opera. Firefox isn’t perfect, but the new version, now in beta, is supposed to be faster. I hate Internet Explorer (if you’re interested, my rants can be found on my personal blog here and here.

For those of you new to blogging, a blog is nothing more than a series of dated, categorized posts, or messages. It can be used for a variety of purposes, and maybe in time there will be those in our club who will use it for group discussions and passing on news. It’s not the same as email; you have to go to this site to read the posts, and they don’t clutter up your email inbox.

In general, people will need to have a login and password to be able to post. While this isn’t a requirement, if we leave the blog open to the world it gets attacked by spammers and moderation is a burden. A benefit to having logins and passwords is that when writing a post you will have the choice to mark it as “private.” If you do this, only Redwood Rainbows members with logins will be able to read the post, making private discussions possible.

I’m just throwing this out there to see if it generates any interest in participating! If you’re a club member who would like to participate, send an email to contact@redwoodrainbows.org and I’ll set you up.