General Committee Structure
The Communications Committee members include
- 1 x Chair
- 1 x Vice Chair
- 1 x BOD member &
- 2 x liaisons from the FSCI and FORCE11 Conference Committees.
Purpose/Goals of the Committee
- To raise the profile of the FORCE11 organization
- To support the aims and objectives of FORCE11
- To encourage wider membership of FORCE11
- To manage communications channels and activities, including content for the FORCE11 website, email newsletter, discussion list and social media
Committee Scope/Description
The Committee is available to support the communication requirements of events and activities associated with FORCE11. This involves consideration of the best way of identifying and reaching a wider audience with particular relevant interests.
Maintenance of the ‘image’ of FORCE11 through astute use of images for the organization. Management of the ‘brand’ through correct use of logos, font and colour in communication.
The Committee consists of a group of volunteers and generally will be able to implement a communication request or a request for a communication campaign. There is minimal capacity to develop campaigns.
The management of actual events is NOT within scope.
Activities of the Committee
- Sending email newsletters, circulating announcements via social media and / or discussion lists, adding news items to the FORCE11 website
- Maintaining all marketing materials current including graphic resources on the website
- Supporting activities of partner institutions and organizations as appropriate
- Reporting on the impact of communication efforts, via web traffic or social media reports
- Liaising with subcommittees for:
- Annual FORCE11 conference
- Annual FORCE11 Scholarly Communication Institute (FSCI)
- Open Source Community Calls
- Working Group communications
- Board Election
- Helping to ensure the FORCE11 Board of Directors and other staff / committees are updated about activities and results
- Receive and consider the ‘value’ of particular communication requests from external organizations for FORCE11 and fulfill requests if appropriate.. If there is any uncertainty over this decision the Committee will refer the decision to the Board of Directors.
- Potential activities (depending on skill sets of the committee):
- Writing copy, articles, blog postings and social media content to help promote FORCE11
- Designing visual materials for use on the web or in print
- Active management of the FORCE social media accounts – with direction from the Board
Roles & desired skills
Potential members of the Communication Committee will ideally have experience in at least one of the following:
- Experience with communications or events management
- Experience with social media
- Graphic design skills
All members of the Communication Committee will need to have:
- Good web connectivity
- Web literacy
- A willingness to learn is essential
Volunteers should be (or become) members of FORCE11 and will ideally represent a wide range of FORCE11 stakeholder organizations.
Members of the Committee –
The FORCE11 Communications and Marketing Committee was brought together (in 2018) to help raise the profile of the FORCE11 organization. We are professionals with marketing and PR experience working in scholarly communication across sectors, and we are FORCE11 community members in research, technology, publishing, and advocacy. We work in close collaboration – on the committee and beyond – to stay connected to the interests of the worldwide community
Previous chairs:
- Danny Kingsley – 2021-2022
- Amanda Page – 2020-2021
- Jennifer Gibson – 2020
Committee Member Commitment
The term of service on the committee is two years, with an option to extend once. Committee members commit to participating in regular conference calls, approximately once a month.
Work will be undertaken asynchronously in terms of the implementation of communication activities. This is likely to take approximately 1-2 hours a week during busier periods.
See section 7. Committees of the FORCE11 Governance document and FORCE11 Code of Conduct.
Calendar
June-July Promotion and communication for FSCI
Oct – Dec Promotions and communication for FORCE11 annual conference
Dec – Call for nominations for Board elections
Throughout the year:
- Communication and notices from Board activity
- Responding to communication requests from Member Working Groups and related organizations
- Responding to communication requests from related organizations.
Monthly 1 hour meetings at ‘least worst’ time for members of the committee with asynchronous activity. Communication through shared Google documents, email and Slack
How to Join the Committee
Committees are generally open to members of the FORCE11 community to join using this form.
Committee Information
- Slack: https://force11.slack.com/archives/C01RLPVCT8E
- Email: communications@force11.org
- Documentation : F11:Communications
- Historical documentation: FORCE11CommsCommittee_Folders_20210511
