Social Media for the Cottage Associations Part 3

I have been cottaging pretty much since I was born. I have great memories of events organized by the Clearwater Beach Ratepayers Association when I was growing up. Since about 2000, I have had the pleasure of serving my cottage association. First as a volunteer for a number of years at our Fun Day/BBQ, then joining the board in a number of capacities, Secretary, then Vice President and now President. Part of the job of the board of a Cottage Association is keeping your members informed. Social Media can give you a great tool kit for both getting information and sharing it to your members.

This is the third of several posts on using Social Media for a cottage association. This post is the 2nd one focusing on the kinds of information you may want to pass along to your members.

The idea behind this series is that it is not so much a "this is what and how to do it' manual, but more a here are a bunch of ideas/tools you can pick and chose from. You need to figure out what works for you and your association. I will be using the sources that I use for my association as examples, you should be able to find similar sources in your area.


This will not be a static post, I will update it as errors are found or when someone sends me information that fits in. If I have missed a tool or source that you use, please let me know. I am always looking for ways to better serve our association. 

Information

There are many of kinds of information that you may need to or want to pass on to your members. This is part 2 of a quick list and overview of information you might want to share with them:

Local events

One of the comments I hear from time to time is "there is nothing to do at the cottage". Well there are many local events to enjoy around the cottage area all year long.

For a lot of cottage country there are a large number of festivals within about 1 to 2 hour drive of your cottage. 2 Festivals within a 20 min drive from my cottage are Ontario's Best Butter Tart Festival http://bit.ly/1Tt2jIR and Festival du loup http://bit.ly/1os4lMq . In the spring the are maple syurp festivals like Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival  http://bit.ly/231MyyD There are lots of fall festivals to enjoy too. 

Many villages, towns, and cities have summer concerts, these can be part of a fun evening out. These are usually listed on the community calendar and/or put out on social media. Near by in Midland they have the Midland Cultural Centre http://bit.ly/1Tt4ooj part theater and part miusic venue. They keep a scheduled on their web site and put reminders out on social media, I republish as much as I can, because you never know what someone in your association may like.

Local attractions
Throughout cottage country in Ontario there are lots of great local attractions. 

National Parks are located all across Canada. When at the cottage I get to look at
Georgian Bay Islands National Park every day.
http://bit.ly/1Vg34XC Parks Canada

Provincial Parks are are a great local place to go and have a day hike. 
http://bit.ly/1XplP8i Ontario Parks

Museums, lots of great local museums in my area with lots of fun events all year long.
Huronia Museum http://bit.ly/1Uqs6BW
Penetanguishene Centennial Museum & Archives http://bit.ly/1VGkeNU

Historic Sites are a great place to spend a day. There are many all accross Canada, here are 30 that are in a 30 dirive of my cottage.
Discovery Harbour http://bit.ly/1WALo7X
Sainte-Marie among the Hurons http://bit.ly/1pWk1by
The Huron/Ouendat Village at the Huronia Museum http://bit.ly/1WALD2D
Boat Cruises, being on the southern end of the 30,000 Islands boat cruises are fun afternoon out. Here are 2 close to my cottage
Miss Midland  http://bit.ly/1VGkxZg
Serendipity Princess  http://bit.ly/1X2HXqW

Local Companies
    Any companies that sponsor your association should be kept in your members minds. Boost your sponsors as much as you can, but do not overload your members... 
    
    Great restaurants in the area, because sometime you just want eat out.

    Any good bars in the area? Sometimes you just need a night out. But remember do not drink and drive. 

    Is there a local store close to your association that is great for picking up that one food item you forgot and does not charge an arm and a leg for it?

    Is there a sidewalk sale in town? Is the local mall having an event?
      
Elections
    Local elections, who is running for what. Is there a cottager running?
    Provincial elections, which party's platform is cottage friendly?
    Federal elections, which party's platform is cottage friendly?

Association History
     We have a good history of our association and we have a member who is working with a number of members to get the history of their cottage written down.  http://www.clearwaterbeach.ca/?cat=3