It’s a digital age. Most of us are connected to the outside world through some form of electronic media whether its email newsletters or social media like Facebook and Twitter.
Montana TU has traditionally relied on print media to communicate with our membership. However, electronic media can be a valuable tool for communicating with membership and the public in general. A recent Missoulian article emphasizes the failure of traditional media to communicate the risk of aquatic invasive species with young people. This article highlights the changing way in which people consume information. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks needs to improve its communication with the public (particularly young people) and so does Montana Trout Unlimited. Getting more good quality information out to more people in the ways that are most useful to them will only benefit the resource we are working to protect.
In the coming months we will be working to improve our electronic media communication. We will be increasing the information shared on our social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The Trout Line will be available in a user-friendly electronic format and we will be asking members how they want to hear from us.
And for those of you who want to continue getting hard copies of newsletters via post, don’t worry. We will be happy to accommodate you. We want to embrace our conservation mission by reducing the amount of paper we send to folks who are happy to connect with us online. We realize that with nearly 4,500 members across the state, there is no single way to exchange information.
It will take some trial and error to find the right mix of traditional and electronic media, but in the end we hope to improve the flow of communication from MTU to you.