We’re looking for some good advice!

GHAR is redesigning its website from top to bottom. We’ll remove some content, add new content, and change the navigation to make it easier for you to find the information you need.

Here’s your chance to make GHARonline.com a better website for all of our members. Tell us what you would like to see on our new website.

Here’s how you can help us. Join our focus group. We’ll have a short meeting that’ll last about an hour or two to discuss the redesign. You don’t need any web design experience or technical knowledge to take part in our focus group. You even have a chance to win a $50 gas card for giving us your time!

To sign-up for our focus group, please call me (Christian) at 860-561-1800 ext. 232 or send me an email by May 20, 2011.

For the last nine years, the editors at REALTOR® Association Executive magazine have held an annual website contest for real estate associations - like GHAR. They recently announced the winners of the 2011 contest and the reasons behind their choices in the Spring 2011 edition of the magazine.

Following are the winners, one for each association size category:

• the Portage County Association of REALTORS, Ohio in the fewer than 300 members category;
• the Berkshire Association of REALTORS, Mass. in the 301-700 members category;
• the Dulles Area Association of REALTORS, Va. in the 701-2,000 members category;
• the REALTORS Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh in the 2,001-7,000 members category;
• the Houston Association of REALTORS in the more than 7,000 members category.

To put this in perspective, GHAR has approximately 3,500 members. If you look at the websites above, you’ll see how other associations try to disseminate information to their members. It worked for the judges; the 2011-2012 REALTOR AE magazine editorial board and NAR staff, but do these ideas work for you, our members?

Christian Disbrow
Director of Information Technology