 |
|
 |
 |
| |
News -> March, 2003 News
Martin J. Citardi, MD
ARS Information Technology Officer
In December, 2002, the ARS launched ARS Member Services, a web-based application that serves a web portal for customized content for all ARS members. Through ARS Member Services, an ARS member may pay his or her dues via the Internet, and update the contact information in his or her member profile. Although these are important new services for the ARS membership, the web programming that supports ARS Member Services also provides infrastructure for a wide variety of enhancements that will be deployed over the next 1-2 years.
Many members are familiar with the public web pages at www.american-rhinologic.org, but most members are not familiar with the critical ARS functions that have been moved to an Internet-based model since 1999. Wildfire Internet Services (www.wildfireinternet.com) has developed a customized application for the management of the ARS membership database. The application and the data reside on Wildfire's servers; access is provided through the Internet. The system is designed to provide a global platform for the integration of all ARS organizational functions, including dues, meeting registration, abstracts, etc. This system assigns each member a customized web profile that determines what the member sees when he or she accesses the system. By default, all members have access to dues payment and contact information updates; however, other features may be added to a member's profile. For instance, a member who serves on the abstract review committee also access those abstracts through the same web interface. The result is that each member has a web experience that has been customized for his or her needs.
The new system has been used for the 2003 dues cycle. Briefly, the new dues process involves the following steps:
- The ARS Board of Directors sets the dues amounts for each membership category.
- The ARS administrator enters dues rates for each membership category into the system.
- The new application generates a dues invoice for each member. The invoice is sent to each member by E-mail, fax, or regular mail.
- ARS members who wish to pay their dues via the Internet must log into the system (outlined below) and follow the instructions for the transaction. ARS members may also forward credit card info by fax or regular mail, or they can forward a check. The ARS administrator must manually enter these transactions into the system.
Early feedback about ARS Member Services has been quite positive, but there have been a several problems. A few members had misplaced their user names and passwords. Internet traffic can slow the display of web pages, and old browser software may cause other problems. All members are encouraged to use an up-to-date Internet browser with 128-bit encryption. Microsoft Explorer (version 5.5 or later, with 128-bit encryption) is preferred. If you experience a problem, please forward all relevant info (including your browser type and version as well as an explicit description of error message) to the ARS IT Committee (E-mail: arsinfo@american-rhinologic.org; fax: 216-274-9753).
To access ARS Member Services, please go to:
http://app.american-rhinologic.org/controller.jsp?ACTION=HomePage
(You an also click on the key icon in the header at the top of each public ARS web page.) You will need your user name and password. (User names and passwords were distributed in December. If you need a reminder, please send a brief message to arsinfo@american-rhinologic.org.)
Questions and comments can be directed to arsinfo@american-rhinologic.org.
Figures
Figure 1. To log in to your Member Services Area, go to http://app.american-rhinologic.org/controller.jsp?ACTION=HomePage and select the Member Sign In button.
Figure 2. To review your member profile and pay your annual dues, select the My Member Profile button on this page. You can also access the e-Abstract module and register for ARS meetings and events from this page. Note that this page is password-protected.
|
|
|
|
|
