Im probably going to reveal my age by saying I remember the days when you called an operator to connect your calls. Having admitted my age I might come as a surprise that these folks still exist. Some are called receptionist, some serve as greeters or at information centers, but others like me are called webmasters.
old school natives are still cool
Though the technology of screening calls and filtering emails have improved, many folks like myself are still answering emails and making connections for people.
Recently, I was able to connect calls and emails to groups looking to start sharing the nativity culture with others.
In Pennsylvania, a local Knights of Columbus group wrote us to inquire if there were members in their area that might help them "Put Christ back in Christmas."
looking through our directory, and checking first with a local contact to share their name (yes, we at Friends of the Creche take steps to insure your safety and privacy at a high level), we wearable to connect the two parties who but sounded excited to share our nativity culture with the public.
a quiet moment at one of my displays
a few days later I got another request from western Canada. following the same process I connected two individuals in Victoria, leading one of them to rekindle happy moments of sharing her nativity tree in her home.
From Diny Wolters Ornament tree
All of this activity reminded me of our important work of sharing our treasures with others...which brings me share a hard question our web and social media are trying to sort through - Are there different ways to make connections that we have not considered? we are currently trying some experiments with a chat button on our webpage. We are still hard at work trying to establish alternate Search Engine Optimizers (tech talk for finding key words and phrases that people are typing on their computers).
And there is much more...;but here are a few important ways you can help us keep these connections active. Share our webpage with others. Send a link to families and friends. Hit the "like" button on our Facebook page. invite friends too. Most inportantly, connect with other nativity lovers in your area. You might find as these four individuals found a rewed love for all things nativity
who knows, it may open new perspectives.
Photo from Holy Z's collection.
Neil Allen Webmaster a.k.a. Switchboard Operator
Comments