Some thoughts regarding this extended conversation:

1.  This is a period of transition, in many ways.  And as I Ching teaches, change is characterized by both "danger" and "opportunity".  One change is our identity, which is almost always a bit scary.  Are we RIMmers?  Are we Information Governors?  Let's not worry about it so much.  The two are not mutually exclusive, and we can have unity without uniformity.  We really do need each other.

2.  A serious problem is that at this crucial time, ARMA has been without executive leadership.  It has been a "ship without a captain", although the Board has done yeoman's chore.  The lack of a leader has caused uncertainty and doubt amongst the ARMA staff, and some talented people have left for surer employment.  The Board expects a new executive to be named soon, so hopefully the ship will steady and not list any more.  Perhaps ARMA's greatest deficiency in the last year has been in transparency.  What is going on at HQ and with programs has been in pea-soup fog.  

3.  For those who lament the lack of a RIM 101 track at the International Conference, all is not lost.  There is a treasure chest of resources available elsewhere.  The ARMA Website offers a wide variety of Webinars, papers, journal articles, and more.  The ARMA Bookstore contains more useful information than anyone could digest.  For those who learn best from presentations by real people, that role is often filled by local chapter meetings.  I suggest you tell the chair of your chapter's programming committee that you would like to see some basic RIM on next year's schedule (the schedules generally run September to May.)  Chapter meetings are also great places to network with experienced RIMmers who are, almost invariably, delighted to share their expertise.  Finally, this ListServ answers questions basic and subtle.  A serious question always receives a serious answer.  Don't be afraid to ask.  If there is something you don't understand, it is likely that other readers wonder the same thing.  You do a public service by voicing what you need to know.

And so, my fellow sailors, let's ride out this current storm.  A fresh wind will take us to a safe harbor, by October 5 on the Potomoc, if not before.

I have a plaque that says, "We cannot control the wind, but we can adjust our sales."  Ready the spinnaker, and full speed ahead.

Gordy
Gordon E.J. Hoke, CRM, IGP
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Northern Illinois, USA

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