In 2011-12, the MCB Communications Committee met on a monthly basis to plan content for each edition of the Mecklenburg Bar News, the 2011-12 MCB Membership Directory, weekly Bar Blasts and www.MeckBar.org.  The Committee analyzed the effectiveness of MeckBar.org through usage statistics and adjusted content accordingly. In 2011-12, site visitors increased three percent, averaging 7,664 visitors each month. Unique visitors to MeckBar.org increased by seven percent, averaging 4,677 unique visitors each month. February 2012 was the busiest month on MeckBar.org with 9,437 visitors -- 5,643 unique visitors. The top ten most visited pages on MeckBar.org were MCB Classifieds - Attorney Positions Available, Continuing Legal Education - Schedule, Continuing Legal Education Overview, Lawyer Referral Service, Family Law - Divorce: Where to go/What to do, MCB Classifieds - Paralegal Positions Available, Swearing In Ceremonies, MCB Staff, MCB Mission & Goals and MCB Membership Benefits.

The Committee also monitored how Bar members respond to the weekly Bar Blasts distributed via e-mail each Thursday by tracking the percentage of members opening the e-mail and then clicking on various links within the email. In 2011-12, the rate at which Bar members opened the Bar Blasts increased by three percent from 2010-11. The rate at which Bar members then clicked on a link within the Bar Blast remained unchanged from the previous year. The number of people who like the Bar's Facebook page grew by 47 percent in 2011-12. The Committee pushed more information out through Facebook, including events, announcements, volunteer opportunities and news articles about Bar members.

In addition, the MCB Communications Committee established six goals:

1) Establish regular communication between the Communications Committee and other Bar committees and sections: Members of the Committee volunteered to establish regular communication with the chairs of other committees and sections. Each month, members reported on activities and concerns going on throughout the Bar and discuss articles that may be relevant to the full Bar based on these activities and concerns. The Committee has already begun to foster connections where possible and intends to fully establish these channels beginning with the incoming 2012-13 chairs and vice chairs.

2) Enhance public information available on MeckBar.org: The Committee strived to update information relevant to the public through work with the MCB sections and courts, including monitoring web traffic and ensuring pages accessed by the public contained current information.

3) Review Bar member demographics twice a year to ensure all groups (gender, age, race, firm size) find relevant information in the newsletter and MeckBar.org: The Committee recognized that the needs and interests of Bar members are varied and aimed to reach all sectors of Bar membership through interesting, relevant articles.

4) Utilize an online feedback forms to gain a better understanding of information that members and the public desire from the MCB: The Committee established a MeckBar.org feedback form that allows people to submit requests for information they cannot find or would like to have available on MeckBar.org. While it has not been used much, the Committee will continue to monitor the form and add/adjust content as needed.

5) Work with Centennial Celebration Subcommittee to promote and educate Centennial events and activities: The  Committee used its full range of tools to promote the Centennial, including MeckBar.org, Bar Blasts, Facebook, press releases and community outreach, and will continue to do so in the coming months, including issuing a special Centennial edition of the MCB newsletter.

6) Produce a monthly newsletter with relevant and timely articles for the broad and diverse MCB membership: This will always be one of the Committee's primary functions. Special thanks to the Communications Committee members and authors pool who continue to research and write meaningful articles for the Mecklenburg Bar News. The Committee is always looking for MCB members interested in participating on the Committee and/or authors pool.