Cooperative Cartoon

Not sure what a cooperative is, or how we operate? This catchy, three-minute video illustrates the cooperative difference in a fast-forward format.

Artist Rob King took more than 12 hours to make the three-minute cooperative difference video. “The Electric Cooperative Story” shows an artist’s hand sketching a series of cartoon-like images in black, red and green markers against a whiteboard. The action is sped up so that the history of electric co-ops and their seven principles is explained in 3 minutes, 28 seconds flat. Click here for mp4 video. Or here for Windows Media Player

Enjoy!

Look out 21st century.....Victory Electric is on Facebook!

Just a few years ago the Internet was a place where you sent the occasional email or read an article from some outlandish website stating that the NASA moon landing was a hoax. Now it’s a bustling place to buy anything under the sun and grab all the information you’d ever want to know.

But the real phenomenon brewing is how people are speaking to each other on the Web. They’re talking to old friends, making new ones, and even keeping up with family members. Through websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, we’re getting messages across in ways only seen in Stanley Kubrick films more than 40 years ago.

For some “old school” people it’s a little strange to have that much access. But it’s becoming more common for members to interact with each other online. That’s where Victory Electric comes in.

As our members become increasingly younger and new homeowners are surfing the web, it’s becoming more clear to Victory Electric that we have to think outside the box.

“We saw another opportunity to expand and diversify our communications and reach a broader spectrum of our membership,” said Jerri Imgarten, communications specialist for Victory Electric. “This is a casual, fun way of promoting energy efficiency, interacting with our members through posted conversation, and even posting updates in the event of an outage.”

For Facebook-savvy members, the Victory Electric page can be found through using the search or by accessing Facebook through the link facebook.com/VictoryElectric. Facebook users can become a “fan” of Victory Electric and elect to receive status updates on their news feed.

“Victory Electric is truly member and community oriented, and we want to hear from and interact with our members, whether it is through a traditional phone call, a visit to our office, or through the Internet,” Imgarten said.

Whether it is a link to an energy efficiency tool on its home page, or a relevant article of interest, Victory Electric tries to be selective in sending updates.

“Victory Electric wants to be helpful, not an annoyance,” Imgarten said. “We are selective in what we post on Facebook but are constantly watching for articles, photos and issues we think might be pertinent to our members, or for tips that might help them lower their utility bills.”

Just the facts
There are some who really just want the low down of what’s happening. If there’s a blackout, we want to know it is being fixed. That’s where the social networking sites come in handy.

Facebook and other networking sites allow people and organizations to give constant status updates. Some of these updates are casual but others can be important.

“Just think about weather on the level of the Greensburg Tornado,” said Terry Janson, general manager for Victory Electric. “In a situation where you might not be next to a TV or radio, the status updates on your smartphone might just be the better way to find out what’s happening. Facebook is great for that. It is instant knowledge and a click away.”

Sticking to the Basics
It’s truly becoming a computer world these days. Our members are seeking information in ways that seemed like distant ideas just a few years ago. But, in spite diversifying our communication plan, the traditional ways of speaking with members won’t be abandoned. Newspapers, magazines, and radio will still remain important, but Victory Electric felt it was important to embrace the old and the new.

But for the rest of us, we’re just happy to keep on reading this magazine. Life just seems easier that way doesn’t it?

If you are interested in becoming a “fan” of Victory Electric, visit facebook.com/VictoryElectric.