PH Newsletter - 5/07 Issue 1

After months of procrastination it is *finally* time to put pen to paper and at least get this started.  This is the first issue of the Pink Hat Society Newletter.  Future issues will depend a great deal on which local member we can get to write the letter, and input from you, the real reason for this whole enterprise!

A bit of history seems to be in order... how did this get started.  Many of you are familiar with the Red Hat Society and their focus on life after 50.  Younger women can join, but wear pink and lavender rather than red and purple.  We felt there was a place for an organization for women of any age without drawing artificial age boundaries.  The Pink Hat Society was born.  Remember there is no one in charge here, no dues to join, no cost for membership, and no rules for your involvement.  Well, maybe "having fun" would sort of be a requirement.

Unfortunately being born does not automatically translate into being organized.  Our local chapter leased the pinkhatsociety.net name, but it was over 2 years before any of us found the time to actually work on the site.  We even received a letter from a lawyer representing the Red Hat Society demanding we take down the site and sign over the name to them... and it wasn't even functional!  They are a litigious group.  Please be aware we are not associated with that organization in any way.

The web site has been (barely) functional now for a few months and we are astonished at the number of hits it receives.  The traffic validates something we already knew.  There is a need for a place for pink hatters to communicate and share information.

We're not web experts, so the site may suffer periodic calamities as we attempt to add and change things.  Thanks for your patience and participation.

Thanks to all of you who have posted photos in the album.  Please continue to share your pictures.  We all gain by seeing what others are doing and getting to know one another by face, even if we never meet.  Setting up an album is more complicated that we would have liked, but quite honestly could not find anything better.

The bulletin board has thus far not been very good.  That is an indication the current software is not user friendly or useful.  Many message being passed on the guestbook could have been better handled in the context of a bulletin board... if it were user friendly.  We will see if we can find a better bulletin board to install.  Posting information topically will better facilitate communication.  Thanks for your patience as we search for a better bulletin board.

A new page was recently added with current Pink Hat Society chapters.  We will list some brief information about each.  We will list name, location, contact info (if permitted), and whether the chapter is open for new members.  Please email your chapter information to pinkhats@pinkhatsociety.net.

We value your input and participation.  Suggestions, criticisms (please be kind), and offers to help are greatly appreciated.  Send them all to the email address above.

Until next time...