๏ปฟ๏ปฟDear Members & Friends,
We are thrilled to announce that the Francis B. Vedder Society has officially launched its brand-new, modern website! After months of work, we've moved from our old WordPress site to a completely custom-built platform designed specifically for our society's needs.
Gone are the days of slow loading pages and confusing menus. Our new site is faster, easier to use, and looks great on your phone, tablet, or computer.
Let's walk you through everything that's new!
๐ฌ Video Archive โ Watch Past Presentations Anytime
Remember that great presentation from last year's meeting? Now you can watch it again โ anytime, anywhere!
Our new Video Archive stores all past meeting presentations in one easy-to-find place. Just log into the Member Portal, head to the Video Archive, and hit play. It's like Netflix, but for dentistry! Videos are organized by season, so you can quickly find what you're looking for.
We've also migrated all of our videos off of Vimeo and onto our own private cloud servers. That means no more Vimeo buffering or ads, unlimited storage so we never have to delete old content, and faster streaming with better quality. Every past meeting presentation is preserved forever.
๐ฅ Member Directory โ Find Your Fellow Members
Our new Member Directory lets you look up any member by name or location. Need to find a colleague in Grand Rapids? Just type "Grand Rapids" in the search bar and you'll see everyone in the area.
For privacy, we've made sure that sensitive contact info like email addresses is only visible to board members and administrators. Regular members can see names, phone numbers, cities, and roles โ everything you need to stay connected without compromising anyone's privacy.
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Meeting Information โ Always Up to Date
No more wondering when the next meeting is! Our Meetings page always shows the most up-to-date schedule, including:
Upcoming meetings with date, time, location, and speaker info
Past meetings so you can see what you might have missed
Quick links to any related materials
๐ฐ Newsletters โ You're Reading One Right Now!
That's right โ this newsletter you're reading was created using our brand-new Newsletter system! Going forward, we'll be publishing society news, updates, and announcements right here on the website for everyone to read. No more paper-only newsletters (though we loved those too!).
๐ Dues & Registration โ Pay Online
You can now pay your membership dues and register for events directly through the website! Our new online store accepts payments securely, and you'll receive a confirmation instantly. No more mailing checks or wondering if your payment was received. Just head to Dues & Registration in the menu and you're all set.
๐ฌ Contact Form โ Reach the Board Directly
We've built a brand-new Contact Us page where you can send a message directly to the board. Every message lands in the Admin Panel where board members can read and respond. No more emails getting lost โ it's all tracked and organized.
๐ง Instant Email Delivery
Behind the scenes, we've upgraded our email system so that society communications โ like this newsletter and your account invitation โ are delivered instantly through a professional email service. No more delays or messages landing in spam.
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Membership Types โ Active, Life & Inactive
Your account now reflects your membership status. Active members and Life members have full access to all member resources including the Video Archive, Member Directory, and your profile. If a membership lapses, the account will show as inactive with clear instructions on how to reactivate.
๐ Your Own Member Account
Every member will be getting their own personal login. You'll be receiving an email invitation soon with a link to set up your password. Once you do, you'll have instant access to:
The Video Archive
The Member Directory
Your profile information
And all future member-only features
It takes less than 30 seconds โ just click the link in your email, choose a password, and you're in!
๐ Thank You!
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Vedder Society over the years. This new website is our way of making sure our society stays modern, connected, and ready for the future โ while still honoring the incredible legacy of Dr. Francis B. Vedder.
If you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to say hi, don't hesitate to use the Contact page โ we read every single message.
We can't wait to see you at the next meeting!
Warm regards, The Francis B. Vedder Society Board
