It is a fact that one half of our membership reside outside Athens, that is, in other parts of Greece or abroad. One may reasonably assume that pretty much the same percentage is observed in most philatelic societies: the permanent residence of 50% of the members does not coincide with the seat of the society.
Long tradition and technical capabilities demanded that the annual general meetings should be a matter for the members of the seat of the society only. Today, however, that has changed. Video conferencing can offer video and audio participation as long as the remote members are equipped with a personal computer, camera, microphone and speakers, or even with just a smart phone. In the actual meeting room, similar equipment is needed plus a relatively large projection screen, in order to display the remote participants. The cost of the software is extremely low, and the complexity of installing it on the users’ computers is minimal.
Technology constantly provides us with useful tools which, for our volumes or the short range of requirements, are usually free or at a very low cost. One point is whether we are prepared to use these tools, to our members’ advantage. Another point is the profile we wish to build for “philately” in general, i.e. if we wish to show that we keep pace with technology, and therefore with our times.
My thanks to two dear members, the first from Thessaloniki and the second from the (slightly further away) Seattle of the United States, for their recent communication, which indirectly prompted me to write this short note.