Is the ALPO Still Relevant?

By

Matthew L. Will

ALPO Secretary and Treasurer

One Day in 1947

• The ALPO was created in March of 1947 out of a need to “broadcast” observational developments in Solar System astronomy.

• The Strolling Astronomer, a monthly periodical then, would be the vehicle for that dissemination of information.

One Day in 1947

• Walter H. Haas, our founding director, thought this to be a more desirable means of communication, than corresponding individually with his network of 30 or so observers that participated in various observing projects over the previous 10 years.

Photo, Courtesy of Sky & Telescope

One Day in 1947

• While having published observing studies in other publications, having his own publication would give Walter a latitude of freedom in continuously communicating his and the findings of others and harboring a forum for those participating in lunar and planetary astronomy.

One Day in 1947

• Publishing and printing a journal on paper and using the postal service to distribute it, would be the medium for communication for most specialty, scientific publications through the rest of the 20th Century.

• Other publications, institutions, and ALPO members popularized the organization and its Journal over the coming years.

The ALPO Model

• The model for the ALPO was to be membership based, with interested amateur astronomers paying for a membership and receiving the Journal over a set number of issues.

• Observing programs would be the focus of activities and results of these endeavors would be published in the Journal.

Membership

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Observing Programs

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Journal

Today’s Challenge

• Today our use of media has expanded, and the ways we consume it are about as varied as the ways it is produced.

• The mission of any organization can get lost in the conveyance.

Today’s Challenge

• Traditional models of membership or public support are being challenged and redefined continually.

• Business

• Civic

• Professional Societies

• Scientific Groups

Today’s Challenge

• Institutional broadcasting versus independent communication with the world.

• Analysis and perspective on the changing landscape of mass communications in amateur astronomy.

• Assess the present day status of ALPO; Highlight issues and problems of cyberspace;

And offer a path forward to meeting those challenges.

Relevant to What?

Mission To promote, stimulate, and coordinate studies of

Solar System bodies and phenomena.

• ALPO observing sections and programs are more popular than ever.

• Our observational records are still valuable to the professional community for data and analysis.

• And our programs still have a popular following and educational value whether participating in the programs or reading about them in our Journal.

Relevant to What?

ALPO observing sections and programs are more popular than ever.

- Venus, 27 observers, 225 observations

- Jupiter, 225 observers, 2-3000 obs.

- Saturn, 41 observers, 400 obs.

- Mars, 300 observers, thousands of obs.

- Other sections Solar, Mercury, Remote Planets, Minor Planets, etc. fewer observers but very active

Relevant to What?

Our observational records are still valuable to the professional community for data and analysis.

- We have several scientific consultants.

- Professional astronomers have used and still use our scientific data.

- The ALPO has been involved with past ProAm collaborations.

Relevant to What?

Conclusion

Our mission is not out-dated or irrelevant based on the response from the

astronomical community, professional and amateur.

Relevant to What?

Communications

• The Journal of the ALPO, aka The Strolling Astronomer, has been the bearer of all final apparition reports, featured topics of interest, and organizational news for 66 years.

• Fact checked• Peer reviewed• Refereed• High Quality Information• Where Sky & Telescope Leaves

Off

Relevant to What?

Communications – Internet

• Since 1995 the ALPO has been taking at advantage of cyberspace to communicate to its membership and the broader astronomical community.

• In that year, the ALPO started its own website with the help of its inaugural webmaster Rik Hill.

ALPO website, the early days

Relevant to What?

• Alexa, an website tracking service list the ALPO 43rd in ranking popularity among 446 amateur astronomical organizations.

• Estimated global internet users 30,000/month

• Visits that resulted from a search engine, 14.3%

• Estimated page views 400/month, half look further than the main page.

ALPO Website Today

Updates & AlertsAttend ALCON 2013 in AtlantaPRESENTATIONS from 2011 ConferencePRESENTATIONS from 2012 ConferenceWhat's NEW!

ALPO AwardsAbout ALPO Awards

Strolling AstronomerALPO JournalJournal Indexes

StaffAssociation StaffNotes to Coordinators

Observing SectionsComets SectionEclipse SectionJupiter SectionLunar SectionMars SectionMercury SectionMeteorite SectionMeteors SectionMinor PlanetsRemote PlanetsSaturn SectionSolar SectionTransit SectionVenus Section

Special SectionsComputing SectionHistorical SectionPublications SectionTraining ProgramYouth Programs

Additional InformationExpanded MembershipsGuidelines for AuthorsMembershipsTools for ObserversTraining for Coordinators

Relevant to What?

Communication - Internet

- Alexa gauges that most that visit the ALPO website are male, higher educated, and tend to reach the site at work and opposed to at home.

Relevant to What?

Communications - Internet

• In 2001, the Journal of the ALPO offered its first digital version of the paper edition.

The first digital issue of the Journal, Winter, 2001

Relevant to What?

• Since the mid 1990’s, the ALPO has had Yahoo Groups centered around many of its observing sections.

- Membership Group- Mercury Group- Venus Group- Mars Group, 500 emails/month!- Jupiter Group, 300 to 400 emails/month!- Saturn Group, 100 emails/month- Solar Group- Lunar Group- Computing Group

Relevant to What?

• In the past few years, blogs have been facilitated through the ALPO website, while having a presence on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

Relevant to What?

Communications – The Internet

Conclusion: The response in cyberspace shows that there is an interest what we do and participants and readers value content coming through these channels.

What Have We Learned?

• There is a tremendous amount of communication and observing among participants in observing for the ALPO.

• Coordinators have no shortage of observations to analyze in writing apparition and event reports.

• That by in large, ALPO observing programs are active and thriving.

Trends and the Future

• The very face and make up of amateur astronomy has changed dramatically in the last 10 to 15 years.

• It’s not that the interest in astronomical topics or study areas have changed or become less interesting but how we approach them.

Trends and the Future

• Past approaches and vehicles are being less favored for new venues and mediums for expanding our perspectives and enjoyment.

Trends and the Future

• Coupled with what is our growing heritage of historic and scientific documentation…

• Our past, as well as our present and future must be kept in perspective, if the ALPO and amateur astronomy is to have an institutional memory and execution.

Trends and the Future

In sum, an astronomical organization should be:

• …of service preserving the past,

• …relevant with its membership in the present,

• …and promote pioneering efforts for the future.

Trends and the Future

• Three areas that pose potential difficulty for the ALPO are:

- Dropping Membership

- Observational Data Management

- Marshalling Supportive Resources

Dropping Membership

• Membership has been dropping at a steady rate since the 1970’s.

Dropping Membership

• While other explanations can be attributed to that lost are unique to the ALPO, many organizations have lost similar percentages in the last two decades.

- ALPO (2001 – 431) (2013 – 358)

- Astronomical League (2001 - 20,000) (2012 - 12,000) estimates

- Sky & Telescope (2001 – 88,584) (2012 – 59,848)

- BAA loosing membership too!

Dropping Membership

• The trend in not confined to amateur astronomy. Other organized groups in different fields of endeavor are loosing members or followers.

- Professional societies

- Civic groups

Dropping Membership

Causes

• Money, cost too much

• Time, can’t be active

• Competing interest

• Free resources on the internet

Dropping Membership

Repercussions

• Cost increase per member

- Literature, services

• Less flexibility for the org to utilize material resources and HR

- Fewer people to contribute or help

• Less interest overall, fewer stakeholders

- Fewer people to give input or to even care

Dropping Membership

Questions:

Is the membership based organization obsolete?

Can the membership based organization keep up with the changing communications technology?

Dropping Membership

• Will print media either become obsolete or will it simply become unaffordable for the org?

• Will the electronic media become the only venue to communicate?

Dropping Membership

• At a recent ALCON, for every two persons claiming to be an ALPO member, only one was an actual paid member.

• The others may participate in one or more observing programs and use our website but don’t pay or contribute any dues.

ALPO

NON-ALPO

Dropping Membership

This isn’t a knock against non-members participating in ALPO observing programs – we need their help and are grateful for their participation.

Dropping Membership

• But, do they want to read the apparition reports in the Journal that they have contributed observations to?

• Will the Journal ALPO eventually be an obsolete artifact of a bygone time?

Dropping Membership

• The ALPO is increasingly offering higher levels of membership to increase funding for the Journal and future projects.

• Will the ALPO evolve into a free internet society relying on only a few philanthropic sponsor contributors?

Dropping Membership

• The SPA and AAAA operated on a similar model in the print medium of the early 20th Century and didn’t last more than a five or so years.

Dropping Membership

• Many internet sites from entertainment (downloadable music, etc), to publishing (scanned books) have dismantled traditional business models.

• Is our model being dismantled?

• Pay media has trouble competing on print, let alone, on the same electronic media where similar information is immediately accessible and free.

Where Do We Go From Here?

If membership organizations like the ALPO have been successful in their mission…

…they should be able to adapt and thrive making adjustments in the new media culture with the current audience -- astronomy hungry people.

In this context, ALPO can still play the role in amateur astronomy it was always intended for.

Promoting Membership

• Think of the ALPO as a home with lively activities (observing programs) going on in it.

• But a home as a structure needs to be maintained, repaired, and occasionally updated to meet the changing times.

Promoting Membership

• Our structure is the membership and support services – what binds the ALPO together to makes it whole and supportive of its component parts.

• Strengthening the ALPO through membership makes it more stable.

Promoting Membership

The ALPO can still be a beacon to observers world-wide in cyberspace while making traditional membership more appealing:

1. Public Relations & Visibility mass mailing, merchandizing, venues

2. Services, password protected webpages “you can only get it here!” Not making the ALPO more

exclusive, but adding value to membership.

3. Electronic Adaptivity, utilizing the newer technologies.

Promoting Membership

• Help wanted!

- ALPO Membership Work Group

- members and non-members welcome!

- about implementing good ideas and taking ownership of your ALPO.

- See me after the talk.

• Long range planning

– Knowing where you’re are at

– Objectives and goals

– Measure progress along the way

Best Outcome

• The ALPO taps into younger, more internet savvy members.

• Cyberspace continues to cultivate more interaction and connectivity with members at all levels.

• And most importantly, the ALPO still has a membership base that feels a part of a greater organization and not just a group of disconnected individuals in cyberspace.

Worst Outcome

NOBODY CARES!

Worst Outcome

• We devolve to a state of individuals, communicating on blogs, independent websites, and email.

• While individual communications and efforts in amateur astronomy will have never been better…

• …conventional publishing that includes fact checking, central distribution, and institutional support and know-how of developed resources go by the wayside.

Going Forward

• Current trends maybe “not in our control”

• Broad based membership support is essential

• Making the ALPO membership more desirable

• Outreach and visibility in the greater astronomical community

• Going to need some help

The Future

• The future will be up to the ALPO membership and the greater astronomical community,

• Vox Populi !!

• But then again, UNTIED WE STAND!