I think there are two distinct issues with implementing ALAConnect and it might be useful to separate them. The first issue is: Does ALA Connect have the potential to be a useful tool for ALA Units and Member groups? I think it does, and I’ve seen it working in action. The Young Librarians Working Group (http://connect.ala.org/node/73093) is one example of a group that is using ALAConnect VERY effectively to conduct their business.

The second issue is trickier: How does ALA migrate members/units over to ALAConnect when there are already existing tools and channels of information (like the lists) that are already being effectively used to conduct and support the business of the association?

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Young Librarians group is making such great use of ALAConnect because they are “ALAConnect Natives”. In other words, they came into existence after ALAConnect and were “born” into that system.

There are a few things ALA can do to help the association make better use of what ALA Connect has to offer:
1) Develop and implement a structured marketing/training initiative to raise awareness of what ALAConnect is, and how to use it. (easier said than done–but I suspect it would be worth the effort)
2) Set a deadline at which time the listservs will cease and ALAConnect will become the sole means of intra-unit communication.
3) Change the default so email notifications are “on” rather than off for all members. I call this the nuclear option, and it’s probably not a realistic, or even a good choice. But it would be interesting to try it on a limited scale (say with a smaller Round Table if they were willing) to see what would happen.

Finally, your point about how keep checking your ALAConnect groups for activity, finding none, points out a basic conundrum for any new network. The network is only as valuable as the number of people using it–but how do you get people to use it if no one else is? Think, if you were the first person to sign up for Facebook, would you have ever returned??? Networks need a certain critical mass before they reach that tipping point of usefulness. The only thing I can suggest is that if you want to see ALAConnect work for the Association, start adding content yourself–and start communicating with your colleagues across ALA, encouraging them to turn on their notifications and start adding content. As more people do this, ALAConnect will hit that Tipping Point and it will become THE mode of communication and collaboration for our Association.