GUIDElines 2000 – Vol I, No 10 – September 13, 2000

Change…it’s inevitable!

One of the hallmarks of the Youth Guides was change.  In the “old days,” with no written handbook for the Youth Guide program, we worked constantly to change it and make it better. When we felt impressed that we needed a change, we would think it through the best we could, get confirmation from the Lord, and then we would make the change.

With that process in mind, we have three changes we are making at ZionsArmy.com that will help us better achieve our HEROIC goal.  We are:

1) Changing part five of the Standard of Performance,

2) Activating the Message Board, and

3) Assigning points to the Standard of Performance so you can add them up each week and report on your progress. We learned it does no good to have a Standard of Performance if you do not have to report on it.

Changes at ZionsArmy.com

We decided to change the fifth standard in the ZionsArmy.com Standard of Performance

From:

5. Use “Word of Mouse” to share ZionsArmy.com so others can join us in the effort!

To:

5. Inspire others to join us…share our HEROIC goal by “word of mouse.” (email)

“Word of Mouse” Marketing? You bet!

Whether we like it or not, what we are doing is called marketing. Saying it that way may seem strange, because it costs nothing to be a member and there is nothing for sale on the site. However, we still have to market our ideas so that people will find out about us and use the process we have set up to help with their member missionary work.

We are basing everything we are doing on an “idea.”  Simply stated, that idea is:

HEROIC goals inspire HEROIC efforts, which result in HEROIC achievements.”

Our HEROIC goal is to have each of the future 15,000 members of ZionsArmy.com use the tools in the Standard of Performance to refer some one to the missionaries every 60 days. I fall the statistics hold true about member referrals, we will be able to double the number of baptisms in our part of the vineyard.

Where did this HEROIC idea come from?

This HEROIC idea lives in the minds and hearts of the creators of ZionsArmy.com and we are doing all we can to inspire everyone we meet to share it with as many members as possible. Our HEROIC idea finds expression in GUIDElines 2000, the Standard of Performance, SETADATE, and in messages at the Message Board.  We feel confident that we have given you the best member missionary tools and feel you don’t really need us, the creators of the site, to be successful. Everything you need, including the community, is there. In fact, we hope to get out of your way and let you work with each other to make it all happen.

If you wanted to know the desires of our hearts, it is to have our IDEA (the HEROIC’s above) turn into a GOOD “virus” that “infects” thousands of members via the Internet. When you put the words “virus” and “Internet” together it conjures up fear in the minds of many. However, there is nothing on the Internet that spreads as quickly as a virus, either a good one like our HEROIC IDEAvirus, or a bad one, like those we’ve experienced of late.

You can also look at it from the point of view that the old ways of marketing are falling by the wayside and we need to work on some new ways to get our message to as many members as possible.  Since I got a “clicker” (remote) for my TV,I haven’t watched a single commercial, unless my wife made me!  This TV kind of marketing is called “interruption marketing.” You interrupt a program I am interested in to try and sell me something I am NOT interested in.  Although billions are being spent on this type of marketing, it just doesn’t work for my anymore.

Ideavirus Marketing

The most exciting form of marketing now is with I D EA S ! And the most exciting way of marketing is a process where interested people can market to each other.  Nothing is faster than “word of mouse.”  If you see a good movie and share it with a friend, that friend may share it with another friend, but they may not.  Your word of mouth about a good movie depends on your friends sharing too. However, if you find something good on the Internet and want to share it, when you go to your email address book it is just as easily to click on ten of your friends as it is to click on just one. That’s why “word of mouse” is so dramatically quicker than anything else we know of today. You can have the ear of dozens of friends at the same time.

We have established a foundation at ZionsArmy.com where those who are interested in becoming better at member missionary work can “market” the IDEA of a HEROIC goal to their friends and others as easily as sending an email. They have all they need at the site in the way of tools and can instantly communicate with others from around the world at the Message Center. Working together as an “army” of member missionaries, they can achieve tremendous success by accepting as their own a HEROIC goal.

Miracle of the 20 Referrals…Faith to Move Monsoons

The Youth Guides, as a group, became known throughout the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area for their faith. This faith was generated within the Guides by their adherence to a Standard of Performance that taught faith coupled with works could achieve HEROIC results.

Change No. 2 – Activating the Message Board

The Message Board is where all the online action will be. It is where you can report on your Standards, ask questions, answer those posed by another, and talk about how things are going. Someone will start a thread that may go for days, or wear out in hours. It is a dynamic way we have on the Internet of communicating with lots of people on their own time schedule, like email, but available to everyone at once.

Change No. 3 – Points System

The way I am losing my weight is through Weight Watchers and their new Points system. Every bit of food I put in my mouth is assigned points, so at the end of the day I can tell whether I have stayed within my allotted points or not.  If I have, I can count on a weight loss. If I’m over or under, there isn’t any guarantee. So far, following the plan, I’ve lost 44 ½ lbs. since May (of this year!). I like the Points system. No, I don’t work for Weight Watchers and it makes no difference to me what diet you use if you are overweight. But you know what? I found out that many systems will work as long as you have a change of heart.  You have to change from the old way of doing things that got you where you are now, and decide to follow the new system, without fail, for as long as it takes, to get you where you really want to be.

I think what we’re doing here at ZionsArmy.com is probably the same kind of thing. If what you’ve been doing has not been working over the years in member missionary work, perhaps you need a change of heart and a new system.

We have decided to allot points to the various parts of the Standard of Performance and have provided a Weekly Report to keep track.  The Weekly Report form is also a training form; as you read it you learn how it all works.

Item No. 1 – Study the Gospel explains what that includes. Then right under that explanation is a place where you can report on how you did each day of the week. If you studied every day, you get7 points, one for each day. If you studied the recommended 30 minutes each day or more, you get another 7points. Adding those two scores together gives you a maximum of 14 points.

Item No. 2 – SETADATE. If you have a valid SETADATE each day of the week you get a point for each day for a total of 7 points.

Item No. 3 – Prayed daily. For each morning and each evening you prayed you get a point for a maximum of 14 points.

Item No. 4 – Invitations/Appointments.  On the form, we have a total of 10appointments and 10 invitations for a total of 20 points, even though the standard is one a week. You never know who wants to blow away the numbers! If you make one invitation, you have met the Standard. Anything over that is a wonderful bonus!

Item No. 5 – Inspired others with the HEROIC goal.  This is an open-ended item and we hope you will inspire at least one person a week to Join Us! By the same token, we don’t want to limit how many people you inspire to start working with us toward the HEROIC goal. As many as are in your address book, if you want.  Do it on a regular basis as you practice doing all the rest of the Standards.

Minimum Total Points = 14 + 7 + 14 + 1 + 1 = 37 points.  Our Webmaster, Tim, has said that he would put the three highest point totals on the HEROIC Goals page each week.  Email your totals by Sunday evening for a Monday morning posting.

You Simply Must Report You Stats

We want you to report your stats. If you are low one week and you don’t want to tell us, do it anyway, and if you need help, we’ll do all we can to help you.  None of us are perfect, and just because we put up the site means that we are any better at this than anyone else.  We are all struggling with huge schedules. But, we believe it is important to set goals for member missionary work and work until we achieve those goals. We’ll do all we can to help. Send me a private email if you need to, and I’ll do what I can to respond.

Summary

With these three changes we believe we are better able to help you work with your friends is achieving the HEROIC goal.  We are open to suggestions.  Let us know what you think and we’ll meet you at the Message Board!

Bro. P.