Leave it to the Internet to get people to speak their minds — or just to get people to say anything about everything. I guess that’s why we, the people who use the Internet to share information, were named Time magazine’s Person of the Year. Think about it: It’s extremely powerful, how the Internet has changed the world.
In May, we published an article titled Ego-Surfing for Improved Customer Service. The article showed examples of complaints found on U.S. websites about health clubs. Recently, one of FM’s staff members stumbled upon a website called Loud Campus. The site is hosted by Cornell University, and allows its students to voice their opinions on the university and issues across the nation. Students can click on any number of topics, one of which brings up a host of comments about Cornell’s fitness facilities. Cornell has several fitness centers, about which we wrote an article in January 2004 titled Why Stop at One?
The site made me think what a great opportunity it would be for facilities to have a Loud Club site open to members only. This could accomplish several things: 1) It could be a way for members to meet each other by finding others with similar interests, thus growing your club’s community; 2) It could act as a forum for members to express their compliments and complaints about your facility and 3) Because you are able to view what your members, and your members only, have to say about you, you have the ability to improve things! I wonder if there are any facility operators out there doing something like this already? And, if so, have you used it to your advantage?
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