text: Know Your AFCEA Benefits: SIGNAL Connections | SIGNAL Magazine
  Home / August 2012 / Know Your AFCEA Benefits: SIGNAL Connections
  Know Your AFCEA Benefits: SIGNAL Connections
  It may seem obvious, but you're reading one of your AFCEA benefits right now. SIGNAL Connections is your source for news about your chapter, your region and your profession. Redesigned last year to include a personal touch, the e-newsletter not only features the latest industry activities but also pulls event information from the AFCEA calendar and Chapter News from SIGNAL Online. While you may not believe that you need one more e-letter in your email inbox, this e-newsletter is important because it is a means to reach out to members and a conduit for collaboration.
  Because local events information is crucial to professional planning, their descriptions lead off every issue. Chapter events always appear first; however, if none are available, this section provides details about regional and/or association activities.
  News Briefs gives readers a quick synopsis of the latest changes, developments and discoveries in the U.S. Defense Department and government agencies. The name says it all. The information in this column is news and it's brief.
  The SIGNAL Online Features section includes news feature articles found only on the SIGNAL Media website. Although not published in SIGNAL Magazine, these stories are written by SIGNAL Magazine reporters and are short in length but in-depth in details.
  SIGNAL's blog, called SIGNAL Scape, is home to a variety of columns and news items—from the latest contract awards to opinion pieces and guest blogs. This section of SIGNAL Connections highlights two specific regulars in the blog: Cool App-titude, which highlights apps of interest to mobile device users, and Homefront Help, which points people who want to support service members toward ways to render that help.
  To encourage dialogue among AFCEA members, the SIGNAL Today Survey Question invites readers to express their opinions about timely—and sometimes a bit controversial—topics. The question is linked to the AFCEA Facebook and LinkedIn AFCEA group pages, and answers can be shared through Twitter using the hashtag #signaltoday. Some comments also are shared in a future issue of SIGNAL Magazine on the SIGNAL Today page at the front of each issue.
  Leading off the AFCEA News section is another e-newsletter feature that focuses on local events. Each SIGNAL Connections recipient sees news from chapters in their area, which is pulled directly from the SIGNAL Online Chapter News section. These entries are followed by information and news related to the association as a whole. It is the direct line between AFCEA headquarters and its members.
  Rounding out this mixture of news and opportunities for interaction is The Bottom Line. Topics range from cell phone frustrations to reasons responding to requests for information can be crucial to gaining government agency trust ... and business. It has sparked some lively conversations about personal and professional experiences.
  To ensure that SIGNAL Connections does NOT become one more e-newsletter you don't have the time to read, it is important to share your thoughts and recommendations about how it can better serve you as a means of communication between you and the association. Contact Maryann Lawlor via email or at (703) 631-6179 with your ideas.