NEW COMMUNICATIONS PLAN FOR PLUS

PLUS continues to expand its use of the Internet

Rapid changes in communication technology have resulted in concomitant changes in the ways PLUS will communicate with its members. As we reported last year, PLUS is on the Internet and is working toward expanding its presence.

"We've rewritten the Communications Plan for 1997," says Joe Fahys, chairman of the PLUS Communications Committee. The plan, following board approval, will be presented at the annual conference. "It's very forward reaching with the emphasis on good communication between PLUS members and people interested in professional liability," according to Fahys, who is president of Joseph Fahys & Co., Greenwich, Connecticut.

The new plan includes expanded use of the Internet, including links capabilities to insurance information. "Members already can register for the annual meeting and chapter session," Fahys points out. The PLUS Internet site also provides a chat line that allows members to ask questions of other members. "It's not a chat room," Fahys explains. "It's more like e-mail. Members in remote locations in particular have found this helpful. If they're taking an exam or reading a text on professional liability and get snagged on a problem, this gives them the opportunity to talk to others."

The PLUS Internet site has had thousands of hits. The Communications Plan includes a proposal to redesign the site to make offerings faster and "provide links to publications such as Rough Notes," Fahys continues.

He adds that PLUS also is looking for people to contribute scholarly articles on professional liability. "We want to be able to capture those kinds of articles on the Internet--a master's thesis on professional liability, for example, would be the type of article we're looking for."

Fahys concludes by noting that the Communications Plan has had input from "nearly anyone in PLUS who has a technical background or interest in using new technology. There's been a whole lot of very bright people contributing to this effort. The new plan looks at all aspects of communications, including the use of the Internet for trading insurance. People who already are using the Internet for exchange of applications information provided input. We hope that our site will be a key component in the future use of the Internet for those purposes."

The plan also looks at dissemination of PLUS' other communications efforts, such as its highly successful News & Views newsletter. *