Rural Missouri - January 2020 - 5

RM | PERSPECTIVES

Resolved to communicate
by Caleb Jones
cjones@amec.coop

f you are like
me, you'll most
likely start the
new year with
resolutions. I feel
like my perpetual
resolutions are to
eat better, work out
more, spend more
time with my wife
and kids and maybe
cut back just a little
bit on the diet soda.
Maybe I should resolve to keep my desk this clean for all of 2020.
History tells us the
changes we've made over the years to
Romans believed in the tradition of
keep up with the times and ensure
New Year's Resolutions. I can picture
high readership.
Julius Caesar scribing his on a piece
Surveys show Rural Missouri is
of parchment: "Beware the Ides of
well read. But I like the informal surMarch. Keep the Barbarians at the
veys that come from our readers in
gate."
the form of letters, emails and phone
That said, it's highly likely that
calls. A recent one from a Platte-Clay
some of your resolutions - and mine
Electric member told us he would,
- won't survive past President's Day.
"continue to love your articles if they
Experts say that's because most reswere printed on toilet paper. Well,
olutions aren't realistic. For example,
maybe recipe cards!"
the odds of me cutting back on my
A call from a woman who is not a
daily dose of soda probably are twomember but gladly pays the small fee
fold - slim and none.
to subscribe on her own really made
One resolution I have for myself in
my day. She said the magazine was
2020 is to reach out to you, the memworth "millions" to her.
bers of Missouri's electric cooperaOur communication with members
tives, more often and in more ways.
has really stepped up in recent years.
Communication has always been
Local communicators at your coopimportant to your electric cooperative.
eratives are highly professional and
In the early days they all had a newsdedicated to keeping you up to date
letter with names like The Country
on all your cooperative does. How
Circuit, The Electric Sparks and Rural
co-ops can effectively reach out to
Cooperator's News.
our membership is constantly evolvThese monthly publications offered
ing. The tools in their toolbox have
tips on using electricity, preached
changed too and now include all of
safety around power lines and prothe social media channels.
vided updates on board actions. In
I'd like to invite you to be part
1948 the cooperatives pooled their
of the cooperative conversation at
resources and launched the Rural
www.moelectriccoops.com. It's your
Electric Missourian, the predecessor
gateway into all things electric coopof today's Rural Missouri. Local pages
erative. Communication works best
with information devoted to individuwhen it's a two-way street, so please
al cooperatives then and now were a
keep those letters, emails and phone
big part of the publication.
calls coming.
This month we made some big
improvements to Rural Missouri, makJones is the executive vice presiing the size more convenient while
dent and CEO of the Association of
adding pages to keep the amount of
Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
material the same. It's one of many

Missouri
RURAL

Volume 73 | JANUARY 2020 | Number 1

EDITORIAL STAFF:
Jim McCarty, editor
jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
Paul Newton, managing editor
pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
Heather Berry, associate editor
hberry@ruralmissouri.coop
Megan Backes, creative director
mbackes@ruralmissouri.coop
Zach Smith, field editor
zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
Angie Jones-Wheeler, co-op page designer
ADVERTISING:
Mary Davis, production manager
mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop
Editorial:
Rural Missouri
P.O. Box 1645, Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-659-3423
info@ruralmissouri.coop
www.ruralmissouri.coop
Advertising:
mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop
573-659-3400
National Advertising Representative:
American MainStreet Publications;
611 S. Congress St., Suite 504; Austin, TX 78704
573-659-3400
Postmasters: Send address changes to Rural Missouri, P.O. Box 1645, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
Subscribers: Report change of address to your local cooperative. Do not send change of address to
Rural Missouri.
Advertising standards: Advertising published in
Rural Missouri is accepted on the premise that
the merchandise and services offered are accurately described and sold to customers at the advertised price. Rural Missouri and Missouri's electric cooperatives do not endorse any products or
services advertised herein. Advertising that does
not conform to these standards or that is deceptive or misleading is never knowingly accepted by
this publication.
Rural Missouri is published monthly by the
Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives,
Caleb Jones, CEO/executive vice president.
Individual subscription rate: $10 per year or
$22 for three years, taxes and postage included.
Group rate for members of participating RECs
$2.22, plus taxes and postage, paid from equity
accruing to the member. Delivery as specified
by subscriber. If not specified, delivery will be
by periodical class mail at subscriber's expense.
Periodical Class postage paid at Jefferson
City, MO, and additional mailing offices.
Copyright 2020, Association of Missouri Electric
Cooperatives. Call for reprint rights.

USPS 473-000 ISSN 0164-8578

Circulation of this issue: 562,982

JANUARY 2020 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP

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Rural Missouri - January 2020

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