As is discussed in the first blog post, for 20 years (1994-2014) ACRA hosted a listserv, called ACRA-l.  ACRA-l served the CRM community well and provided a much-needed mechanism for CRM practitioners, from novices to company principals, to communicate about issues that were important to us.  Topics ranged from job posts, to artifact identifications, to information on running a business; the listserv was dynamic and active thru 2013.  In 2013, use of the listserv dropped dramatically, while newer platforms and interfaces were taking over our daily lives.  The ACRA board decided that it was time to cease supporting the listserv and search for new ways to connect the CRM community.

   It is my hope that the ACRAsphere Blog will provide a place for all our voices to be heard, a place to reinvigorate dialog between CRM practitioners of all levels, in all disciplines.  Unlike platforms we have tried for the last 5 years, I hope that this system will recapture the value ACRA-l brought to our community using modern interfaces.  I hope this blog can connect individuals, provide important updates to our community, create opportunities for random and guided discussions, and embrace the variety of voices with the CRM community.

   Posts on this blog will be scheduled and created by a team of volunteers and staff.  I hope that dialog related to our posts will occur in the comment section, which is open to everyone. In order to also allow for dialog on other topics important to you, we have created a "General Discussion" blog post.  The General Discussion post is open for everyone to comment on, add new dialog, and start new strings.  As we develop the blog, we may find other mechanisms to allow for informal discussions, categories of discussions, etc.