As authorized by the Board, we have created a chat group that will be exclusively available to Club members.
To join, please (i) send an email to the Club Administrator (harvardclub.pb@gmail.com) with your name and the cellphone number that you would like to use for your chat group address, and (ii) download theWhatsApp app to your phone (it is free and takes only a minute or so to download).
Members will be able to communicate with all other Members who join our WhatsApp Chat Group. In that way, members will be able to raise topics or questions and hold discussions with other members.
We believe the Club chat group will be particularly useful during this time when many members are sheltering in place, and we envision a wide range of topics that could be the subject of chat group messaging, such as:
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Scientific, financial, literary, current events and other topics
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Discussion, information about and recommendations re the Covid-19 crisis
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Reviews or recommendations of books, podcasts, online movies and series, etc.
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Inquiries if other members are interested in particular online or in-person activities, e.g., chess, cards, foreign language conversation
An encouraging historical model for our chat group may be found in the Junto Club founded by Benjamin Franklin to discuss morals, politics, natural philosophy and other topics. Franklin’s Junto Club was founded in 1727 and continued successfully for some 38 years:
http://www.benjamin-franklin-history.org/junto-club/
Given the comity and courtesy traditionally prevailing among Harvard graduates, there should be little need for extensive regulation of member messaging in the chat group. Borrowing from British and American military tradition, it should be sufficient to ban messages unbecoming a Harvard man or woman. The Harvard Alumni Association rules of conduct in communication (link redirects you to HAA Terms of Use).
We briefly turn to the question of why WhatsApp. WhatsApp is free of charge and relatively easy to set up. The following YouTube video offers a brief tutorial on how to setup WhatsApp on your desktop or mobile tablet:
https://youtu.be/kHShrP6cR88
Also, please feel free to support HCotPB on social media via the Twitter & Instagram username @HarvardClubPBS along with staying up to date on our forthcoming events.
We look forward to you downloading the app and sending us the cellphone number you would like to use to join.
From the Harvard Club of the Palm Beaches.