Welcome to the “new” CFA…at least the new online CFA from the perspective of how to interact with your Association. Over the past six months, we have been working painstakingly to transition our data systems to a new provider that offers a much more robust and intuitive system for CFA staff, CFA members and the general public.

We are now ready to unveil this new system and encourage you to begin kicking the tires with us as we work out the remaining kinks.

WHY? Your first question might very well be, why has the CFA changed Internet data systems? This is a valid question and one that we are anxious to answer. Our previous system, although powerful from the perspective of handling data, left us with many cumbersome methods of getting you into the system and using it effectively. In addition this system, although 100% customizable, carried heavy burdens the deeper we went into data management. We are all feeling the effects of the economic recession and our transition to a new system reflects not only a more efficient and effective tool for you to use, it does so with an entire nation of network accounts that make refreshing and automatic system upgrades much more cost effective.

WHAT? So what exactly has changed? Well, to many (or perhaps most) you may not even see a change as you may not have ventured beyond our general public site at www.cfawalls.org. As seen below, our website continues to provide considerable information for you marketing, technical and networking needs. It is also a highly effective tool for the residential industry to resource information about poured concrete walls. Figure 1, an image of the CFA Home Page appears at right. The current CFA website home page—a wealth of information at your fingertips.

From the current CFA home page, you should proceed to the new interactive CFA site using either Member Login as a CFA member, or one of the many links from pages such as our resources, event registrations or the new contractor location tool. Figure 2 at right is a screen shot showing the main landing page for the new member login. You will be taken to a page that introduces you to netForum, our new data system, and clicking on “follow this link” you will arrive at your login page, Figure 3 at right.

Member login is made easy with your email address on file with CFA and your selected password.

When you reach this page, enter your registered (with CFA) email address and the initial password which CFA will send each company member along with a letter including these initial instructions.

Once you have signed in with this information, you will be prompted to immediately pick your own password. Additionally, each person from your company will have their own user account based on the information we have stored. However, only the primary contact for each member company will be able to make modifications to the company information, add users and register groups for meetings.

Logging on will provide you with a variety of features.

1. You will see the reduced member pricing for all events and resources. If you are not logged in, or if your membership is not current, you will see the same pricing that the general public and non-members see.
2. Access to the Individual Member Directory search. Nonmembers will only have access to the Organization Member Directory search.
3. Access to articles recorded by the CFA in a variety of host publications and archived for searching.
4. Access to the CFA Committee structure. Committees that you are assigned to will have expanded areas for uploading and downloading documents, receiving minutes and communicating with other committee members directly.

These are only a few of the features that are available as a benefit of your CFA membership and ones we hope you will begin exploring. Future editions of this magazine as well as some special membership mailings will profile the features individually in greater detail.

Let’s get you logged in first and laying around to see what you find. Be sure to let us know what features you like and ones you would like to see. We will see if it is possible.

In the end, this is a great step forward for the CFA and the future of interacting more timely and efficiently. Our ability to serve you is of utmost importance.