There is no cost for the complementary listing in our online registry. There is a cost associated with our membership programs, as they feature additional products and services.
We uphold our statement on the original letter for candidacy that was received and do lists all qualified professionals in our online registry at no cost. However, there is a difference between a listing and a membership. Biographical listees can upload their biographical information to our online site and will be published online to be searched by our members; however they do not have access to search our membership database and will not receive our other benefits of membership as delineated in our member benefits section.
The term “who's who” has evolved since the phrase was first used in 1842 by Albert Marquis Nelson. Mr. Nelson was a researcher looking for an easy means of locating information for his own purposes. He then decided to create a reference book in which he compiled a list of notables.
Since its founding, Cambridge Who's Who has taken steps to redefine the “who's who” term. In the past, who's who organizations listed only the biographies of high profile individuals. By creating a web-based platform and providing additional resources to executives, professionals and entrepreneurs, Cambridge Who's Who has set itself apart from organizations that solely publish a book of notables. We are essentially building the bridge between “who you are” and “who you need to know” and have fostered a platform for social and professional networking. With the rise of Web 2.0, we identified the benefit of offering professional networking services as a feature of membership and have facilitated networking opportunities among professionals in different stages of their careers from entry-level professionals to retirees.
The fact that you believe your profession is what dictates your inclusion is a misconception of what “who's who” means. We take responsibility for not re-educating the general public on the changes that Cambridge Who's Who has made to the definition and the ways in which a cross section of people at all career levels and in all industries can benefit from membership. We have taken steps to begin re-branding the term and building credibility within the industry as a whole.
We are aware of the information published about us online and have a team in place to review every single comment made both positive and unfavorable. We are also working to address every issue or concern raised by members and non-members alike. We have revamped our customer service department, improved our business practices and are increasing our web presence, product offerings, strategic partnerships and our overall transparency to earn the trust of our members and strengthen the integrity of our business.
It is our belief that over the years the “who's who” business has been unfairly deemed as vanity publishing. Cambridge Who's Who is working to redefine the term and set itself apart from a number of the smaller companies in this business that do not stand behind their products or their commitment to service. Over the next few months, we are going to be engaging our members in focus groups, sending out membership surveys and creating newsletters to disseminate more information to them. We value our members, their ideas and thoughts and will utilize their comments to ensure that Cambridge Who's Who has improved its reputation and the industry as a whole.
It is important that our members and the public understand that we are listening, reading and responding proactively to their concerns.
Cambridge Who's Who takes a great deal of pride in striving to create new and innovative benefits for our members. We have changed our corporate culture so that every employee at Cambridge Who's Who makes it a priority to concentrate on member benefits and member relations. We are strengthening the value of our membership by increasing our online presence, creating strategic partnerships and improving our networking resources. We have also added more membership service representatives to reduce the response time to inquiries, field suggestions from members, research the status of products and ensure that every member in our organization has a personal point of contact. We launched a new website last month and we will soon provide members with their own Cambridge Who's Who email accounts to allow them to network with each other without having to utilize their personal emails. An e-newsletter highlighting the incredible personal and professional successes of our members will be distributed via these new accounts. In the future, we are focused on continuing to add value for our members through the products and services we offer. Although public perception is important to us, our focus will always be on our approximately 200,000 active members and how we can better serve them.
