Share JOE

Share JOE

I know because lots of you have told me that you enjoy and appreciate all that JOE has to offer. But are your colleagues also familiar with JOE? Do they know about the many articles that can enrich their professional lives and keep them up to date on the latest in Extension and outreach scholarship?

Why not let them know?

Our new and improved site makes it easy for you to share particular articles or the contents page of particular issues with colleagues who might find them interesting.

At the upper right corner of the contents page of each issue and each article in each issue (and, yes, even each Editor's Page) you'll find a "SHARE" box. When you move your cursor over the box, you'll be presented with a drop-down menu of options for sharing JOE. There's Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and many options I've never heard of and don't profess to understand.

But I do (mostly) understand Email, the first option in the left-hand column of that drop-down menu. Click on it, and you'll be presented with a box allowing you to enter a "To" address and a "From" address. You can add an optional Note telling your colleague why you thought they would be interested in the article or issue you're calling to their attention.

Hit "Send," and your colleague will be sent your message, complete with your Note, if you've written one, and the URL of the article or issue you're flagging for them. Then, you can either "Share again" with another colleague by clicking on the option to the left or click on the "X" in the upper right to exit. It's as easy as that. (And, if I find it easy, you can be assured that it is dead simple.)

You can certainly do this with past articles and issues, and, if you recall an article or issue you wish you'd shared, I hope you do so. I'm confident you'll want to take the opportunity to share some or all of the contents of this issue.

June JOE

As I promised in my April Editor's Page, this issue focuses on evaluation and its close cousin, needs assessment. I was inspired by the submission of the Commentary, "What Progress, Program Evaluation? Reflections on a Quarter-Century of Extension Evaluation Practice," and the first Feature, "Theory and Rigor in Extension Program Evaluation Planning," to devote an issue to this important topic.

That JOE authors regard this as an important topic and effort is evidenced by the fact that I was able to find enough accepted-for-publication articles in the queue to "fill" an issue. And fill it I did.

Twenty-nine articles—all focusing to some degree on evaluation or needs assessment as topics in themselves or including evaluation or needs assessment as important components of the efforts described.

Whether you're an experienced evaluator who thinks it might be time to kick your evaluation efforts up a notch or a neophyte who is still daunted by the prospect, you should find something to inform or inspire you—and to share.