Web Report September 2026:

Our New FAQ Page and What NAATW Taught Us

Oct 7, 2026 · Paul M

We've added a FAQ page to help more sick and suffering alcoholics find us. Picture someone awake at 2 AM, typing a question they're almost too afraid to ask. They deserve a warm, straight answer and a clear next step, and that is what the page tries to give. While building it, we also took a close look at our site and at what the National A.A. Technology Workshop (NAATW) shared this September.

The FAQ page

It answers 25 questions in plain language, in five groups: getting started, joining online, privacy and safety, what happens in a meeting, and staying connected. Every answer comes from our own pages, so nothing new is promised. It points Spanish speakers to the Area 77 meeting list, and it is built as expandable sections that fit our site.

What stood out at NAATW

NAATW met September 11–13 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Going by its published session summaries, five ideas matter most for an online group like ours:

  • Make it easy for everyone to take part. Health, caring for family, distance or language can keep a member from joining the usual way. Simple helps like captions, plain wording and a phone-in option mean they can still be with us.

  • Many newcomers now find us by asking search tools. Someone might type "Where can I find an AA meeting tonight?" and get an AI-written answer. If our pages answer questions like that clearly and show one obvious next step, such as how to join, more people find the door.

  • Get ready for the next trusted servant. Service positions rotate. Keeping records in one shared place and writing a one-page "how to" for each job lets the next person start with a clear path instead of from scratch.

What we're doing well

  • A clear promise: two meetings every day, 365 days a year, at 7:30 AM and 6:00 PM AST.

  • Warm words for newcomers, including those coming back after a slip.

  • Plain safeguards: no recording, no AI, camera optional, a harassment policy, and phone dial-in.

  • Open service: a current chair schedule and an easy path to sponsors and service.

  • Helpful links to Meeting Guide, the Area 77 list and Deaf A.A.

Where we can grow

These are options for the group to weigh, all within digital communications:

  1. Protect members' privacy. A member's full name (ie. treasurer) and personal email appear for contributions. Group addresses would also make handoffs easier.

  2. Add "your first meeting" to the Welcome page, and place the camera-optional, no-recording reassurance higher on the page.

  3. Show meeting times in other time zones, since we are on AST all year (adding dynamic code).

  4. Add a short Spanish pointer to the Area 77 list on the home and Welcome pages.

  5. Tidy a few details: meeting ID notes dated 2025, the Grapevine lead length (45 or 30 minutes?).

  6. We added in Business Meeting schedule for the Fourth Quarter on the home page

Sources: NAATW 2026 program and our site.