so, other than the officers, those that were/are very active in the convention planning and execution, and those that work on the website -
has anyone considered listing OPM as an organization that they belong to and their participation as a service activity?
Lisa, I’ve contemplated it for my residency apps – describing myself as “mentor” (founding mother?
) or something like that. You’re a moderator so you could use a similar tactic. But I’m leery of it, frankly - I haven’t yet given it enough thought to be sure I could overcome the impression of a bunch of geeks on computers who never actually talk to anyone F2F. 
But seriously, I think there’s merit to it. I do feel like I have made a contribution to others’ pursuit of medicine. You certainly have done the same, so let me know if you come up with a good description okay? 
Mary, the EC could give you a recommendation letter along with a certificate of mentorship…ok that is stretching it a bit.
You know, all kidding aside, this is amazing work that is being done here.
I would most certainly include my experiences as founder/mentor/facilitator or whatever applies in my application profile. This web site accomplishes more than most dedicated premed advisors in providing education, insight and encouragement.
Great work all!
I concur with GED.
In my old work as a community organizer I learned that the key to success was identifying not what a community lacked but the strengths it already had. It seems to me that something along the lines of what you’re talking about–a way of formally recognizing service–would help nourish the organization as well as help its more active members, and play to its strength: a bunch of highly motivated smart people who need experience on their resumes.
Thinking about this, the only problem I see with it is who qualifies and on what terms. It seems to me, though, that documented service to the group (as in hours spent being a moderator, in forums with X amount of activity) would be a good criteria. Probably you’d want to save it for people who actually contributed something to the group beyond only posting. I realize that feelings could get a little hurt if you limited recognition, but if you came up with some formal criteria for what got this sort of recognition, it might solve this problem. The EC could then write up a letter, should the person want it, that pointed out the ways in which the person exceeded their role.
As for the geek problem, I actually think it is not as bad as all that; I think that you have “worked as part of a team that built an innovative national peer education and support network providing advice, help and resources to non-traditional pre-medical and medical students across the United States and beyond, including an interactive internet forum and national conferences as well as regional meetings.” (That last is for the people in Houston who went to coffee.) You can leave the “populated entirely by unwashed nerds” out of the description. Plus, I personally just took a shower this morning.
cheers
sf/dc joe
You bet your bottom dollas that your activities could be a solid piece of your CV. OPM figures prominently in my CV has proven to be very positively received. The first time it was included was when I applied for the KCOM Alumni Board of Dir position I now have. One of the first things the Board inquired about was what it was & why. I still field frequent questions by Board members on the status of OPM and where we're headed – to say the least, they found it impressive. More recently, in networking with residency programs, I have forwarded my CV and received positive feedback.
No, we're not as prominent as SOMA (student ostepathic medical assoc) or AMSA. However, we have the potential to be every bit as prominent & influential one day. Would you not think the founders of those organizations display this prominently in their CV? Of course they do! And, know for a fact that at one point in their history, they started off as only a handful of students wanting a voice.