The North Carolina Massage Therapists Network Has Groups on Facebook and LinkedIn

Sept. 18, 2013 - PRLog -- Raleigh, North Carolina - The North Carolina Massage Therapists Network was created as a free community on a free network site hosted by Ning.com by Anora McGaha in 2009.

Membership grew slowly over the first year and a half to about 200, just a fraction of the estimated six or seven thousand licensed massage therapists in the state of North Carolina.

The purpose of the online community was to give the NC massage therapists profession a private common ground in which all massage therapists in the state could have the chance to connect with each other. The board which governs the licensing of massage therapists in the state does not have an online community, nor is that its mandate.

Without the North Carolina Massage Therapists Network, small as it was, there was no forum which gave common ground to the profession. The profession is divided with association memberships split between the American Massage Therapists Association (AMTA) and the Association of Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), both paid membership organizations. Those who are members of neither, have even less community association.

After issuing a survey that received an over 20% return rate, where members indicated that a free community was preferable, the Ning.com site was closed and three new locations were developed to allow members to connect on the most popular existing platforms.

Facebook Group - by approval, for all licensed NC massage therapists, and in September 2013 had 368 members
https://www.facebook.com/groups/129221493777961/

Facebook Page - open to the public and in September 2013 had 438 likes.
https://www.facebook.com/NCMTNetwork

LinkedIn Group - by approval for all licensed NC massage therapists
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/North-Carolina-Massage-The...

Anora McGaha facilitated the three community areas until 2012 when she invited three leaders in the NC massage therapists field, to take over the Facebook sites.

"Each of these sites is an opportunity for individual massage therapists to network, ask questions and make announcements," said Anora McGaha. "Being free, and knowing that the profession needed a free community so any massage therapist could afford to join, I didn't dedicate time to do more than just create the open space. Still it is filling the void and I'm seeing it used for the intended purpose."

On LinkedIn, where professionals network regularly, the group receives requests from massage therapists and related professionals from around the world, however only licensed massage therapists in North Carolina are admited.

"Every profession deserves to have a private dedicated site where everyone in the profession, within that region is free to join and avail themselves of the collective experience and wisdom," McGaha says. "The NCMTN is specifically for North Carolina based massage therapists and bodyworkers."


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The North Carolina Massage Therapists Network is a network of licensed massage therapists and students of massage in the state. Its purpose is to create a common ground for all LMBT's, those in associations (AMTA, ABMP) and those not.