The Young Association Professional blog was originally proposed as a committee blog, but that idea was rejected. The association that hosted the committee preferred to support their association blog and not support competing blogs – even niche blogs that could compliment the larger blog. That’s fine, I’m a big boy (don’t let the photo fool you), I’ll just blog on my own. But this begets the question, as association professionals, are we facilitating our members conversations/energies or are we directing them?
With the internet connecting like minded individuals easier than ever with blogs, social networking sites and other emerging technologies, it’s time to really take a hard look at the conversations our members are having.
Thanks to these Web 2.0 (or 3.0 or 2.1 or what ever version you consider it) technologies, members can now have conversations and interact with each other without having to come to an association event – or perhaps more terrifying – without having to join the organization.
We as association professionals need to transition ourselves (if we haven’t already) from middle-people to facilitators. And while Web 2.0 threatens associations, it also offers opportunities to strengthen them. We as a community of association professionals know the technologies that are out there and we know how to use them. Now we need to open our ears toward the conversations our members are having and empower them with these new social technologies to help them continue the dialogue with each other rather than through staff or committees.
Listening to these dialogues as they happen will allow us to:
- Get a real time pulse on our members needs/wants/interests
- Connect members who may not have connected otherwise
- Make networking easier (imagine opening a social network before each conference to allow members to network before the event – taking out the time and anxiety that comes with networking with strangers)
- Develop programming/white papers/ educational tools and products our members need
- Give all members an opportunity to become active in the association
Let the conversations happen naturally. If members are talking, listen and facilitate that conversation, harness that energy. Because if you direct a member to a destination they don’t necessarily want to go to, they may go rogue. And if they go rogue on too many items, they may leave your association and open one on facebook, or ning, or use one of the other emerging technologies. And while it may not cause the organization to go under, there is an awful lot of value in free. And there are young professionals who have connected to individuals across the country without ever having paid a due.
So case in point – if no one member is the same, how can one blog serve all equally? (Is it so bad to branch into niches?) While it wasn’t accepted by the committee, I welcome any and all young professionals to join as a blogger on Young Association Professional as a full-time blogger, or simply as a guest blogger. Simply email me at rawolfejr@yahoo.com and I’ll add you.
P.S. (Do blogs have post scripts?)
I am happy to report that I was actually mentioned by Ben Martin, CAE Blogger, as one of the candidates for new blogger of the year (I was at the bottom of the list though, but on the list none the less). This was really a pleasant surprise because Ben has one of the most valuable blogs on association management. If you haven’t visited it, check it out on the side bar. His blog is a great mix of tech, links, and insight padded with some lighter moments (the caulking of the tub post is a classic example).
So it’s been almost two weeks since my last post – er… my first post, but I’m back, and hope to be mentioned by Ben again next year – maybe as up and coming blogger (hint, hint). Thanks Ben for the acknowledgement and for getting me started up again.
