tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38241953751630793252024-02-21T07:57:37.518-05:00Young Association ProfessionalA look at associations, business, leadership, and pretty much whatever catches my interest.Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-55364040314567377332009-08-16T11:30:00.000-04:002009-08-16T11:30:00.492-04:00Help Shape My Session on Gen YTomorrow I'm speaking at 3:15 on <a href="http://www.asaeannualmeeting.org/profile.cfm?profile_name=person&master_key=76367F8D-0D49-4A94-8B1D-A4A70CAF24A7&page_key=DD949FDB-DCA3-4691-9A64-45437E958CEF&xtemplate">Managing and Leading the Next Generation of Workers </a>and if you're planning to attend, let's start the conversation now.<br /><br />What stereotypes do you want to discuss/break? Whether you're a manager or a millennial - let me know what you'd like to discuss, hoping to learn from the session, etc. I have some stuff already, but I hate just speaking to the crowd (though I'll do it.) I'd prefer interaction and what better way to leverage some of this year's opportunities to engage Annual attendees than this.<br /><br />So comment, tweet #asae09 lw1, @youfoundbob or email me at rawolfejr@yahoo.com with your questions, the stereotypes you'd like to discuss and/or what you hope to get from the session. It's your session - I'm just along for the ride ;)<br /><br />Comments received by 10:30pm tonight will definitely be reviewed, after that - well that's for Toronto to decide ;)<br /><br />Thanks for reading and maybe I'll see you at the presentation.<br /><br />bobBob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-40283443917336488852009-08-15T12:57:00.006-04:002009-08-15T13:28:26.905-04:00Young Professionals Represented @ AnnualYoung Professionals (in mind and body) - there are all kinds of events for Young Professionals to connect and hang with the cool kids. <a href="http://www.asaeannualmeeting.org/Young_Professionals.cfm">Check out all the events for YAPs. </a><br /><br />Some things not on the site:<br /><br /><a href="http://yapstar.org/calendar/event/2009/8/17/127187">YAP Party Details</a><br />YP Flair (here's a sneak peek):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56kMt5R6ear6oAnFlQUOgxsheihQ2ayA6ajOtyG2ndOGzx24PVHXcw9voQqFZfe4rlpVrK8xaUFoOzi7iVZ9xYHJAnuw2h7TuBDvPbmx0Hzop4x3u9d_wYnvApJX9rI2xbNslTPBbTrsb/s1600-h/ypflair.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56kMt5R6ear6oAnFlQUOgxsheihQ2ayA6ajOtyG2ndOGzx24PVHXcw9voQqFZfe4rlpVrK8xaUFoOzi7iVZ9xYHJAnuw2h7TuBDvPbmx0Hzop4x3u9d_wYnvApJX9rI2xbNslTPBbTrsb/s320/ypflair.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370243027176872434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And don't forget to check out the videos from Lauren Wolfe, fellow YP:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OrNV6eYWb3k&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OrNV6eYWb3k&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bobBob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-10094960227679066582009-08-15T08:30:00.003-04:002009-08-15T09:53:48.428-04:00Dusting This Thing Off For AnnualHoly Crap! I can't believe it's been over 5 months since my last post....<br /><br />And thanks to a couple blogging buddies who <a href="http://www.getmejamienotter.com/getmejamienotter/2009/04/i-started-a-meme.html">tagged me</a> (sorry I never replied, great discussion though) and <a href="http://www.membershipmarketing.blogspot.com/">emailed me</a> to try to get me going again, I figured I'd get back on the blog train for Annual.<br /><br />So for my first annual post, here are the 5 things I'm excited about Annual09 (a simple exercise to shake some of the dust off):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Reconnecting with friends old and new.</span><br /> The best part of blogging is it's allowed an introvert like me an opportunity to meet awesome new people. Mix that with a bit of speaking and hopefully I've found a cure for breaking the ice at Annual.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Educational Sessions<br /> </span>There's some<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>great looking<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>sessions this year. Haven't decided exactly what I'll be attending yet, but maybe that's for another blog post. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Getting re-energized with blogging, etc.<br /></span> I've been a bit burned out with social media. I don't want to get exactly into why quite yet as I'm hoping Annual will help cure me of those demons ;) <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />2. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.asaeannualmeeting.org/profile.cfm?profile_name=session&master_key=E0E5E1C8-A440-4B57-B093-CEF0CF13067F&page_key=DD949FDB-DCA3-4691-9A64-45437E958CEF&xtemplate">Presenting</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> with </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://thx4playing.blogspot.com/">Elizabeth</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, Kevin and Frances. </span><br /> Cool people, cool topic, enough said...<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Meeting you. </span><br /> Last year I had people sign my Daily Now interview (it's framed on my wall) and it was a lot of fun. While I won't be collecting autographs (though I'll never turn one down), if you see me, stop me and say hey.<br /><br />I'll plan to follow up with this list after Annual and let you know how it went.<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bobBob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-6048360364117894342009-03-20T07:47:00.004-04:002009-03-20T07:58:57.140-04:00Are you Taking the Mundane and Turning It On Its Head?<p align="center">It's not just the message - but how it's delivered. </p><p align="center"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fiVcnJ5iLqs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fiVcnJ5iLqs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><p align="left">Enjoy your Friday and thanks for reading,<br />bob</p><p align="left">P.S. - on a lighter note - notice at the very end the man with what appears to be a cigeratte in his mouth. Aren't all flights non-smoking? </p>Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-72907221278712552032009-02-19T20:21:00.005-05:002009-02-19T20:52:53.255-05:00Tag - I'm it<a href="http://thx4playing.blogspot.com/">Elizabeth </a>tagged me with the Unsession Meme to share my <a href="http://www.marinermanagement.com/idea-center/20090217/a-volunteer-unsession-a-game-of-tag-for-volunteers">five short term-term volunteer gigs</a>. <blockquote></blockquote>I agree with Elizabeth, not as easy as it sounds but here goes:<br /><br />1. Facilitating the marketing idea swap in the middle of DC in the crazy snow (those who braved the elements - I truly appreciate it). This was awesome because I learned way more than I provided - if you get the chance, definitely attend one of these.<br />2. Speaking in general. While I always regret it right before the session, it always turns out to be a great experience (<a href="http://youngassociationprofessional.blogspot.com/2009/01/making-best-of-snowy-situation.html">even if I can't get to the event I'm suppose to speak at</a>).<br />3. Working with Lisa Junker on the Associations Now case study of Mike in <a href="http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/ANowDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=37236">Shot Down</a>. Lisa's a blast and I have to admit - it was pretty cool seeing my name in Associations Now.<br />4. Teaching Sunday school at my local church. Not only was it cool to make paper masks with local kids, but my co-instructor was my lovely wife (I'd like to say I'm earning brownie points - but she rarely reads this :).<br />5. When I tutored back in school. I had some that were forced to go, but it was always fulfilling to help those students that went because they wanted to grasp the concepts and succeed.<br /><br />Now there's a lot of tags going around - and I'm not sure who's available, or do I?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tag! You're it!</span><br /></div><br />If you read this post, comment your top short term volunteer memory (I'll go easy on you)<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bob<br />P.S. A change may be coming - I'm seriously evaluating a revamp of my blog. And if I do nothing else, as someone once told me "You need to change that weird baby headed picture, it's just freaky." I'll leave it for now - because I'm not sure you want to see the grown up me.Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-58496933547472856512009-02-06T12:01:00.001-05:002009-02-06T12:01:00.480-05:00Re-evaluating TwitterI'm not really a big fan of twitter - but there could be hope. I've tried it and while I know there is a ton of opportunity and even larger fan base, I couldn't quite wrap my mind around the value.<br /><br />But it's a new year. We have a whole lot of things going on in SWANA, so maybe now is as good a time as any to give twitter another try. So I did.<br /><br />Right now we're using twitter as an RSS of sorts. Basically our twitter feed captures all the conversations our association has on the social media realm. This provides a couple of benefits:<br /><ul><li>The groups themselves are organic, the marketing is controlled</li><li>Members can see the conversations first and then join the appropriate group (value before technology)</li><li>Those members on twitter can find us (2 so far)</li></ul><p>We then set up a feed on feedburner pulling the twitter updates to our website automatically. And members who have RSS can then subscribe to one concise feed and listen to conversations across platforms. </p><p>It's a start and it's working well for what we're using it for. I'm not sure we're quite ready to unveil a twitter feed at one of our conferences but that's fine with me. </p><p>Thanks for reading, </p><p>bob<br />P.S. Two back to back - this blogging in bed is doing wonders (the joy of delayed posting).</p>Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-22072254716933096912009-02-05T21:11:00.003-05:002009-02-05T21:34:13.220-05:00Standing Out from the CrowdAaron Wolowiec recently posted to <a href="http://blogs.asaecenter.org/Acronym/2009/02/stand_out_in_a_crowd.html">Acronym</a> about standing out from the crowd (which I somehow seemed to post the exact same thing twice - I wish it was a bit more insightful).<br /><br />However when I read the post, I thought to over a year ago when I first started this blog. It was all about stepping out from the crowd. The first time I spoke at Great Ideas a couple years ago I wanted to step out from the crowd. So I gave it a shot - and was and still am nervous everytime I do. But now I'm a wee blip on the radar of the association world and have had some great opportunities and met some great people because of it. But none of that would have happened if I didn't break down my preconceived barriers (I'm too young to present to executives/nobody will read my blog) and go for it.<br /><br />The worst thing that happens is nobody reads it - or it doesn't go very well. Failure is great in that it provides learning opportunities.<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bob<br /><br />P.S. - I like Aaron's notion of "emerging" as opposed to "young" - maybe a rename is in order? I mean it is kinda ironic that I don't want people to focus on my age (and the lack of experience that comes with it) and yet my blog is called young association professional.Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-50434267345283139212009-01-28T14:03:00.005-05:002009-01-28T15:10:01.946-05:00Making the Best of a Snowy SituationI was suppose to give a presentation at today's Tech Conference, but due to inclement weather I didn't feel comfortable driving an hour south on what may be a sheet of black ice. But alas, it's the technology conference so this is the perfect time to use some technology. Thanks to Skype and a little bit of last minute planning with my co-presenters, I'm able to present from my home office up in Baltimore.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Problem first - technological solution second. The way technological implementation should be. </span><br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />Bob<br />P.S. - hopefully the session goes ok - if you attended, I'd love to hear your comments.<br />P.P.S. Well it seemed to work - we just wrapped up the sessionBob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-9688148954824394532009-01-20T22:14:00.003-05:002009-01-20T22:23:31.499-05:00Ah Yes - the PicturesWell I didn't want to go all Daddy on ya - but it was requested and so I shall comply.<br /><br />We are already amassing quite a collection of photos - and while I'm slowly putting them online (email me and I can send you the info on our entire album) - I thought I'd put the top 15 photos of baby girl.<br /><br /><div style="width:425px;text-align:left" id="__ss_936223"><a style="font:14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;display:block;margin:12px 0 3px 0;text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/guest73ffcb1/daddys-top-15-pictures-of-victoria-presentation?type=powerpoint" title="Daddy’s Top 15 Pictures Of Victoria">Daddy’s Top 15 Pictures Of Victoria</a><object style="margin:0px" width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=daddys-top-15-pictures-of-victoria-1232507570872367-2&rel=0&stripped_title=daddys-top-15-pictures-of-victoria-presentation" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=daddys-top-15-pictures-of-victoria-1232507570872367-2&rel=0&stripped_title=daddys-top-15-pictures-of-victoria-presentation" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div style="font-size:11px;font-family:tahoma,arial;height:26px;padding-top:2px;">View more <a style="text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">presentations</a> or <a style="text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/upload?type=powerpoint">upload</a> your own.</div></div><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bobBob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-50321739732339649082009-01-16T12:21:00.006-05:002009-01-16T12:51:41.129-05:00What if that marketing you're using...Instead came from your favorite association/event/training?<br /><p>Would there be enough information in that piece for you to walk into your management and justify attending/joining? Is there enough of a value proposition for you to use your tight training dollars on it? Because if your marketing doesn't convince you, it probably won't convince your members/prospects. </p><p>Thanks for reading, </p><p>bob</p><p>P.S. - <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Anonymous</span> users can now comment. Thanks for the feedback. </p>Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-55770055489160674792009-01-14T12:20:00.001-05:002009-01-14T13:24:26.246-05:00If you are going to embed youtube videos...Make sure to select the customize button to the right of the embedded code and uncheck the "include related videos" options. The last thing your members want to see are stupid, crazy or even perverse videos that happen to share a tag with you. (I just checked out a conference video and after it stopped I had a slew of crazy videos - including a shot of a bikini - scrolling across the bottom.)<br /><br /><br />Here's a snapshot to avoid any confusion:<br /><br /><p align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291149559589374914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 347px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 151px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrBDli5ykZnLinVbuDgOuf1Pa8UR2SZh1UdVSToZvX71zxZYp6FhuHytlUSf2NInjVRkGaNiQaCG82LUY7WdycpqPV75To2K9UPld92v511vmeZHNILDGq0NQ25sq1se1r9A5zH8Gi_2j/s320/Youtube.jpg" border="0" /></p>Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-15474348808093308332008-11-11T10:49:00.000-05:002008-11-11T11:01:41.812-05:00IT'S A...What a crazy couple months - but it was all worth it. Yesterday, Nov. 10 @ 2:32pm I was blessed with a baby girl. Victoria Rosalyne Wolfe was welcomed with open arms and instantly stole my heart. Mom and baby are both in great shape. I'll post pics soon.<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bob<br />P.S. Thank you Heather for a perfect gift and thanks to everyones thoughts, wishes and congratulations both in person and online<br />P.P.S. I'll probably take Nov off from blogging but Tori is so peaceful, maybe I'll be able to get in some posts and finally get this site back on track. But first things first.Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-71473115137984750502008-10-21T18:00:00.001-04:002008-10-21T18:00:00.803-04:00I'm Still Around - Just Have No TimeIt's been over 3 weeks since I last posted and that's bad - even for me. I just wanted to let everyone know I'm still around and fine and I'd like to personally thank David M. Patt for checking up on me.<br /><br />I certainly have a ton I am ready to blog on - and plan to make a full return next week. I am at my annual meeting (thank god I have an awesome crew that allows me to sneak away for a moment) and the last month I've had little to no time for personal stuff much less blogging. <br /><br />Be patient with me - I'm suffering from the white rabbit syndrome. <em>No time to say hello, good-bye - I'm late, I'm late, I'm late...</em><br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />Bob<br />P.S. - This again just makes me appreciate the time and dedication of my own volunteers. Put yourself in their shoes - I dare you. See you next week.Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-11823031435136621732008-09-30T19:17:00.003-04:002008-09-30T19:30:37.041-04:00Just another reason to use an online feed readerWell I just got my brand new computer - faster processor, larger hard drive, more memory - good day! That was until I went to check my feeds for the day - that unfortunately went out with my old computer's hard drive. This is the second time such travesty's happened. I use <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">google</span> reader a bit - maybe it's time to refresh it.<br /><br />Oh well, I found two sources to help keep me up-to-date today:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.alistbloggers.org/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Alistbloggers</span> - a new aggregate of the latest association <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">bloggers</span><br /></a><br /><a href="http://associationmarketing.blogspot.com/2008/09/bounce-these-ideas-around.html">And lots o links from Lindy<br /></a>(If I missed anyone else I apologize - I'll work on restoring my feeds shortly.)<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bob<br />P.S. Now if only I can find the time to read everything...Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-73636123877779318972008-09-29T08:47:00.002-04:002008-09-29T09:51:58.731-04:00Greening Your OfficeFor those associations looking to green their office, I found these 8 great steps to help get you on the right path:<br /><br /><a href="http://lightbulbs.org/8-ways-to-green-your-office-supplies">8 Ways to Green Your Office Supplies</a><br /><br />Anyone have any other ideas/ways they're making their offices green?<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bob<br /><br />P.S. - starting a green initiative could be a good morale boost as well...Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-63293146842884118252008-09-25T12:30:00.001-04:002008-09-25T12:30:00.779-04:00Wikis to Capture Employee KnowledgeWiki's are a great tool for collaboration. I've talked about them before <a href="http://youngassociationprofessional.blogspot.com/2008/03/wikis-to-rescue.html">here </a>and <a href="http://youngassociationprofessional.blogspot.com/2008/07/its-catching-on.html">here</a>, but focusing on using them with my membership and how it's worked out.<br /><br />But maybe you shouldn't use wikis for your membership or you just haven't nailed down Why you should use it. Great - don't rush in without a <a href="http://associationmarketing.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-should-be-in-your-associations.html">plan</a>.<br /><br />But you can use them with your staff. Here's why:<br /><ul><li><strong>Capture employee knowledge</strong> - when I into the marketing dept. I found that many of the resources I needed went out the door with the individual I replaced. A resource document would have been great. </li><li><strong>Update status of a project</strong> - ever been in a meeting just to check on the status of a project or have the boss come down for an update? Why not have a wiki posted with the tasks and deadlines as well as the progress of each? It'll take a bit more time initially, but could save on update meetings. <em>(don't make it about micromanagement - only track the critical tasks). </em></li><li><strong>Edits </strong>- not only does a wiki help compile edits (and reduce the number of comments about the obvious mispeling), but it also saves on trees (and if you're a CFO - printing expenses). This may be more difficult once a piece is designed, but the better the initial text is - the easier the rest of the project.</li></ul><p>These are just some of the ways to internally use a wiki. The result is increased communication. </p><ul><li>A new staff can quickly get all the information they need to do their job</li><li>Management knows where a project is as well as areas that may need assistance</li><li>Incorrect edits can be reviewed by the team and caught before they go to print </li></ul><br />And with the wiki, the information is editable, available online, and depending on the service, secure.<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bobBob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-52684697539444565762008-09-23T12:15:00.000-04:002008-09-23T12:15:00.422-04:00When Generational Issues Shouldn't Be UsedIt's been over a month and I'm finally ready to go over some of my thoughts from Annual.<br /><br />The first that I've been thinking of for a while was the response to the Generation Y sessions, particularly to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Nadira</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hira's</span> thought leader session. I was amazed at the reaction of non-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Yers</span>, mainly the comments I heard that sounded something like "I have such a better understanding of my young staff's expectations."<br /><br />This got me thinking, but I just listened in the halls. I didn't want to seem to emotionally attached as a Gen Y myself, but my simple thought is this: Did you sit down with your staff and go over their expectations?<br /><br />As an association, staff's tend to be smaller and direct reports are easily in the single digits. Instead of taking a sample of millions and millions and applying these commonalities to a few staff, why not just sit down with the 1-10 folks who fit this group and have an open <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">dialog</span> . Maybe they'll fit the "typical gen y," but why miss the opportunity to discuss individual expectations and goals? Don't wait for a Gen Y speech, just have the conversation and discuss those areas you can't quite grasp.<br /><br />It's not that hard and you never know, the conversation you have with your Gen Y staff could shine a whole new light on Gen Y that hasn't been covered (because your staff's individuality was lost when they were lumped with the other millions of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Yers</span>).<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bob<br />P.S. Generational information is great, I'm not arguing against that, but it should be used with large numbers. The larger the population, the better it will match the Generational reports (in theory).Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-30859525316445031512008-09-18T21:23:00.001-04:002008-09-18T21:06:41.139-04:00Where on the fork are you (or your staff?)As association professionals, we have a unique fork in the road when it comes to career development. We can select to walk down one of three paths:<br /><ul><li>Association Professional</li><br /><li>Industry Professional</li><br /><li>Position Professional (i.e. marketing, training, sales, etc)</li></ul>Yet I'd be interested to hear how many managers sit down with their staff or (vice versa) and go over this fork to make sure the road you think your staffer is walking down is the same they want to be walking down. If you haven't had this conversation, you should.<br /><br />For example, for me to truly begin to excel in training, I'd have to either become an industry professional or a training professional. My goal was to become an association professional. This meant I was being prepared to take over roles that I didn't see myself taking over.<br /><br />So I sat down with my manager and CEO and clearly laid out my career goals. I told them I wanted to be an association leader and in order to do that I'd need to work in different areas of the association. I was lucky enough to have leadership that listened, thus my move into marketing.<br /><br />See there are 3 reasons I can see as to why staff and managers need to be on the same fork:<br /><ul><li><strong>Morale</strong> - the more engaged staff are the higher the morale which can infect other staff</li><br /><li><strong>Career Development</strong> - developing staff in the areas they are engaged in further increases morale and also increases productivity stimulates point three</li><br /><li><strong>Innovation </strong>- I'm more likely to innovate and go beyond the call of duty in an area I find engaging than an area I cornered myself into (or was cornered in)</li></ul><p>It's worth the time. And remember, the question itself isn't the answer. It's how you, as the leader, respond. </p><p>Thanks for reading,<br />bob<br /><br />P.S. Fellow <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Yappers</span>, don't wait until management <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">approaches</span> you to have the conversation, if you seem fine on the fork you're on, management may have no reason to think otherwise. </p>Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-57457922764853514542008-09-08T12:45:00.001-04:002008-09-08T12:45:00.353-04:00Forget the Technology<a href="http://associationmarketing.blogspot.com/2008/09/your-members-draw-line-on-social-media.html">Lindy</a> captured the conversation regarding SM burnout which included yours truly. I agree with Lindy (and commented on her post) that as association professionals, we should experiment non-stop internally. The problem comes when we jump on the bandwagon of the newest piece of tech and burnout our members who are not in the top 1-10% of innovators. The long tail of some of these technologies doesn't provide any significant additional value.<br /><br /><strong>So totally forget the technology!</strong> Don't ever pitch a wiki with the word wiki in it. Don't pitch it by showing the website - pitch the value first and get rid of all the social media talk - members don't care about social media - they care about value.<br /><br />They care about:<br /><ul><li>Open collaboration</li><li>Continued conversations</li><li>Automatic updates</li></ul><p>Not:</p><ul><li>Wiki</li><li>Social Networks</li><li>RSS Feed</li></ul><p><a href="http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/ANowDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=36272">In a recent article on ASAE, Maddie and Lindy put it best</a>: <em>Words like subscribe, trackback, and permalink are standard fare on most blog templates, <strong>but meaningless to a new user. </strong></em></p><p>So if you plan a 30 second pitch of a new tool, forget the tool. Focus on what it does. Members don't care what its called - and if the pitch is in the generic name itself, then you're not providing the significant unique value that only your association can provide. </p><p>This can also be true if you're planning to change or add a new tool. Take the tools out and list only the value each adds (for your members experience - not yours). Then you need to evaluate whether or not there is enough new value to justify the change. </p><p>Thanks for reading,<br />bob</p><p>P.S. - in the next day or so I'm going to finally update my blog template - well that's the hope anyways</p>Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-13766607236954698912008-09-03T17:44:00.004-04:002008-09-03T18:33:05.746-04:00Too Much Social Technology?<a href="http://blogclump.blogspot.com/2008/09/where-do-you-draw-line-on-social-media.html">Matt Baehr</a> put an awesome post up asking where we draw the line on social media.<br /><br />I've been thinking about this a lot lately as well. I've been trying to stay up-to-date on everything social media yet I'm slowly sinking in it all and from Matt's post, he seems to be experiencing the same dip. And we're both really into the stuff - Matt blogs and I speak (and occasionally blog) on social media - we live and breathe this stuff and we're falling in the dip. <br /><br />The question then becomes how does a casual user feel about the amounts of social media available (i.e. your members). They'd be overwhelmed with it all. Your members don't care about the tool(s), they care about how it engages them and the value it provides. Yet it seems we are moving incrementally on improving the technologies by adding a new bell and/or whistle which provide little to no real value. Instead we need to focus on revolutionizing the experiences that the original tools provide.<br /><br />I think the problem is there are just <a href="http://www.getmejamienotter.com/getmejamienotter/2008/08/the-its-just-a.html#comments">too many hammers </a>that claim to be different but do a lot of the same thing, but they look really neat.<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bobBob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-49309931755282071522008-08-28T12:30:00.001-04:002008-08-28T12:30:01.268-04:00The Irony of Attending ConferencesI attend events, like ASAE's Annual, in the hopes of getting new information so I can continue to innovate within our association and provide new and increased value to our membership. Yet, before I can impliment I must first catch up. I returned Tuesday to 2 weeks of back log - in my case over 500 emails and quickly closing deadlines. Hopefully my notes from Annual are good and the event had enough of a wow factor to last past the lag between catching up and implementing this new knowledge. (more on this once I'm past that lag)<br /><br />It can be difficult to innovate when there are items that must be done - some of us must be incremental. But just because you move incrementally doesn't mean you can't make significant changes in your organizations. (<a href="http://youngassociationprofessional.blogspot.com/2008/05/innovation-from-yaps-perspective.html">remember this is coming from a YAP's perspective on innovation</a>). <br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bobBob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-1927888542691055642008-08-26T18:49:00.000-04:002008-08-26T18:49:00.302-04:00Social Media is my Dance FloorBefore social media I was the kid against the wall. Bet no one remembers me at Great Ideas two years ago (unless you were in my session). Why would you? I didn’t dance much at GI – I gave my speech, sat through some sessions and tried to network (which consisted of a smile and nod). I think it’s the curse of introversion.<br /><br /><br />After Social Media, though, I’m the YAP making strides. At this year’s Annual, I networked with top minds in the field, got great feedback at the unblogger con, made new contacts, participated in great conversations and overall had a better time and learning experience.<br /><br /><br />Why? This time I had the opportunity to dance in an arena I’m comfortable with. Personally, interacting with my peers online through blogging, social networks, etc, is much easier than your typical social interaction. Having established a network prior to the event, I was able to spend my time learning and building from that network as opposed to succumbing to the anxiety of typical social interactions.<br /><br /><br />I think ASAE’s own Megan Denhardt put it best when it comes down to social media – <em>social media provides interactions that are valuable to those who need/want those types of interactions.<br /></em><br /><br />Social Media may be not be right for you, it may not be right for your active members, but there are great opportunities to level the social playing field with social outlets beyond your typical opening reception/networking events.<br /><br /><br />Social Media isn’t about the technology – it’s about leveling the playing field for all your members and meeting them where they dance best.<br /><br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br /><br />bob<br /><br /><br /><br />P.S. Special thanks to the blog uncon <a href="http://www.fogdirog.com/">fogdirog</a> for sharing your insights and adding what's quickly becoming one of the most versatile words in the English language to my vocab<br />P.S.S. – thanks to Lauren for trying to get me to dance on an actual dance floor – maybe next year…Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-3093173669418269732008-08-17T10:58:00.002-04:002008-08-17T11:15:47.573-04:00Last minute preparationsI'm so glad my session is early on in the conference, it allows me to get it over with and enjoy and relax for the rest of the event.<br /><br />As I always seem to, I'm skipping the morning events to calm my nerves and do my final preparations. Though a recent posting from <a href="http://www.diaryofareluctantblogger.com/2008/08/on-speaking.html">Maddie on Speaking </a>certainly calmed my nerves.<br /><br />Here are some of things that I've found from my last couple of presentations:<br /><br /><ul><li><strong>Get the audience involved</strong> - it not only gets you out from under the spotlight, but it also gets the audience involved. </li><li><strong>Don't memorize, just talk</strong> - I tried a script one time and the first 30 seconds was terrible. I totally threw out my script and just talked - the rest worked out fine. </li><li><strong>End short - </strong>I can only guess what individuals really want to hear about a given topic. If I cover what I think is important the whole time, then I probably will miss something they wanted covered.</li><li><strong>Get the audience answering -</strong> this worked great at my tech conference session - the idea is to harness the experience and knowledge in the room. I've found that I'm only a small <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">piece</span> of the pie</li><li><strong>Give them something they can walk away with</strong> - whether its a technique, new way of thinking or a homework assignment - don't end the session with complete closure. Because the session is really just the beginning of the participants journey.</li></ul>Well I'm running out of time. I'd appreciate any feedback if I'm totally off base and in the next 4 hours would be awesome :).<br /><br />Wish me luck and thanks for reading,<br />bobBob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-45982291168089402822008-08-13T17:17:00.004-04:002008-08-13T17:48:25.386-04:005 things I'm looking forward to at AnnualTo be honest, I'm usually incredibly nervous and generally get a feeling of awkwardness before attending an ASAE and the Center event. It's probably because I'm not much of a networker. Odds are you may have seen me at a recent event sitting against the wall reading or typing away like a fly on wall. <br /><br />However, I have a good feeling Annual will be different. Why?<br /><br />Five reasons this ASAE and Center conference will be different than others I've attended:<br /><ul><li><strong>I know people.</strong> Thanks to blogging (even the minimal amount I do) and participation in ASAE and the Center, I have a solid social network of folks to connect and reconnect with. </li><li><a href="http://caeexam.blogspot.com/2008/08/schedule-fail-unbloggercon-anyone.html"><strong>Unblogger Con</strong> </a>- I was a bit bummed that I'm going to miss the blogger con, but no worries now thanks to Ben and the Uncon</li><li><a href="http://yapstar.org/">YAP</a> -There's a new group in town and its getting bigger. Spreading the good word should be fun. And how could I forget<a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=25382578766"> the crazy 80s party? </a></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10479930968">YP Committee</a> - I'm hoping to meet/catch up with fellow commitee members to help pad my network on Sat. </li><li>The <a href="http://twitter.com/asaecenter08">ASAE back</a> channel via twitter. Not a big twitter user but I have about 2 days to get up to par, I'm interested to see it works. </li></ul>That may be all for now. I'm not sure if I'll blog at the event or not - it depends if something catches my attention - which I'm sure it will.<br /><br />thanks for reading,<br />bobBob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3824195375163079325.post-80561525189592280622008-08-06T17:50:00.004-04:002008-08-11T17:14:12.033-04:00Redefining Young Association ProfessionalNow that I'm in marketing, I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed that I never clearly defined my niche within the blogoclump. I wrote on everything and anything - which some can pull it off - me I have trouble just keeping up with this blog. So I'm going to focus my attention on the following areas:<br /><br />1. <strong>YAP Perspective</strong> - this isn't about age, it's about position. Somethings are significantly more difficult to do when you're not a CEO/exec - its also much easier to do others.<br />2. <strong>Marketing</strong> - Now that I'm in marketing - I feel its only right that I focus more on my craft (I was never passionate enough in training I guess) - and this is both new age (social media) and traditional - because to be honest, I have a larger knowledge gap when it comes to traditional marketing<br />3. <strong>Moving Beyond YAP</strong>, i.e. moving up the career latter. I'm hoping this stirs up some good discussion as I'm told I'm totally on par with my ideas or way off.<br />4. <strong>Nothing to do with associations</strong> (I'm more than just a young association professional, so I may let my outside life slip in when relevant).<br />5. <strong>Blogging - </strong>this is where I'll comment on blogging and other posts - I'm really behind but I'm ready to get back in it<br /><br />That's it - 5 tags - and if it doesn't fit in one of these, then I'll edit this post to make sure I'm being accurate (after all - if I set this is stone - I'd be doomed to sink in the ocean of change)<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />bob<br /><br />P.S. - thanks <a href="http://principledinnovation.com/">Jeff</a> for the challenge of 10 posts a month (wish me luck)<br />P.S.S. - and don't forget - if you want to blog but don't want to take the full leap, let me know. You can blog here for free (I need the content). I'm actually trying to work up a system where anyone can post a full blog post on here - now how's that for giving up control.Bob Wolfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263738351321928789noreply@blogger.com