Setting Up Your Online Daily Paper Using RSS - Part 3

So hopefully you've had a chance to download a feed reader. Well now that you have, let's get you some articles for your online daily paper.

The first blog I mentioned in my previous post was Seth Godin. Not only is he a marketing wiz, but you need a feed reader to keep up with him on most days. The posts are incredibly short, but incredibly insightful.

Now here are the following blogs I'd highly recommend:

Ben Martin - Ben is the main page. He posts very frequently and odds are if it's of interest to association professionals Ben's a part of the conversation or has at least heard of it and put it on his blog. Ben in and of himself is the RSS of Associations.

ASAE and The Center's Acronym - The best part about this blog is there are many contributors and if one post comes off as insincere or wrong or ill-informed the commenters are sure to jump in. This is a great industry page and has a lot of great views.

Diary of a Reluctant Blogger - Maddie is a new blogger, but I think she's one to keep an eye on. She covers a variety of topics and does a great job of covering the variety of conversations on the blogoclump, giving meaningful perspectives to the conversation.

Membership Marketing - Tony has a lot of great insights into membership and marketing - and we are in the membership business, whether you're in the membership department.

I think for the most part these blogs are a great starting point for any daily paper. There are a variety of other blogs that focus on a variety of other things, and I think the four blogs above list them all out very well. I've read alot of the blogs in the association sphere and there are definitely some to keep an eye out for, but most tend to be more focused. And if I gave you all the links, what fun would that be?

But remember, whether you use my recommendations or find your own, using RSS helps you to efficiently learn about a variety of topics. And while initially you may need to spend a bit of time finding the initial blogs, once you've set it up, you can allocate some time in the morning or evening and just flip through the feeds of your online daily paper. I've had many ideas, insights and conversations within my own organziation thanks to reading my daily feeds.

So enjoy your feeds and if you find any blogs that are worth focusing in on, by all means let me know,

Thanks for reading,
Bob

Setting Up Your Online Daily Paper Using RSS - Part 2

I could explain what RSS is, but I don't think I can do any better than this video put together by CommonCraft Show:



I think this is one of the most simplistic explanations of RSS. Next step - pick your feedreader.

I'm playing with google reader right now, but there are a ton of different readers including yahoo and others. If you want to set up your feedreader using google go to http://www.google.com/reader and sign up. The great part about this (in my 24 hours of review) is that you can access it anytime you're online. This means:

*No worries if you're harddrive crashes/get a new computer (which I learned the hardway)
*No worries if you set up all your feeds at work but only have time to read them at home

Windows Vista also has a feedreader built in, but again it's on your hard drive so there's limited flexibility.

So set up your google or yahoo or Vista feed. And if you want to start subscribing and more importantly seeing how it works, subscribe to Seth Godin's blog. Not only is he a marketing genius (and everyone markets), but he also posts 2-4 times a day on a typical day. His feed is feeds.feedburner.com/typepad/sethsmainblog

In the next day or so I'll give you the top association blogs you'll want to subscribe to to help you get your online daily paper started.

Thanks for reading,
Bob

P.S. Need more help? Email me at rawolfejr@yahoo.com

It's Not Usable If You can Use It

I read a great article by elearnmag titled "What Do You Mean When You Say 'Usability'?"

While this article focuses on the usability of elearning courses, I think this topic of usability can really translate into how associations should view social media. One header of the article really stuck out: The User Validates Usability

Now this is an interesting notion that may sometimes be lost in the conversation. It doesn't matter that the IT manager, consultant, designer, or even you as an association manager can use the technology. Of course it helps that you can use the technology, but one group HAS TO be able to use the technology: the members you're targeting.

And not only that they can use it, but how long does it take them to reach the experience? Do they complete one step or a series of steps? Does it take a moment or a day to get started or is there a multi-day approval process? Because if it takes a mile to get to that experience or connection, it better be damn good. If its easy to get to on the other hand, than it doesn't have to be so good to start. (Just think McDonald's or other mediocre franchise restaurant that are everywhere vs. that great, one of a kind steak house an hour away).

I think the same thing can be said of value - it's not the consultant, staff, designer, or contractor that determines value - it's the members. More on this tomorrow (I don't want to burn out).

Thanks for reading,
Bob

MySpace or Facebook?

Ben Martin posted a note that Facebook actually passed MySpace in users. I don't think this is a huge shock if you've ever been on the two sites. Facebook is much more toned down than MySpace, this may be due to its roots.

While myspace has been open to anyone with an email from the get-go, Facebook's roots started with Colleges (for a while you needed a college email to join). I think this, along with a cleaner layout helps facebook.

Personally, I would never use myspace for an association or any business proposition that caters to anyone out of high school. Three main reasons:

• False Friends
• Hacks
• Too much noise

False Friends

False friends are spammers in the world of myspace. They are usually young girls, sometimes in inappropriate attire. And if for some reason you make the unfortunate mistake of friending one, you find that they have traits that a young professional, or any professional for that matter, should avoid. And depending on how often you sign into myspace, you may see friend requests with the ever prevalent X - which means there account has been deleted. Take a guess why.

Hacks

Some actions in myspace require you to sign back into myspace. Be careful! This could mean someone is taking your myspace info, which means your friends will receive countless comments on their pages about great deals, etc. Here is a classic example of a hack:

"whats up? i found this site and thought i'd tell everyone, it shows you if anyone at school likes you. i dont know how it works but its really cool, it told me a couple different people who have crushes on me. you gotta try it!"

This exact message was sent by two separate friends. Needless to say, they both know I'm married.

Too Much Noise

Whether it's customized backgrounds, music, or the lack of organization, MySpace is too big without maintaining it's small town feel. Indivduals accounts are too open (you could change the settings, but I just want to get on and network). Overall MySpace is a bit of a jungle, and if you're introducing members to social media, avoid myspace.

On the other hand, I'd use Facebook or even Ning.

The benefits of both are you don't get hacked, false friends and it is user friendly without the worry of the former two. I actually prefer both sites.

Facebook is good in the fact you can connect to other individuals. This could be good or bad, depending on if you want to mix friends with peers.

Ning on the other hand is group based. The group is the foundation of the network, unlike facebook which focuses on the connection.

My best advice is to try them out for a little while before looking to launch anything for your membership. You know your members better than anyone, so you can tell if facebook, ning, or some other social network is the right fit. Just remember one thing - don't force it. Wait until there's an opportunity to connect. Have them start the conversation first, then use social networks to facilitate the conversation. And on this note I am happy to say that my session on Capturing the Conversation - Implementing Social Networks was accepted by ASAE and the Center's Annual Conference. So I'll hint around at this now and again to peek your interest in the August session.

P.S. I know I’ve been a sporadic blogger at best, but I’ve been learning a lot about blogging (even though I’ve only posted 3 posts). More info on this soon.

Is your Association a Facilitator or a Director?

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.

What is the minimum age for your membership?

As a Young Association Professional, this question is quite near and dear to my heart. While I don’t deal specifically with membership in my association, I would recommend you ask the above question.

ASAE and the Center did and I thank them for it (Please note this has not been endorsed by ASAE and the Center – it’s simply an organization that I participate in as a young professional). The result was the rising star membership, a membership fee that is reduced to entice young professionals an opportunity to join for a significant discount.

Why is the discount important to me as a young professional?

• The $100 annual fee is easier for me to pitch to my supervisor (a $265 membership fee as a new employee could be a hard sell)
• It shows me that the association is at least acknowledging young professionals in the field
• It breaks down the barriers for me, as a young professional, to join the American Society of Association Executives – a title I am at least 10 years away from
• It allows me to attach myself to my industry as opposed to just my department/position (Over the last 3 year's I've transitioned from a training professional to an association professional)

What about the benefits for my organization/member’s company?

• Effective way to invest in younger staff
• Effective reward/incentive for younger staff
• Increased insight into the industry, allowing for a better understanding of company's goals/procedures
• Build network of industry peers earlier/different set of peers from executives in my association

What about the benefits to your association/host association?

• You potentially get a 20-40 year member (even if I pay the $100 over 20 years, ASAE potentially recruited a $2000 member – if I pay $100 for 5 more years and the normal $265 over the following 15 that is a $4475 – assuming I only pay for membership)
• Ability to implement programs proactively for future generations of membership
• Keep up and coming stars in the industry (Isn’t the overall goal of the association to advance the industry?)
• Referrals – whether I recommend a fellow young professional to join or sign up my new employee after their 90 day review (which I recently did) – providing services to young professionals naturally increases the reach of the association

Now, not every association may have a significant need for young members because there are a variety of professions where individuals start with experience, such as… well there’s…. wait, everybody at some point starts out as a young professional before they become an executive or manager. So why doesn’t every association have student/young professional memberships?

Time constraints/costs/lack of staff?

Associations can provide the following services right off the bat for younger members:

• Mentoring programs with Sr. members – (good opportunity to use new web technologies
• General information to break in/advance in the industry
• Making information provided to regular members available to younger members for a discounted rate
• Opportunities to participate in committees/volunteer opportunities (Web2.0 and social responsibility initiatives are both good opportunities to engage younger members)

Remember, in 10, 15, 20 years from now as the association leaders of today retire, it will be young professionals, such as myself, who will continue the legacy that’s been started today. Wouldn’t it benefit the industry you’re working in as well as your association to groom the future leaders of tomorrow today?