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10 Apps Every Association Professional Should Try

6 Barriers to Blogging – And How to Bust Them

Imagine your association leadership’s reaction if you suggested a blog: Would you be greeted by silence, a shuffling of papers, and darting eyes? At DelCor's Progress U. - Blogger Summit we discussed busting the many barriers to blogging. Here are some insights and examples from association bloggers.

Barrier #1: Limited Resources

There’s never enough time and money. Although blog platforms are inexpensive, it takes time to manage and write content for a blog. ASAE’s Acronym blog has neither a budget nor dedicated staff. It’s managed and written by the magazine’s editors with the help of volunteer guest bloggers.

Unlike ASAE, the National Wildlife Federation has a budget that was used to redesign the blog and hire a part-time editor to manage it. Their posts are written by 179 staffers from headquarters and regional offices – communications and policy staff, program directors, middle and senior management, and even the CEO. (In our next blog post, we'll dig deeper into how ASAE and NWF recruited their bloggers.)

Barrier #2: Tradition vs. Innovation

Innovation has been a topic of heated discussion for several years because, frankly, most associations don't do it very well. They either don't budget for innovation or aren't nimble enough to implement new ideas. The prevailing culture also obstructs change: “we've always done it that way.” Egos, jobs, and budgets are tied to the old and resist the new.

Blogs aren't the only initiatives to suffer. "The first line item that gets cut from budgets is mobile," said Ray van Hilst. Mobile-friendly sites are easy to create, yet many associations don't, even when metrics show increasing mobile views.

Barrier #3: Full Plates

Lisa Junker, former editor in chief at ASAE, pointed out a huge obstacle: Staff plates are full because associations are bad at sunsetting programs. When researching an article about sunsetting, she only found one association that did it well, but they didn’t want to be quoted because they did it without their board’s knowledge! Subterfuge: a new strategic tool?

Barrier #4: Fear

Spam, negative comments, liability: blogs can be scary if you’re not proactive on these fronts. Filter spam. Moderate comments according to your published guidelines. Minimize liability with an enforced social media policy. (Your association has one, right?)

Education helps to reduce fear. Acronym’s staff found out the hard way what happens when senior staff doesn’t understand blog and community protocol. When an “incendiary word” appeared in a post title, it spread like wildfire and some influential members complained. Regular readers weren’t fazed, but staff was told to remove the post, causing an even bigger uproar from the online community who cried “censorship.”

Barrier #5: Confidence

At first, the public aspect of blogging can be unnerving. Even experienced bloggers aren’t always confident about their posts. Shelly Alcorn said, “Every time I hit publish, I think this is the post that will ruin my career.” She suggests being strategic about your content and pushing through any low-confidence moments.

Don’t shy away from difficult topics. Readers flock to posts about controversial issues. One of Maddie Grant’s most popular posts – Has ASAE Lost Its Mojo, a critical look at the 2010 annual meeting – sparked lots of discussion, not all favorable, but she has no regrets.

Barrier #6: Unfamiliarity with Blogs

Many association decision-makers don’t read blogs, and aren’t even aware of the blogging going on in their industry. They don’t understand how a blog can serve the association and engage their members. They’re not comfortable with that mode of expression. You’ll have to educate them to help them get past their discomfort and misperceptions.

Don’t use technology lingo when discussing blogs. Show examples of other industry and association blogs. Focus on the impact of this new communication and engagement channel, not the tool itself.  

Once you get the green light, take time to research by subscribing to industry and association blogs. Most importantly, develop a mission and content strategy.

Blog Mission

A mission will help you make decisions about appropriate content. The Acronym blog’s first post announced theirs: “Spotlight innovation and excellence inside and outside the association world, explore new possibilities for the future of associations, and question the conventional wisdom of association management.”

Content Strategy

How can your blog be used as a strategic tool to help the association achieve its goals? Define the blog’s goals and audience, including any niches you wish to engage. What are their content needs? What would they find valuable or interesting? Determine your posting frequency. Create an editorial calendar to keep you on track. The more you post, the more Google traffic you’ll get, but keep the frequency realistic and manageable.

In the next post, we’ll discuss two of the day’s hot topics: recruiting bloggers and keeping the content pipeline full.

Flickr photo by sarflondondunc

Verdict: Blogs Are Not Dead

At Progress U. - Blogger Summit one week ago today, we asked our lunchtime panel two questions: Are blogs dead? Why do people keep asking that question?

The consensus, as might be expected from a room full of bloggers, was "No, blogs are not dead." Why did our panel see hope for blogs and why is this question still being asked?

Blog status report

Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project reports that only 32% of online adults read blogs, whereas twice as many use social networking or video sites. When the press sees numbers like that, it leads to sensational headlines: Blogs are dead!

Leaving aside the hyperbole, why are there so few blog readers? Maybe it's a perception issue. Many older adults have a limited familiarity with blogs. They see blogs as a place only to rant about politics or dish about celebrity fashion, not as serious resources for professional development. Plus, with the melding of blogs into websites, some readers may not even realize they're reading a blog.

As panelist Jeff De Cagna pointed out, older generations are digital emigrants, not digital natives like Millennials who know only a world of enhanced technology where learning, communicating, and building relationships is done online. According to Pew, 49% of teens and 43% of Millennials read blogs, compared to 25-34% of older generations. However, teens are using other social media platforms, instead of blogging, to express themselves. The number of teen bloggers dropped 50% since 2006, while the number of older bloggers increased. Will teens return to blogging as they grow older?

From clay tablets to WordPress

Blogs are the latest in a long line of content containers. Long ago, papyrus rolls and parchment manuscripts delivered knowledge. For many, people blogs have replaced magazines and newsletters.

Maddie Grant sees blogs as living things. A dynamic form of communication, blogs evolve as new widgets, formats, and delivery methods are invented. But, Jamie Notter added, blogs aren't entitled to stay alive. If we find another mode of expression, another container, it's okay if blogs die, as long as we continue to learn and advance.

Are other social media platforms killing the need for blogging? Not yet! Blogs are alive and well because they provide value that other platforms don't.

Benefits of blogging for associations

Your blog, said Ben Martin, along with your website, is your homebase. Blogs, with pages full of keywords, are search-engine friendly, bringing people to your homebase and giving you the opportunity to educate and engage them with your content.

Blogs act as a trusted filter, said Ray van Hilst, helping members wade through information overload, a role ASAE plays with its Quick Clicks posts. ASAE's blog also hosts and sparks conversations about critical issues, like innovation.

Ray showed how the National Wildlife Federation uses their blog to get their stories out and extend their fundraising and political reach, turning readers into donors and activists.

Blogs are a platform for associations and individuals to share knowledge, build a community and market subtly. Maddie's blog posts about social media led to her reputation as a thought leader and speaker, and, eventually, her consulting business.

Bloggers as change agents

Shelly Alcorn measures her blogging success by the feedback and inspiration she's received from readers and  the relationships she's built. What about influence? Are bloggers change agents for the association community?

Bloggers are the voices who question traditional narratives in the association industry. Stefanie Reeves uses her blog to amplify voices that aren't normally heard, bring her unique perspective to the association community, and teach the community about ASAE's Diversity Executive Leadership Program.

Blogs are alive and kicking

Blogs aren't dead because organizations use them to fulfill their mission and achieve their goals. However, many associations don't take advantage of blogs and other technology. They don't experiment and innovate because they don't see it as an imperative; after all, they're not failing, yet. Maddie believes that if everyone on staff is invested in and has a role to play in innovation and the strategic use of technology, be it a blog or social media, associations would be more successful.

Jeff asked, "Are we oriented toward the past or the future? Not using more technology in our business plans is killing us." Technology empowers and transforms associations. It allows staff to spend time on meaningful work that creates value for members, and provides platforms for knowledge delivery and relationship-building. Now that's progress!

What do you think is in store for the future of association blogging? Is death imminent?

Stay tuned for more reports from Progress U. - Blogger Summit.

 

Association Bloggers Unite!

 

Association Chat Highlights: The Dreaded Performance Review

Pressing Cancel

“Select form of payment.”
[press Credit]
“Swipe your credit card and follow the instructions on the keypad.”
[swipe credit card]
[press Credit on the menu]
[press Cancel]
[press OK when asked if the amount is correct]
And so on…

At grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retail locations this scene plays out all day every day.  This is a process most of us know so well we do it without any hesitation or confusion.  However, it IS confusing.  It ISN’T usable.  Once you indicate your type of payment, why are you being brought through a process that requires you to indicate it again and then press Cancel?  Cancel isn’t a word that leads a user to feel they are getting closer to completing their task, it is just the opposite.  It leads a user to believe they are going to have to start again.  Still, we press the Cancel button.  Why?  Because we’ve learned the system through using it enough times that we excuse its absurd violation of the standard (and pretty much only) definition of the word "cancel."

As we look at websites during usability testing projects we see website users make the same type of jumps.  They understand the nuances in the search results, registration, or profile setup so they excuse the poor user experience because the value of completing the task is greater than giving up or making a fuss about the speed bump in their process.  That’s not good enough. You should strive to delight your users with a good user experience.  Test your member registration/renewal, event registration, community profile completion, and search functions to see what your users see.  There’s much more to test than that, but these heavily used functions are worth testing if you do nothing else. Don’t expect your users to excuse your Cancel button whatever that may be.

Giving Murphy His Due: What's Your Project Risk?

The following is a guest post from our own senior consultant in technology management, Kathleen McQuilkin. This post also appears in the October 2011 edition of ASAE's TechnoScope newsletter.

Murphy's Law tells us, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." As anyone who has ever given a live presentation that depends on technology can attest, Murphy's Law certainly applies. This also holds true when undertaking technology-related initiatives.

Planning for the unknown in a project can be a daunting task, but managing project risk is a fundamental element of project planning and management, regardless of the type of project. The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines project risk as being "an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or a negative effect on a project's objectives."

When considering this definition, it's clear that identifying risks before they materialize and determining the effect the risks may have on the project is critical—whether the risks are threats (negative risks, e.g., storm predicted along with likely power outages) or opportunities (positive risks, e.g., wind generator is usable, thereby reducing battery costs).

While it's unlikely that anyone would say that taking the time to consider risks is a waste of time, it's often one of the tasks that gets overlooked or postponed until late in the project—often to the detriment of the project.

What can you do to ensure you are engaging in appropriate project risk management? Follow these six steps.

Plan your risk management. Determine your risk-management approach or strategy and document how related processes will be executed for your project. Ensure your stakeholders recognize the value of managing risks. Do not be swayed by those who advocate a positive or "can-do" attitude instead of considering potential risks. Those attitudes can be great but should not replace risk management. Just think about the fire-safety instructions that are given to children starting in preschool: where to go in a fire drill situation or even the simple lesson "stop, drop, and roll." It's evident that planning for a risk and identifying corrective actions is ultimately easier than having to figure out a response after the problem occurs.

Identify risks. Identify all of the possible risks that could occur with your project. Consider scheduling estimates and timelines, cost estimates, staffing, management, and scope. Determine who "owns" each particular risk (e.g., IT staff, vendor, specific department, or staff member).

Conduct qualitative risk analysis. Assess each risk and ascertain the probability of the risk occurring as well as the potential impact if it does occur. For example, list all likely risks, assign a score for probability of occurrence, assign a score for impact, and then evaluate scores to identify those risks with a higher probability and impact.

Conduct quantitative risk analysis. Analyze the effect of risks on the project to provide some numerical estimates to help you understand each risk and its impact. Examples of quantitative methods include the Monte Carlo simulation and decision-tree analysis.

Determine what type of response you'll have for each risk. Based on the analysis you have conducted, determine your risk responses, get approval for the responses or strategies, and document the risk responses. Keep in mind there are four typical strategies for handling negative risks: avoid risk, mitigate risk, transfer risk, and accept risk.

Monitor and control risks. Once you have identified the risks, calculated the impact (qualitative, quantitative), and determined responses, monitor your project and identify any new risks or changes to current risks that could impact the overall analysis. Risk management efforts must occur throughout the entire project life cycle.

Ongoing Risk Management

Risks are a part of every project, and no one benefits from avoidance that encourages one to think about difficult subjects another day. By considering risks early in the project and on an ongoing basis, you're taking proactive efforts to better manage and control your project. Below are a few resources that could be helpful:

• Waltzing With Bears, Managing Risk on Software Projects, by Tom DeMarco and Timothy R. Lister
• Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk, by Peter L. Bernstein
• Practice Standard for Project Risk Management, Project Management Institute

Association Chat: Live and Learn

What have you learned from your years of experience in the association industry? This week the participants of Association Chat tackled that question and talked about what classes they wish they’d have taken in college, what they wish someone had told them when they first started in associations, and if they would do it all over again (among other things). Some highlights of the chat are included for you here.

 

[Host] Welcome, everyone, to this week’s Association Chat focused on learning from experience!

 

[Host](Q1) What is the best lesson you’ve learned recently about excelling in the association world?

 

[Host](Q2) What do you wish someone had told you when you first started working in associations?

  

[Host](Q3) Who had the most influence on how you developed in your career? Why?

[Host](Q4) Would you suggest to a college student that they go in to the association industry? Why/Why not?

[Host](Q5) What classes in college would have better prepared you for the career you have now? Please elaborate.

 

 

 

[Host](Q6) What lessons are you still struggling to learn when dealing with your assn career?

 [Host](Q7) Last question! What is your number one takeaway from today's chat?

If you would like to participate in Association Chat, please follow the #assnchat hashtag and look for our discussions on Tuesdays at 2 pm ET! If you would like instructions on how to participate, please watch this video: http://associationchat.com/kiki-litaliens-acronym-soup-how-to-participat.

For more information, contact KiKi L’Italien at klitalien@delcor.com or @kikilitalien.

 

Association Chat: Innovation Talks

Every Tuesday at 2 pm ET, an intrepid band of association leaders convenes on Twitter (using the hashtag #assnchat) to engage in conversations about the future of the association community – conversations filled with substance, serendipity and spirit. This week we participated in ASAE’s Innovation Talks and focused our chat on innovation. Some highlights of the chat are included for you here. 

[Host] Welcome, everyone, to this week’s Association Chat focused on innovation for #asaeinnov 

[Host] (Q1) Where do good ideas come from?

 

 

[Host] (Q2) Are there recurring patterns we can learn from, apply to our own orgs to make them more creative/innovative? What are they?

 

[Host](Q3) If an idea is a network, how do you get your brain into environments where these new networks or ideas will be formed?

    

[Host](Q4) Can you predict the return on innovative concepts? How? Should you try? Share your thoughts.

 

    

[Host](Q5) Is your office (or working environment) conducive to innovative thought? Please explain why/why not.

 

 

 

[Host](Q6) Do you believe associations can be innovative? Please name examples. If you can’t name examples, why not?

 

[Host](Q7) What commitment are you ready to make to pursue innovation in your organization? What will your next step be?

 

 

 

[Host](Q8) Last question! What is your number one takeaway from today's chat?

If you would like to participate in Association Chat, please follow the #assnchat hashtag and look for our discussions on Tuesdays at 2 pm ET! If you would like instructions on how to participate, please watch this video: http://associationchat.com/kiki-litaliens-acronym-soup-how-to-participat. 

For more information, contact KiKi L’Italien at klitalien@delcor.com or @kikilitalien.

References:

Where Good Ideas Come From TED Talk (http://blog.ted.com/2010/09/21/where-good-ideas-come-from-steven-johnson-on-ted-com/)

 

Tweeting for Charity at #ASAE11

DelCor is extremely privileged to enable some of the good deeds that associations and nonprofits do, by helping them advance their missions through technology. Giving back – through our daily work, charitable endeavors, volunteering, and all types community involvement – is very much at the core of who we are and what we do.

But, true to the DelCor spirit, we like to have fun while doing good!

That’s why we’re inviting all of the attendees at ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Exposition in St. Louis to have a little fun with us, and to do a little good. All you have to do is Tweet. Well, almost …

You see, we want you to help “characterize” our booth for a chance to win $500 for your favorite charity!

Have you ever pictured yourself as one of our characters? (Perhaps you’ve seen them in our ads.) Now you can!

1. Visit our booth – #416, right in the center of in the business and technology section of the expo hall.
2. Take your photo as one of our characters – state fair style.
3. Tweet your photo to @asae11 and @delcortech.

And you’re in the running!

We’ll select one lucky winner from all the eligible Tweets and donate $500 to his or her favorite charity. We’ll announce the winner on Tuesday via Twitter and Facebook.

Most people would agree that $500 goes a long way for a lot of organizations. Here are just a few examples:

• $500 could buy an iPad for a job training center.
• $500 could provide 1,500 meals to the hungry at your local food bank.
• $500 could turn underprivileged kids into computer whizzes.
• $500 could provide clean water to an entire community.
• $500 could save a life when critical medical supplies are needed.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’re certain your favorite charity could do a lot with $500.

So, stop by booth #416 to take your photo and Tweet it for a chance to win! Because exhibitions like this one aren’t only about winning the latest gadget or an exotic trip. They’re also about giving back.

Help us help others – and have fun with DelCor while you’re doing good!