Manna from heaven
There is growing interest in associations around blogging, podcasting and social media tools. FINALLY! It’s about time we woke up and smelled the Marble Mocha Macchiato. We are long overdue to recognize these technologies are like manna from heaven for associations, and to begin capitalizing on them in our work.
Social media are all about participation, about getting people involved in creating and sharing content and engaging in conversations that are important to them. Indeed, the whole direction of the Web is moving toward the deeper engagement of the end user in more authentic and generative ways. In this spirit, blogging, podcasting, wikis, Flickr, del.icio.us and other social media tools offer associations the opportunity to establish entirely new relationships with their current and prospective members. By introducing greater richness and dimension to the discourse we have with our most crucial stakeholders, we can quite possibly renovate the eroding structures of traditional association membership and volunteer leadership for the better.
But only if we can get out of our own way. Going forward, associations will need to do more than pay lip service to the passion, energy and creativity of their members and staff. Going forward, associations will need to reconsider the long-term value of the current incentives that motivate members to invest their discretionary time and attention in the organization. Associations, by definition, are highly bureaucratic organizations. And, in the words of strategy and innovation author Gary Hamel, “the problem is, there’s little room in bureaucratic organizations for passion, ingenuity and self-direction.” Social media are the antithesis of bureaucracy. Social media are pure creation.
We have been given a gift, like manna from heaven. Let us not squander it.
[...] There is a growing interest in the use of social media in associations, which I think is very good thing. To facilitate the sharing of information around which associations are doing what, I set up the Association Community Blogs and Podcasts Wiki, which includes lists of associations that are blogging, podcasting and using other Web 2.0 tools. I encourage you to check it out. If you’re aware of any associations capitalizing on social media that aren’t on the list, please add them. The wiki can be edited by anyone. [...]