The Common Thread

In case you didn’t know about it, the association community has its own wiki for tracking which associations are using social media. It was started by association social media pioneer Jeff De Cagna, but Lindy Dreyer of SocialFish has taken it over lately. Of course it’s a wiki, so the pages themselves are actually created by the users. ANYONE can go on that site and create or edit a page.

I just added a page for NARI Metro DC, one of the associations I manage. I just put in our Facebook Page and our twitter account. Some of the other associations on there have more detailed listings including stories of why they started social media.

So if you’re just dipping your toes into social media, check it out and see what others are doing. And if you’re actually doing social media, then create an account and make a page! (Hint: if you’re nervous about the coding, just find a page you like and copy the source code.)

I spoke at the ASAE Great Ideas Conference last week with friend and colleague Maddie Grant on “Truth and Authenticity in the Digital Age.” The session explored some of the impacts that the social internet is having on us, both as individuals and as organizations. Following the lead of fellow MSP staffer Jon Benjamin, we did our presentation using the online Prezi software, so you can view the presentation yourself.

One of the basic points of our presentation is that the way we manage our identity has changed. In the “analog” age (before the social internet), we were able to divide our individual identity into separate pieces. There was the part that I shared with my family and very close friends, and there was a part that I shared with work colleagues, and there might be separate parts that I only share with other smaller communities related to my interests or hobbies. When you applied for a job in the old days, you were able to present a fairly thin slice of who you were (via a resume and some hand-picked references), and, more importantly, you got to control what that slice looked like.

Today it is different. We create online identities by leaving our mark on Facebook, Linked In, Delicious, Flickr, YouTube, etc. We review books on Amazon, we comment on blogs..there are many ways that our identity shows up on line. It is still true that we have some control over how we present ourselves. Like many people, my linked in profile has a more professional tone to it, and my Facebook profile is more personal and casual.

Yet we can’t keep all those different identities as separate as we used to, because one search on Google and all those pieces can be listed next to each other, not to mention what other people are saying about you online. If anything, the trend is toward EXPECTING to find a diverse identity when searching for someone.

So what do do about all this? There’s no one right answer, but it does require some clarity on your part. I know a lot of people who simply won’t create a Facebook page because they don’t want their work friends to have access to their personal lives. That’s fine. But this can be a big challenge for people who work in AMCs. For example, I have several clients who each have either a Facebook or LinkedIn group, and I want to be connected to those conversations. Do I have to create a separate account for each of those identities, or can I handle the fact that the Historical Archaeologists will realize that I am also connected to Remodeling Professionals?

I have chosen to keep it mixed. We will see how much “confusion” it creates, though I suspect it won’t be much. And sure, I’m careful about what I post or say on Facebook because I know everyone (related to all my separate identities) might read it. But I also have concluded that I am human and I don’t need to hide that.

You don’t have to do it that way. You can keep things separate, or not reveal as much. But I think that should be a clear strategic choice on your part. Have you thought about the implications of your choice?

If I’m honest, I’m not particularly comfortable with social media. Blogging is new, and at this point, rather forced. (But, I am a fantastic lurker! I love reading what other people have to say on blogs and listservs.) I signed up for LinkedIn and Facebook, but mostly because I felt like I had to. I’m still struggling to understand how this all fits. Before Facebook, I didn’t know what my friends’ status was (and I still don’t since I haven’t logged on for 3 weeks) and that was OK. When I first started using Facebook, I was completely overwhelmed. Was I suddenly expected to know all the details of my friends’ lives? Because it felt like information overload, I stopped using it. Now, when I log on once a month, I have 50 requests and posts and messages. So, I gave up. But after I got over the guilt of not using Facebook, I realized that I’m not missing out! I still know what I have to know about the lives of my friends and family. Most people don’t talk about any serious problems or internal struggles they’re having on Facebook – they pick up the phone and connect with someone. So, I’ve decided that it’s OK for me to use social media on my terms (I’m different and that’s OK). I don’t have to go on to Facebook everyday. I don’t need to respond to blogs. Social media is a tool like everything else (Jamie had a great blog post about that recently). It’s not something that should control me, but rather should be something that enhances my knowledge and relationships. Finding that balance of how to use these tools is different for everyone and people should not expect to use – or have others use – them all in the same way.

All that said, I do recognize the value of social media and have had to figure out how it will work as a tool for my association (the Association of Water Technologies, AWT). To make sure we didn’t miss the boat completely, I signed up AWT for all the biggies – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Groups– if for no other reason than to claim the name. We also started an internal wiki for volunteers to collaborate on projects. Of the major social media tools, we’re only using LinkedIn, right now. But, I am trying to sell my Board on the idea of an interactive conference platform that allows attendees to connect – it’s kind of like Facebook, but designed for the conference. We’re also finding that our standard means of reaching our members – email – is becoming a little stale and we’re seeing a decrease in open and click-through rates. Social media tools, such as Twitter, might be a great way to re-engage the membership, so that is something we’re looking into as well.

So, I’m making my foray into social media grumbling slightly (to myself; I try to be enthusiastic to my Board), but knowing that it is a great way to help people connect and enhance their association experience.

As Executive Director of a few associations, I spend a fair amount of time editing marketing copy: brochures, emails, web pages–all designed to be attractive or interesting to my members. Here’s the problem: I’m not one of my members. I’m an association guy. So what appeals to me may not be appealing to my members. Of course we all know this, so we work hard to really know our membership and what they like/want, and we also engage them to help us directly in creating these materials.

But today I saw a brief survey by a marketing guy about what people think bout paid advertising on google searches. Lots of people don’t like it, apparently, and trust is one of the big reasons (I wrote about that on GetMeJamieNotter). Also interesting, however, was the difference in attitude between people who work in marketing and people who don’t. In short, the marketing people think the paid links are more valuable.

While I suppose that’s not surprising, it is an important issue. We just can’t help but like the things we create. And that’s something that deserves our attention as we manage associations. We might like our messages, web sites, emails, flyers, etc. but we are biased. So I constantly remind myself to figure out where to collect actual data related to the impact of the messages we create. It’s not really about whether I like them or even if some of my members like them. The question is, are they producing results.