I have done a lot of thinking lately on the purpose of associations. Specifically, I have been thinking of associations in terms of a very trendy topic called social networking. Just what is social networking anyway?
According to Wikipedia, a social network service focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services.
Each of your members has a common activity, which is their profession and presumably, have the same goal of making it a rewarding and ideally a profitable experience. Many of your members probably belong to your professional organization, or at least participate, to explore the interests and activities of their colleagues and have the ability to interact with those colleagues and their profession.
Social networking really is a buzz word for the Twenty First Century association. It’s the method of communication and the speed in which that communication occurs that has changed and not the purpose. Today associations can literally pop up overnight with a force far greater than most of us can conceive
Associations can open those doors to their members and create the pathways for members to “associate” with one another in the Twenty First Century. Ning (www.ning.com) allows associations to create their own social networks. An association social network would allow your members to create their own “online” identity and participate in group discussions about issues, education, and even share photos and video with their colleagues.
It’s their voice, their connection and their network, all designed to give them the opportunity to be a Twenty First Century participant in their association.
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2 comments:
Associations is an interesting way to look at it - like the term. There are so many social networks but they usually anchor around some common theme (not necessarily just interest). Flickr, Youtube and others have social networks around various forms of media. Yelp, around the local community. LinkedIn for professionals. At Qlubb where I work, we center social networks around the existing social networks you have in your real life. They have some commonality but each has their own ways of how the community interacts with each other.
Thanks for the feedback.
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