Does knowing nothing more about who is behind a statement than the words a person uses to express themselves make online pronouncements more or less reliable? On one hand, not knowing anything about who is blogging or tweating beyond the sometimes very limited information about themselves that they choose to make known to you is a good thing. It [.]. Social Media & Associations MORE
100 
Suppose you were an association executive with a medical need. You have identified the leading doctors who specialize in the field. The decision is important. Your health is at stake. So you take very seriously the process of deciding which doctor is the best fit to work with you to diagnose your problem and prescribe [.]. The Nature of Associations association profession role of associations MORE
116 
I am thrilled and humbled to learn of my selection to receive the American Society of Association Executive’s 2011 Key Award, the highest honor ASAE offers. “The Key Award honors the association CEO who demonstrates exceptional qualities of leadership in his or her own association, and displays a deep commitment to voluntary membership organizations as a [.]. The Way We Are MORE
Conflict! Treachery! Betrayal! Passion! No, I am not talking about your last board of directors meeting. I am talking about opera. And before you start rolling your eyes and dismissing opera based on the parodies or send ups you’ve seen (Marx Brothers’ “Night at the Opera,” anyone?), allow me to provide a short, painless and mostly lighthearted [.]. The Nature of Associations The Way We Are MORE
I am often asked why I have spent my entire career, and how I have maintained my calm demeanor, in a profession where success requires making people you can’t directly control work effectively together. “People are irrational, self-centered and unreasonable – why would you put yourself through it?” ” My answer is simple: because when people [.]. The Way We Are #asae11 MORE
Chances are that if you are reading this, you consider yourself an association professional and you appreciate the tremendous good that associations do for society. You are probably also concerned about some of the issues impacting associations, and maybe even support advocacy by groups like ASAE to address them. But do you ever involve the [.]. Association Advocacy association profession engagement leadership lobbying not-for-profit role of associations tax exempt organizations MORE
“It is extraordinary to notice how few people in the modern world can argue. That is why there are so many quarrels breaking out again and again, and never coming to any natural end.” How true. Just switch on any cable TV “news” show or go to any online forum. Or visit an association board [.]. Association Advocacy The Way We Are MORE
I didn’t exactly go through the five stages of grief when the public furor over the GAO Las Vegas retreat first erupted in the media. But I did go through something like that process. Stage one is denial: I am a “benefit of the doubt” kind of guy. If there is an innocent interpretation, I [.]. Association Advocacy Association Meetings Bad Publicity GAO Image Transparency MORE
Commonplace words … but recent events have added a depth of meaning to each of them. Midafternoon on August 23rd, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Virginia. Earthquakes in this region are rare. Earthquakes of that size are unheard of. Much of the Washington DC area was able to shake it off and move on. The little [.]. The Way We Are MORE
Much of the public thinks of associations as “special interests” who do nothing but lobby the system to game advantage (even though U. government data shows that associations spend many times more on educational activities than on lobbying). In my opinion, “special interest” is a pejorative only when applied to a group whose interests [.]. Association Advocacy role of associations MORE
That was the common thread from the presentations and discussion at TREND’s Annual Communications Legal Update on October 26th. Among the high level takeaways was the need to remember that most of the arcane web of political communication, intellectual property, privacy, and commercial law that governs our digital world was written decades before digital was [.]. Social Media & Associations association law copyright Intellectual Property lotteries Social Media social media policies MORE
As consumers, there are some products, brands, or stores we frequent out of habit. And in stable, calm and good times that’s enough. Trouble is, all it takes is the slightest little disruption to make “because I have always shopped here” an insufficient excuse for me not to take my business elsewhere. Associations are even [.]. The Nature of Associations MORE
109 Association Trends data indicates a majority of associations do not include bonuses in staff compensation structures. Perhaps part of the resistance is simply a matter of language. ”Bonus” sounds gratuitous and unearned. But performance based compensation can be a critical element in achieving high staff performance. Read more in my commentary in the July 19th Trends. [.]. The Nature of Associations Association Management Bonus Compensation MORE
The web has made it a whole lot easier to fake it. And that is, if anything, even more of a threat to serious, online communities than to traditional associations. There is little you can effectively do to police the content of others on the web … leaving it up to our associations (traditional and [.]. Association Advocacy Social Media & Associations MORE
Have social networks made traditional associations obsolete? Or are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn et. just so many distractions from real association work? In my view, the answer is neither. I recently addressed this issue as a guest blogger on the Amercian Society of Association Executive’s (ASAE’s) blog space, Acronym. “Us versus Them” on Acronym. Social Media & Associations MORE
100 A member shared this video with me recently, which demonstrates that knowledge does not equal understanding and that it is very difficult to change biases. link] Watch the whole 8 minutes if you can … there is more here than the initial “hook” of the video: how changing one thing makes even a simple, customary task […]. The Nature of Associations The Way We Are Change Strategic Planning MORE
143 Twitter is a second language … it takes some effort to learn to speak it fluently. But does tweeting content in realtime at educational events add or detract from the educational experience? A lot of what gets tweeted at conferences and seminars is drivel, but for those fluent in the language, Twitter can add a [.]. Social Media & Associations MORE
There are two kinds of public policy research: there is inquiry and there is advocacy. In the case of advocacy, you start with an answer and go in search of the facts that will bolster and support your position. In the case of inquiry, you start with a question and let the facts lead you [.]. Association Advocacy MORE
The online world is divided into two camps over that one. One camp thinks there should be no restrictions or guidelines around who participates in online communities. Everything should be open to everybody. If someone with a completely different set of experiences shocks you with an idea or perspective that never would have occurred to [.]. Social Media & Associations MORE
I recently suffered a very sudden and very significant loss of vision. Happily, the condition was fully correctible. Nonetheless, during the period of impairment I learned some very interesting things about how the brain works and we perceive the world. I discovered that when I was in familiar surroundings, my brain could reach back to [.]. Association Advocacy The Way We Are MORE
There is a generation gap between lobbyists and the lobbied that requires rethinking established GR tactics. Read my commentary from this week’s Association Trends. Association Advocacy MORE
At a recent conference, I was diligent in my efforts to use social media to not only capture my own notes, but share them with my colleagues and associates, present and absent. I got a decent amount of reaction and interaction for my efforts. Retweets, likes, comments and discussion. Nothing remotely viral, mind you, but my […]. Social Media & Associations associations impact twitter MORE
Give the Metropolitan Opera credit. When its leadership screws up, they do it on a truly operatic scale. The Met is a nonprofit, structured in a manner not unlike many associations. There is the parent organization, the opera company, that delivers the core value to its membership (audience). And there is its educational foundation, the [.]. Association Advocacy The Nature of Associations association journals censorship leadership Transparency MORE
The rich “are different than you and me,” F. Scott Fitzgerald famously observed. (“Yes, they have more money,” Ernest Hemingway is apocryphally reported to have cynically added.) In the same vein, non-profit boards are different from corporate boards. They have less latitude to lead. Even when they have the clear legal authority and are acting [.]. The Nature of Associations Association Governance Boards MORE
135 The following is adapted from remarks delivered at the National Society of Professional Engineer’s House of Delegates General Assembly, July 22, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. As NSPE ends one fiscal/program year and starts a new one, it would be typical to talk about the past year’s activity. That is worth doing: we have a good story to […]. The Nature of Associations business strategy culture membership models MORE
I was recently invited to share one piece of advice from what I have learned in my years as an association chief staff officer on effective partnership with volunteer leaders, for a book soon to be published by ASAE. After giving some thought to the matter, for me it came down to what Jim Collins calls Level […]. Uncategorized The Nature of Associations The Way We Are Association Governance leadership MORE
141 
The new president of the national, not-for-profit organization urged his membership to remember: “The [organization] we passionately love is hardly some cumbersome, outmoded club of sticklers, with a medieval bureaucracy, silly … rules on fancy letterhead, one more movement rife with squabbles, opinions and disagreement.” ” No. All those elements might exist, or be perceived to [.]. Association Advocacy The Nature of Associations MORE
109 
That somewhat startling and counterintuitive piece of advice comes from futurist Dan Burrus. “No No matter what your angle for competing – whether you are competing on price, service, quality, time, design, or anything else – the unfortunate outcome is you’re making yourself too much like everyone else. So even when you are in the lead, [.]. The Nature of Associations MORE
131 At a GWSAE Speakers Series event a number of years ago, Margaret Thatcher described consensus as the opposite of leadership. She used words to the effect that consensus is an abdication of leadership obligations; true leaders take you somewhere the group otherwise would never go. Recently, on ASAE’s CEO network listserv, a rather energetic discussion [.]. The Nature of Associations Association Governance governance system leadership role of associations MORE
For a while there, Chris Anderson’s book, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, seemed to dominate the association consulting/seminar/blogging space. Now that its currency has dimmed a little, I have a confession to make. I struggled for a long time trying to like this book1. But in the [.]. The Nature of Associations MORE
To be real, innovation needs to be a habit, not a standalone project. And habits are learned through constant practice – doing something consistently and constantly until it becomes an ingrained feature of everyday activity. Something that is constantly happening, almost without conscious effort or thought. Part of that is systems and environment. Apple is [.]. The Nature of Associations MORE
When I ask association leaders (both volunteers and staff professionals) what their biggest long-term governance challenge is, the most frequent answer I hear back is the challenge of bringing the next generation of leaders on board. “Young people don’t volunteer the way we used to.” ” “They don’t have the time to devote to volunteering that [.]. The Nature of Associations Association Governance governance system leadership MORE
Closing the ASAE annual meeting in Dallas, author Dan Pink argued that, regardless of profession, we are all in sales. But the characteristics, skills and traits he described as essential for success sounded to my ears like precisely the attributes that distinguish effective association leaders, and differentiate us as a profession. Read more in my [.]. The Nature of Associations The Way We Are #asae12 Association Management association profession role of associations MORE
It is something of a commonplace to refer to associations as a kind of family or even to think of our mission-driven efforts as in some ways similar to a religion: an effort to organize like-minded individuals who share a common cause … a cause that is integral to both who they are as individuals [.]. The Way We Are associations mission purpose MORE
122 
The series had its ups and downs and wild swings in quality, but there is no question that Fox Television’s “House M.D.,” which came to an end after eight seasons this week, was consistently ambitious and compelling TV. Held together at its center by the bravura performance of Hugh Laurie in the title role, the [.]. The Way We Are market research member needs surveys MORE
The problem I have with most social networking is that you can’t ask follow up questions. Like a lot of people, I suppose, it took me a while to warm to Twitter and Facebook. I was initially put off by the sheer triviality of an overwhelming majority of the traffic. I mean really: I don’t [.]. Social Media & Associations Social Media MORE
152 
In the Sherlock Holmes mystery “Silver Blaze,” the solution turns on “the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.” ” Scotland Yard Detective Gregory can be forgiven for his confusion when he protests, “the dog did nothing in the night-time.” ” “That,” Holmes observes, “was the curious incident.” There are a number of dogs that didn’t [.]. Social Media & Associations Social Media trends MORE
142 A lot of self-help books and personal development coaches advise taking a break from your area of professional focus every now and then to read things entirely outside your field. In today’s world of mass media, information overload, and 24-hour-a-day, day jobs, that is increasingly hard to do. But I have found this to be […]. The Nature of Associations context mission MORE
Associations have garnered their share of attention from the Hill in the last year, but no one expected a thoroughly gridlocked Congress to actually get anything done about it … at least until after the election. And after that? Read my latest commentary in AssociationTRENDS to learn why I don’t think any of the association [.]. Association Advocacy not-for-profit tax exempt organizations tax reform MORE
109 
Seven years after the ASAE Foundation first published Seven Measures of Success it has become a whole lot easier to be a “data-driven” association. In 2006, the cost, systems and infrastructure needed to do what the remarkable 9 associations did with data was a major challenge. Less than a decade later, even the smallest association [.]. Social Media & Associations Data Driven Seven Measures Social Media MORE
My picks for the three biggest technology trends affecting associations for 2013: 1. It’s not just social … or even primarily social … it’s all about mobile access now 2. If you are a control freak … get over it. If you still think IT is somebody else’s responsibility, you’re wrong Read more in [.]. Social Media & Associations associations Social Media tech technology trends MORE
On November 6th, I was invited to present a TED-style talk on the “Future of Membership” at the first Association Chief Executives (ACE) Symposium. My thesis: volunteerism not membership is what makes our organizations unique; membership is a means to an end; the metrics we use to judge membership success are all wrong; and the […]. The Nature of Associations MORE
116 A few years ago I moderated a workshop on Chris Anderson’s book, Free and its implications for associations at the Digital Now conference. That presentation can be found here.) Anderson’s thesis was based largely on the concept of a “freemium” – give something away that creates a demand for future purchases. You know, give away [.]. Social Media & Associations free freemium membership models the end of membership as we know it MORE
Paradigms are the frames of reference that filter our view of the world. They govern how we see things … and can blind you to realties that don’t fit your governing paradigm. Take professional licensure. It’s a no-brainer, right? Some form of professional licensure has existed in America for lawyers since 1763, for physicians and dentists […]. Uncategorized engineering licensure PE MORE
100 Golden's Rules for Association
AUGUST 9, 2018
Paradigms are the frames of reference that filter our view of the world. They govern how we see things … and can blind you to realties that don’t fit your governing paradigm. Take professional licensure. It’s a no-brainer, right? Some form of professional licensure has existed in America for lawyers since 1763, for physicians and dentists […]. Uncategorized engineering licensure PE
Golden's Rules for Association
JANUARY 6, 2016
I was recently invited to share one piece of advice from what I have learned in my years as an association chief staff officer on effective partnership with volunteer leaders, for a book soon to be published by ASAE. After giving some thought to the matter, for me it came down to what Jim Collins calls Level […]. Uncategorized The Nature of Associations The Way We Are Association Governance leadership
Golden's Rules for Association
MARCH 3, 2015
A lot of self-help books and personal development coaches advise taking a break from your area of professional focus every now and then to read things entirely outside your field. In today’s world of mass media, information overload, and 24-hour-a-day, day jobs, that is increasingly hard to do. But I have found this to be […]. The Nature of Associations context mission
Golden's Rules for Association
JULY 28, 2017
The following is adapted from remarks delivered at the National Society of Professional Engineer’s House of Delegates General Assembly, July 22, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. As NSPE ends one fiscal/program year and starts a new one, it would be typical to talk about the past year’s activity. That is worth doing: we have a good story to […]. The Nature of Associations business strategy culture membership models
Golden's Rules for Association
MAY 16, 2015
A member shared this video with me recently, which demonstrates that knowledge does not equal understanding and that it is very difficult to change biases. link] Watch the whole 8 minutes if you can … there is more here than the initial “hook” of the video: how changing one thing makes even a simple, customary task […]. The Nature of Associations The Way We Are Change Strategic Planning
Golden's Rules for Association
APRIL 24, 2016
At a recent conference, I was diligent in my efforts to use social media to not only capture my own notes, but share them with my colleagues and associates, present and absent. I got a decent amount of reaction and interaction for my efforts. Retweets, likes, comments and discussion. Nothing remotely viral, mind you, but my […]. Social Media & Associations associations impact twitter
Golden's Rules for Association
APRIL 16, 2012
The problem I have with most social networking is that you can’t ask follow up questions. Like a lot of people, I suppose, it took me a while to warm to Twitter and Facebook. I was initially put off by the sheer triviality of an overwhelming majority of the traffic. I mean really: I don’t [.]. Social Media & Associations Social Media
Golden's Rules for Association
MARCH 28, 2012
When I ask association leaders (both volunteers and staff professionals) what their biggest long-term governance challenge is, the most frequent answer I hear back is the challenge of bringing the next generation of leaders on board. “Young people don’t volunteer the way we used to.” ” “They don’t have the time to devote to volunteering that [.]. The Nature of Associations Association Governance governance system leadership
Golden's Rules for Association
DECEMBER 14, 2012
Chances are that if you are reading this, you consider yourself an association professional and you appreciate the tremendous good that associations do for society. You are probably also concerned about some of the issues impacting associations, and maybe even support advocacy by groups like ASAE to address them. But do you ever involve the [.]. Association Advocacy association profession engagement leadership lobbying not-for-profit role of associations tax exempt organizations
Golden's Rules for Association
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
On November 6th, I was invited to present a TED-style talk on the “Future of Membership” at the first Association Chief Executives (ACE) Symposium. My thesis: volunteerism not membership is what makes our organizations unique; membership is a means to an end; the metrics we use to judge membership success are all wrong; and the […]. The Nature of Associations
Golden's Rules for Association
MAY 6, 2013
It is something of a commonplace to refer to associations as a kind of family or even to think of our mission-driven efforts as in some ways similar to a religion: an effort to organize like-minded individuals who share a common cause … a cause that is integral to both who they are as individuals [.]. The Way We Are associations mission purpose
Golden's Rules for Association
JUNE 27, 2012
The rich “are different than you and me,” F. Scott Fitzgerald famously observed. (“Yes, they have more money,” Ernest Hemingway is apocryphally reported to have cynically added.) In the same vein, non-profit boards are different from corporate boards. They have less latitude to lead. Even when they have the clear legal authority and are acting [.]. The Nature of Associations Association Governance Boards
Golden's Rules for Association
APRIL 8, 2013
A few years ago I moderated a workshop on Chris Anderson’s book, Free and its implications for associations at the Digital Now conference. That presentation can be found here.) Anderson’s thesis was based largely on the concept of a “freemium” – give something away that creates a demand for future purchases. You know, give away [.]. Social Media & Associations free freemium membership models the end of membership as we know it
Golden's Rules for Association
OCTOBER 12, 2012
Much of the public thinks of associations as “special interests” who do nothing but lobby the system to game advantage (even though U. government data shows that associations spend many times more on educational activities than on lobbying). In my opinion, “special interest” is a pejorative only when applied to a group whose interests [.]. Association Advocacy role of associations
Golden's Rules for Association
MAY 22, 2012
The series had its ups and downs and wild swings in quality, but there is no question that Fox Television’s “House M.D.,” which came to an end after eight seasons this week, was consistently ambitious and compelling TV. Held together at its center by the bravura performance of Hugh Laurie in the title role, the [.]. The Way We Are market research member needs surveys
Golden's Rules for Association
OCTOBER 13, 2011
That somewhat startling and counterintuitive piece of advice comes from futurist Dan Burrus. “No No matter what your angle for competing – whether you are competing on price, service, quality, time, design, or anything else – the unfortunate outcome is you’re making yourself too much like everyone else. So even when you are in the lead, [.]. The Nature of Associations
Golden's Rules for Association
FEBRUARY 23, 2013
Seven years after the ASAE Foundation first published Seven Measures of Success it has become a whole lot easier to be a “data-driven” association. In 2006, the cost, systems and infrastructure needed to do what the remarkable 9 associations did with data was a major challenge. Less than a decade later, even the smallest association [.]. Social Media & Associations Data Driven Seven Measures Social Media
Golden's Rules for Association
JANUARY 31, 2013
My picks for the three biggest technology trends affecting associations for 2013: 1. It’s not just social … or even primarily social … it’s all about mobile access now 2. If you are a control freak … get over it. If you still think IT is somebody else’s responsibility, you’re wrong Read more in [.]. Social Media & Associations associations Social Media tech technology trends
Golden's Rules for Association
SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
Associations have garnered their share of attention from the Hill in the last year, but no one expected a thoroughly gridlocked Congress to actually get anything done about it … at least until after the election. And after that? Read my latest commentary in AssociationTRENDS to learn why I don’t think any of the association [.]. Association Advocacy not-for-profit tax exempt organizations tax reform
Golden's Rules for Association
JULY 18, 2011
“It is extraordinary to notice how few people in the modern world can argue. That is why there are so many quarrels breaking out again and again, and never coming to any natural end.” How true. Just switch on any cable TV “news” show or go to any online forum. Or visit an association board [.]. Association Advocacy The Way We Are
Golden's Rules for Association
AUGUST 19, 2012
Closing the ASAE annual meeting in Dallas, author Dan Pink argued that, regardless of profession, we are all in sales. But the characteristics, skills and traits he described as essential for success sounded to my ears like precisely the attributes that distinguish effective association leaders, and differentiate us as a profession. Read more in my [.]. The Nature of Associations The Way We Are #asae12 Association Management association profession role of associations
Golden's Rules for Association
AUGUST 1, 2012
I didn’t exactly go through the five stages of grief when the public furor over the GAO Las Vegas retreat first erupted in the media. But I did go through something like that process. Stage one is denial: I am a “benefit of the doubt” kind of guy. If there is an innocent interpretation, I [.]. Association Advocacy Association Meetings Bad Publicity GAO Image Transparency
Golden's Rules for Association
JULY 27, 2012
Association Trends data indicates a majority of associations do not include bonuses in staff compensation structures. Perhaps part of the resistance is simply a matter of language. ”Bonus” sounds gratuitous and unearned. But performance based compensation can be a critical element in achieving high staff performance. Read more in my commentary in the July 19th Trends. [.]. The Nature of Associations Association Management Bonus Compensation
Golden's Rules for Association
JANUARY 10, 2012
At a GWSAE Speakers Series event a number of years ago, Margaret Thatcher described consensus as the opposite of leadership. She used words to the effect that consensus is an abdication of leadership obligations; true leaders take you somewhere the group otherwise would never go. Recently, on ASAE’s CEO network listserv, a rather energetic discussion [.]. The Nature of Associations Association Governance governance system leadership role of associations
Golden's Rules for Association
JUNE 22, 2012
There is a generation gap between lobbyists and the lobbied that requires rethinking established GR tactics. Read my commentary from this week’s Association Trends. Association Advocacy
Golden's Rules for Association
MAY 28, 2012
Give the Metropolitan Opera credit. When its leadership screws up, they do it on a truly operatic scale. The Met is a nonprofit, structured in a manner not unlike many associations. There is the parent organization, the opera company, that delivers the core value to its membership (audience). And there is its educational foundation, the [.]. Association Advocacy The Nature of Associations association journals censorship leadership Transparency
Golden's Rules for Association
APRIL 2, 2012
To be real, innovation needs to be a habit, not a standalone project. And habits are learned through constant practice – doing something consistently and constantly until it becomes an ingrained feature of everyday activity. Something that is constantly happening, almost without conscious effort or thought. Part of that is systems and environment. Apple is [.]. The Nature of Associations
Golden's Rules for Association
NOVEMBER 25, 2012
That was the common thread from the presentations and discussion at TREND’s Annual Communications Legal Update on October 26th. Among the high level takeaways was the need to remember that most of the arcane web of political communication, intellectual property, privacy, and commercial law that governs our digital world was written decades before digital was [.]. Social Media & Associations association law copyright Intellectual Property lotteries Social Media social media policies
Golden's Rules for Association
JANUARY 4, 2012
For a while there, Chris Anderson’s book, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, seemed to dominate the association consulting/seminar/blogging space. Now that its currency has dimmed a little, I have a confession to make. I struggled for a long time trying to like this book1. But in the [.]. The Nature of Associations
Golden's Rules for Association
MAY 31, 2011
Suppose you were an association executive with a medical need. You have identified the leading doctors who specialize in the field. The decision is important. Your health is at stake. So you take very seriously the process of deciding which doctor is the best fit to work with you to diagnose your problem and prescribe [.]. The Nature of Associations association profession role of associations
Golden's Rules for Association
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
The new president of the national, not-for-profit organization urged his membership to remember: “The [organization] we passionately love is hardly some cumbersome, outmoded club of sticklers, with a medieval bureaucracy, silly … rules on fancy letterhead, one more movement rife with squabbles, opinions and disagreement.” ” No. All those elements might exist, or be perceived to [.]. Association Advocacy The Nature of Associations
Golden's Rules for Association
SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
Commonplace words … but recent events have added a depth of meaning to each of them. Midafternoon on August 23rd, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Virginia. Earthquakes in this region are rare. Earthquakes of that size are unheard of. Much of the Washington DC area was able to shake it off and move on. The little [.]. The Way We Are
Golden's Rules for Association
SEPTEMBER 2, 2011
As consumers, there are some products, brands, or stores we frequent out of habit. And in stable, calm and good times that’s enough. Trouble is, all it takes is the slightest little disruption to make “because I have always shopped here” an insufficient excuse for me not to take my business elsewhere. Associations are even [.]. The Nature of Associations
Golden's Rules for Association
AUGUST 7, 2011
I am often asked why I have spent my entire career, and how I have maintained my calm demeanor, in a profession where success requires making people you can’t directly control work effectively together. “People are irrational, self-centered and unreasonable – why would you put yourself through it?” ” My answer is simple: because when people [.]. The Way We Are #asae11
Golden's Rules for Association
JUNE 20, 2011
Conflict! Treachery! Betrayal! Passion! No, I am not talking about your last board of directors meeting. I am talking about opera. And before you start rolling your eyes and dismissing opera based on the parodies or send ups you’ve seen (Marx Brothers’ “Night at the Opera,” anyone?), allow me to provide a short, painless and mostly lighthearted [.]. The Nature of Associations The Way We Are
Golden's Rules for Association
MAY 17, 2011
The online world is divided into two camps over that one. One camp thinks there should be no restrictions or guidelines around who participates in online communities. Everything should be open to everybody. If someone with a completely different set of experiences shocks you with an idea or perspective that never would have occurred to [.]. Social Media & Associations
Golden's Rules for Association
MAY 10, 2011
I recently suffered a very sudden and very significant loss of vision. Happily, the condition was fully correctible. Nonetheless, during the period of impairment I learned some very interesting things about how the brain works and we perceive the world. I discovered that when I was in familiar surroundings, my brain could reach back to [.]. Association Advocacy The Way We Are
Golden's Rules for Association
APRIL 29, 2011
There are two kinds of public policy research: there is inquiry and there is advocacy. In the case of advocacy, you start with an answer and go in search of the facts that will bolster and support your position. In the case of inquiry, you start with a question and let the facts lead you [.]. Association Advocacy
Golden's Rules for Association
JUNE 30, 2011
I am thrilled and humbled to learn of my selection to receive the American Society of Association Executive’s 2011 Key Award, the highest honor ASAE offers. “The Key Award honors the association CEO who demonstrates exceptional qualities of leadership in his or her own association, and displays a deep commitment to voluntary membership organizations as a [.]. The Way We Are
Golden's Rules for Association
JUNE 9, 2011
Does knowing nothing more about who is behind a statement than the words a person uses to express themselves make online pronouncements more or less reliable? On one hand, not knowing anything about who is blogging or tweating beyond the sometimes very limited information about themselves that they choose to make known to you is a good thing. It [.]. Social Media & Associations
Golden's Rules for Association
MAY 7, 2011
Twitter is a second language … it takes some effort to learn to speak it fluently. But does tweeting content in realtime at educational events add or detract from the educational experience? A lot of what gets tweeted at conferences and seminars is drivel, but for those fluent in the language, Twitter can add a [.]. Social Media & Associations
Golden's Rules for Association
APRIL 21, 2011
The web has made it a whole lot easier to fake it. And that is, if anything, even more of a threat to serious, online communities than to traditional associations. There is little you can effectively do to police the content of others on the web … leaving it up to our associations (traditional and [.]. Association Advocacy Social Media & Associations
Golden's Rules for Association
APRIL 20, 2011
Have social networks made traditional associations obsolete? Or are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn et. just so many distractions from real association work? In my view, the answer is neither. I recently addressed this issue as a guest blogger on the Amercian Society of Association Executive’s (ASAE’s) blog space, Acronym. “Us versus Them” on Acronym. Social Media & Associations
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