Synergy Web Platform™ Blog

Many small and mid-size associations allow their committees, sections and SIGs to utilize open or free group software from Yahoo or Google (and others).  And, what could be better? It’s free and it let’s members interact.  But, as with most things in life, using this free software comes with some heavy long and short term costs.   

When a committee or board is allowed to use a non-association resource for communication (other than email) the association pays.  In the short-term, that free software does not always work.  As a result association staff have to know how to use and problem solve on it.  This is an expensive investment in staff time.  Plus, in most associations, different groups use different packages.  Having staff know and interact with multiple packages takes time and training – two things most association have in short supply.

But, almost more important than the short-term costs, not having member online group interactions integrated within your association’s software carries some pretty significant long-term costs.  These costs are best viewed as opportunities that you lose by using these free packages.  Or, on the more positive side, if you integrate these activities into your association software solution you can gain a few key benefits:

1. Promotion of the association name and brand
2. Leveraging this interaction as a valued member benefit
3. Better monitoring and moderating content and topics
4. Making the history searchable for members 

Let’s take a deeper look at each one of these topics in more detail.

1. Association brand promotion.  By allowing members to use something like Yahoo groups to interact with other members, why do they then need to be a member of an association?  Why pay the dues?  If members can access other members for free, why would they want or need to pay the association dues?  The association’s brand should convey that membership provides value by facilitating access to the leading members of any trade or profession.  The association brand must instill that it is the best place to get the best information and access to the best resources.  This is not accomplished by the outsourcing your community building efforts to free solutions.
2. Control membership value.  Relying on free community sites means giving away control to access to your most valuable asset:  your members.  A number of associations are now realizing that members that no longer pay dues are still getting the interaction through these free groups.  Dropping out of the organization should mean you no longer get to participate in the benefits of the association.  Too bad this is not a reality in this scenario.
3. Content moderation.  For many organizations it is vital that the content in these groups be moderated by knowledgeable individuals.  Staff may or may not be the ones moderating these off-site groups.  The more control over the content through moderation the more value the association can provide to a membership.
4. Searchable history.  The interaction between these members in online groups is extremely valuable both today and tomorrow.  By providing this service on your own organizational Web site, your members can benefit from the great search features that can provide benefit years down the road to new members.  The history of many topics can be captured and stored for future reference.  This is a great starting place for many new members to get up to speed on important topics.

It is important to realize that while many of these services are “free,” there is a cost to giving up this important service to an outside resource.  Over the long term, this free service could end up costing you a significant amount of staff time and/or revenue from members that no longer renew because they can get one of the most valuable services of your association for “free.”

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For more than a decade, clients have counted on Synergistic Networks to deliver technology solutions that forward their mission and objectives.  If you have grown tired of jargon and chasing the latest trend and need an Internet strategy that delivers results – then we are the right firm for you. SynNet works with over 75 associations and non-profits providing Website design, e-commerce web design and e-commerce shopping carts , e-Learning software and other association software to groups all over North America.

Being a member of an association means that you are a part of a group that understands your unique concerns and interests.  And, since you are part of a group that understands your unique interests, shouldn’t the associations Web site know who you are and what your particular interests are?  If your association doesn’t offer this kind of personalization, wouldn’t this be a great way to provide a binding benefit to every member?   Too often, the association uses the Web site as a one-size-fits-all place to share its specialized knowledge. 

The problem with this approach is that there probably isn’t an association out there whose membership is even close to one-size-fits-all.  Every group has sub-groups, sections, committees, boards and other areas of interest that must provide specific information for specific sub-groups. But, few organizations have the type of association software that can tailor the content from the site to specific member needs.  Why is this becoming so important? 

Here are five reasons why this is vital for your association: 

1.  Knowledge of member.  Why ask members for so much information about themselves if you aren’t going to use it for the member’s benefit.  Profiles and areas of interest can easily be targeted to the specific groups within the association.  In addition, the more you can learn about specific group interests, the better you will be able to provide products and/or services to meet their changing needs.  Also, why waste the members time by promoting a class that member can’t or a program they are not eligible for?   

2.  Attention span.  The Web makes it easy to finds lot of information.  Wouldn’t you prefer that members use your site for this purpose?  Pull together great information sources for the member and make it available to them.  Let them start each day by coming to your site to get the latest and greatest information from your specialty.  

3. Relationship building.  When your friends call, do you say “Do I know you?” or do you instantly start talking.  For too many associations, the Web site is always portrayed as “Do I know you?”  Remember, relationships are built through 2 way conversations.  Your members are talking and you need a site that can help you listen and provide direction to better ways to service them. 

4.  Frequent use.  The more you can tailor the content to the member, the more they will return to the site and think the association is interested in their needs.  Track the number of times a member returns, pages access and time spent on the site to prove ROI to board and committees. Ask for feedback and rating of content.   Also, site usage statistics can point you to important trends in the specialty. 

5.  Binding member benefit (top of mind).  If the content on your site frequently solves the member’s problem quickly, the Web site becomes a benefit that they just can’t function without.  Also, you want the  members to come to you first when they have  a problem or are seeking answers to specific questions.  A site than offers constantly evolving content gains “top of mind” position with individuals.  Look no further than your own Web site usage – where do you go first when you have a question or need information? 

If you want to your Web site to become a binding member benefit and encourage greater site utilization, take a look at the second impression you make as they return to your site. Then, make each subsequent visit even more personalized and more satisfying by making the member feel more special than they did on their first visit to your site.

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For more than a decade, clients have counted on Synergistic Networks to deliver technology solutions that forward their mission and objectives.  If you have grown tired of jargon and chasing the latest trend and need an Internet strategy that delivers results – then we are the right firm for you. SynNet works with over 75 associations and non-profits providing Website design, e-commerce web design and e-commerce shopping carts , e-Learning software and other association software to groups all over North America.

For many associations, their Web site is the day to day communication tool utilized by the members, as well as the public and media.  From topics to association news to finding out about products and resources, the Web site is the organizations main “face and voice” to the world.   As a result associations have developed large Web teams who are charged with keep the Web fresh and up-to-date.  There are also submission policies, editorial guidelines, approval policies and committees designed to develop and control information on the Web site all in the name of “giving members what they want.” But, just like everything else on the Web, there is a new movement that seeks to give association members exactly what they want and eliminate much of the investment associations spend in “controlling” their Web sites.  What is this new approach? Make association members primary content contributors to the association site. 

While having members of a community contribute to its Web content is hardly a new trend, it is not one that has been adopted yet by the association industry.   Most association claim to be “member-driven” – and yet limit member input to outdated models such as surveys, opinion polls and the occasional op-ed.  While these methods do bring some value, they can not compare with the insights members deliver when they communicate directly to their colleagues.Since nothing is as valued, important or respected among an association’s member more than the views of their expert colleagues why not leverage this to make your association Web content as dynamic and relevant as possible? Here’s how to get started:

1.  Ask the members to participate.  Most members join organizations for similar reasons.  These reasons could be to further one’s knowledge, share experiences, mentor, market or promote, seek recognition, impact the future of the specialty, maintain professional requirements or any variation of the above.  Giving the members the chance to share through a simple interface gives the members more opportunity to do the things that prompted them to join in the first place.

2.  Ask the member to more deeply share their expertise.  Most organizations provide some online profile and a member to member search function.  By expanding the member profile functions, the organization provides a greater opportunity for the members to share expertise and experience.  In addition, the greater the chance there is that members will be contacted for important topics and projects either from other members or the media. 3.  Ask the members to share their published materials.  Documents uploaded to the organizational Web site enhances and improves the total amount of content on the site.  This improves the product for the members and for search engines.  It also allows the members to promote themselves.   This is a win-win for everyone.4.  Ask the members to rate the current content on the site.  Every member organization suffers from vast amounts of useless content on the site.  By asking the member to rate the content and having those ratings appear on the site, the content on the site can and will improve.  In addition, members can benefit from other members content experiences and this increases the overall site value to everyone.    

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For more than a decade, clients have counted on Synergistic Networks to deliver technology solutions that forward their mission and objectives.  If you have grown tired of jargon and chasing the latest trend and need an Internet strategy that delivers results – then we are the right firm for you. SynNet works with over 75 associations and non-profits providing Website design, e-commerce web design and e-commerce shopping carts , e-Learning software and other association software to groups all over North America.

Social networking is all the rage these days.  You can find articles and information about it everywhere.  But for most associations social networking is not anything new.  The only new wrinkle is that the concept is now attempting to be applied to the organizations Web site instead of their meetings or conferences.

Most associations today are asking how they can benefit from social networking and how they can make their organization Web site the center of social networking for their trade or profession.  For many organizations, this is a natural extension of the organizations historical charter only with a technical application.  And, so, the problem is fairly clear and the solution simple to apply.

The best way to begin is by defining what we are talking about.  This is a good definition that I think bears value whether speaking of an online strategy or traditional “networking”:

An organized effort that encourages interaction and the users increase the value through participation.

This definition provides clarity in that it defines social networking in both human and technical terms.  The human value of participation in an organization may be for career networking, personal growth or recognition. 

The technical side of the definition can provide the same value.  However, the software system must be structured in such a way that encourages considered participation and this is where most organizations fail. 

The goal of social networking Web sites is to connect people of similar interests.  These people can either be individuals you already know or others you need to find that have a similar objective.  But, the problem is not simply connecting the people together.  That is easy.  The real goal is to create a community of value through their interaction and participation in the system.  This is where the organization’s Web site can provide the most value as long as your association software allows such interaction.

Almost every association has a goal of getting the membership to provide value to the organization through the contribution of content to the Web site.  This content may be in the form of subject matter expertise, forums posting, survey completion, e-learning evaluations or online networking.  However, in almost every case, this effort is not met with success.  The primary reason is that there is no value in it for the members.  The participation does not increase the value to the users of the system — it appears that the participation only increases the value to the association staff.  This is why most efforts fail.

The solution involves creating a method for the members to contribute, evaluate and respond to content so that other members can benefit from the other users experience.  This provides value to the membership by allowing other members to read reviews and access highly rated content.  This method provides value to the staff by directing them to the parts of the site members deem useful and letting them know the parts of the site users deem less than valuable.  This creates the opportunity to add to the sections members are using and rewrite or delete the parts that are underperforming.

The binding member benefit comes as each members Web experiences and contributions grow.  More postings, more evaluations, more comments and more content from each member and/or user expand the value of the system exponentially.  And, as the users come to rely on the experience and feedback of others, the members become more and more dependent on the organization and its Web site.

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For more than a decade, clients have counted on Synergistic Networks to deliver technology solutions that forward their mission and objectives.  If you have grown tired of jargon and chasing the latest trend and need an Internet strategy that delivers results – then we are the right firm for you. SynNet works with over 75 associations and non-profits providing Website design, e-commerce web design and e-commerce shopping carts , e-Learning software and other association software to groups all over North America.

Small and mid-size associations often use separate systems to help manage their members and association functions.  This often creates an additional work load that can be more effectively managed via the organizations Web site.  

For many of these groups, their association software is a mixed bag of systems that lack integration.  In order to accomplish simple tasks, staff members must access multiple systems through multiple interfaces in order to keep member information up to date.  However, the new model is that the association Web site is becoming the first choice for quick member service.  The more power and control you can give members to maintain and update their own information, the greater the return on the investment the organization will get from its investment in Web-enabled association software.

The organizational Web site should easily be able to provide the following functions:

·  Association Membership Management

·  Dues Payment

·  Committee, Board and Chapter Management

·  Staff Intranet

·  Education and Certification Management

·  Social Networking for Members

·  Event Marketing and Registration

·  Web Content Management

·  E-Commerce

·  Reporting and Business Intelligence

With this type of functionality on the non-profits Web site, the staff of small and mid-size associations can focus more of their time and attention on serving member needs, creating new programs and building a lasting member benefit.

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For more than a decade, clients have counted on Synergistic Networks to deliver technology solutions that forward their mission and objectives.  If you have grown tired of jargon and chasing the latest trend and need an Internet strategy that delivers results – then we are the right firm for you. SynNet works with over 75 associations and non-profits providing Website design, e-commerce web design and e-commerce shopping carts , e-Learning software and other association software to groups all over North America.

With Web 2.0, there is now in process, a major and significant change in Web technology that will have major impact on all organizations engaged in Web activity over the next five years.

The Synergy Web Platform™ and SynNet®’s unique approach to installation, use, training and support enables our clients to successfully meet these new challenges.�

SynNet®’s focus is ROI for our clients with a cost-effective Web solution, the Synergy Web Platform™ that includes the following features: