Well Past Its Expiration Date

What's in your fridge? Ketchup from the Clinton years? Lunch leftovers that have transformed into weapons of mass destruction? Nothing? Well ... occasionally here at DJG intrepid employees take some time to toss things from our fridge that are no longer identifiable.

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Technology and the evolving nature of member networking: Part II

A couple weeks ago, I attended a Meetup for Lean Startups. DJG is starting a new business and I found this session by browsing the Internet looking for information on sharing best practices for startups. I joined the Meetup group once I had found them online, and the registration process was quick and painless—and no membership dues! The group was founded two years ago and has 2,100 members already.

I noticed right off the bat the level of community they are forming with members. Within seconds of joining the group, the website had my information listed down one side of the homepage, among many other professionals who had joined that day—talk about conveying a sense of originality and momentum. How many associations can say they display that level of interaction and community among their profession in real time?

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Technology and the evolving nature of member networking

Back in 2009, I interviewed James Heckman of the Chicago Chapter of the American Marketing Association on his experience with meetup.com. It’s a fascinating story that has interesting implications for how your members can fulfill your networking needs in the future. This is the article I wrote back then. In the near future, I will update this by recapping my latest Meetup experience –a local meeting I just attended on Lean Startups. If you are with an association, you need to pay attention to this new reality I call self-organized fellowship.

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Driving membership: One size does not fit all

The mainstreaming of social media has made it increasingly easier to network or find like-minded individuals that share our interests. If you are in a city of at least 100K, I guarantee there is a group that meets regularly to discuss the latest toe rings or an even rarer, acute pastime.

This is great for recent graduates who need to start building connections, but not so great for associations that have to fight for attention in this crowded networking arena.

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