Happy Friday the 13th to one and all! I hope everyone has had an enjoyable and productive week. We Clickers are still settling into our new pad, and we’ve all had a great first few days in the new place.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Friday if I didn’t share my top five favorite association management blog posts. There were some great ones this week!

1. In the days following ASAE and The Center’s Social Media Workshop, Elizabeth Weaver Engel wrote a great follow-up: “forget the ‘how,’ worry about the ‘why.’” Before you even get started using one of the many, many social media outposts available, be sure you have a solid reason. Everyone is involved in social media for a variety of reasons, and people’s goals and reasons aren’t always exactly the same. Your experience is what you make of it!

2. Cecilia Sepp posted a wise response she gave on a listserv. The question: What advice would you give to someone new to association management? The answer includes five great points — remember the association industry is a service industry. Association management is about managing relationships rather than product development, she writes.

3. What would you do if your members jumped right into social media and created an “unofficial” Facebook page or Twitter stream? Peggy Hoffman examined ISES DC and how it followed its members leads when they created not just Facebook and Twitter presences, but also a Google group and blog. There was some disconnect between the staff and members, but the members ultimately took the lead because they knew where other members were.

4. Tony Rossell referenced an article he found from 1991 that discussed how to calculate the lifetime value of a member. There’s a formula and some calculations, and even though all things mathematical freak me out (I love words, numbers not so much), the formula seems (fairly) straightforward. Like Tony said though, every membership organization should have some method of calculating the lifetime value of a member. I still prefer the shortcut method he posted, though!

5. Erik Schonher provided a clear and simple guideline for associations that are in the process of adopting social media. His three questions are concise and to the point, and he includes the caveat that social media is not for all associations — something I don’t think we hear enough of. Additionally, Erik urges association staffers to actively discuss social media adoption with the members. After all, they know what tools members are already using (or not)!

I hope everyone has a wonderful (non-spooky) Friday the 13th and a great weekend!