Happy Friday – it’s double the pleasure at the Splash blog today. If you haven’t checked out the highlights from our holiday party, you should take a peek. Pictures are fun! But I didn’t want to end the week without highlighting some of the awesome stuff going on in the association blogging community. So, as usual, in no particular order…

1. Lynn Morton linked to this article she wrote for AAPA’s Web site: Tweeting the conference: A how-to. It’s written for physicians assistants, but the concepts really apply to any conference attendees, regardless of industry. A great step-by-step for Twitter beginners – everyone has to start somewhere!

2. At the Idea Architects blog, Jeffrey Cufaude wrote that big ideas are relative – what’s “big” and innovative at one organization might be standard practice at another. Going forward, he hopes that associations imagining and achieving big ideas becomes normal. He writes, We need to develop the organizational culture, attract the talent and knowledge, and turbo-charge our daily processes and systems. Amen!

3. I don’t want to highlight every “Big Ideas” post, but this one by Kevin Holland struck a chord with me: What if associations weren’t afraid to generate serious cash? I’ve been brainstorming about a similar topic and I loved Kevin’s post. Association do have access to a “cash-generating apparatus,” and they shouldn’t be afraid to tap into that.

4. The other day, David M. Patt wrote about the materials two art schools sent his son – they were creative and fun to open. The little things such as this go a long way. Do your association’s communication materials make members feel as if they’re custom-made for each person, or are they painfully generic?

5. Erik Schonher wrote a great post about leaving behind the “build-it-and-they-will-come” attitude in 2010 and focus on the value associations provide each individual member. It’s true that every member has their own expectations, so associations should try to understand them all, prioritize and deliver. This is a wonderful, well thought-out post.

There’s some great stuff out there, and I hope everyone takes the time to check these out, if you haven’t already. Have a great weekend!