Happy Friday! Who’s psyched about the World Cup? It should be an exciting month for the world’s sports enthusiasts as everyone’s eyes turn toward soccer (or football, or futbol, or whatever you prefer to call it). Of course, in between games, there are tons of awesome blogs in the association community to keep you occupied. Here are five that stood out to me this week:

1. Erik Schonher provided a link to the 2010 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report and re-published Tony Rossell’s top 10 lessons from this year’s report. A key point? Although Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are the most commonly used social media tools, they’re not necessarily the most effective for reaching membership goals. Something to keep in mind…

2. One social media tool that is definitely effective for sharing information? Slideshare. Beth Kanter shared nine ways nonprofits can use Slideshare this week, and I think her list succinctly explains how nonprofits (and associations, too!) can take advantage of Slideshare’s cool features. Most thought leaders and speakers post their presentations, so we all have access to them whenever we want!

3. Deirdre Reid wrote a great post about what upward-facing organizations could look like, now and going forward. She used the for-profit company Lululemon as an example, and from her list, I think flexibility is one of the most important points — let staffers take the time to recharge by exercising, going to yoga, whatever … it makes us all happier and healthier, which can lead to increased productivity.

4. This post at Mashable about cloud computing isn’t specific to organizations, but it definitely applies to them. Experts predict that by 2020, Internet users will use the cloud for the majority of their file and data storage. One big issue, however, is how secure the “cloud” (or Internet storage) is, as well as information privacy. A huge advantage is that data stored in the cloud is accessible from any computer, anywhere. What’s your take?

5. As an introduction to Buzz 2010, Maddie Grant posted the introduction to Charlene Li’s new book, “Open Leadership.” Charlene Li will be speaking at Buzz’s first session, which takes place next week, on June 16. After reading just the introduction, I can already tell that this book will be so beneficial to nonprofits and associations, and can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Definitely take a look at this, and if you’re going to be in Washington, D.C. next week, sign up for Buzz 2010!

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, and have fun! GO USA!