Happy Friday! What an exciting week it has been! I think I’ve already used my monthly allotment of free nytimes.com articles this week alone! It’s been go go go all week and I’m looking forward to a (somewhat) relaxing weekend, enjoying the nice weather. As always, though, I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite association blog posts from this week. Make sure you read them before heading out of the office to enjoy your own weekend!

April showers bring May flowers?

1. Jeff Hurt wrote a great (as always) post with tips for presenters regarding questions. Although it may be easy to say, “we’ll hold all questions until the end of the presentation,” audiences are often eager to learn more and may get stuck on a certain point during the presentation. Jeff shares some tips for presenters to set up expectations for questions.

2. In the fifth part of her continuing series, Words Make Worlds, Shelly Alcorn discusses professional development versus lifecycle learning. She writes that associations have to consider the needs of the whole person when planning professional learning – and to not just focus on technical skills, but also things like communication and leadership.

3. Jamie Notter wrote this week about online communities and conflict. He points out that people will say things via email or blog comments that they would never say in person – I’m sure you’ve experienced something similar. Conflict resolution is tricky, and it can be even trickier when the conflict originates online. How does your association handle such problems?

4. In this week’s Leadership Limerick, Jeffrey Cufaude tackles metrics and how to manage them. To be sure you’re on the path to meeting your goals, it’s crucial to implement some “stop, look and listen” metrics. This way, you can assess if you’re on track and perhaps even alter your goals a bit if necessary.

5. At the Acronym blog, Brian Birch shares seven ways to align your social blog with engagement champions for search engine success. Sound complicated? It’s not. Sure, SEO is kind of boring, but it’s absolutely necessary to develop a good SEO strategy for your association. Your small staff association can also use the social Web to champion innovation among your communities.

P.S. Don’t forget to wish your mom a Happy Mother’s Day this Sunday!

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