Happy Friday and merry Christmas Eve (Eve). (And for those who “celebrate,” Happy Festivus.)

Things are winding down here at MemberClicks. With fewer than 2 days to go until Christmas, the office is festive and there are treats everywhere. It’s become our Friday tradition, though, to share five of our fave association blog posts from the community. If you have time during your busy holiday weekend, be sure to check these out.

1. Do you clearly establish expectations of your association’s officers? Cindy Butts recommends not requiring officers to do certain tasks “just because.” Rather, find the right volunteer for certain tasks. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses; use them appropriately.

2. Jeff Hurt reminds association leaders of one simple truth: you have too much to do because your association does too much! He examines the complexity and structure of organizations and encourages associations to embrace simplicity. Removing the excess is hard. Focusing on what you do best isn’t always hard. In a nutshell, identify your organization’s core purpose and then do it.

3. David M. Patt shares words of wisdom with association professionals – marketing is not something you should flip on and off. It doesn’t matter if you have an event coming up or not, you should be connecting with your members and potential members. Wise words, and a great reminder.

4. Shelly Alcorn shares how she’ll use the time between Christmas and New Year’s to focus on reflecting on the coming year and determine her “five terms” to focus on in 2012. Share your own in the comments and help inspire others!

5. If your association isn’t thinking about mobile yet … well, why aren’t you?! Jamie Notter reflects on the ASAE Technology Conference and its major theme: mobile. Smartphone use is only increasing, and, although the desktop won’t become obsolete, people are accessing the Internet from more devices than ever before.

That’s all from us this week! No matter what you choose to celebrate, Happy Holidays!

The association community has lost a dear friend in Mark Bledsoe. Our hearts go out to his family and friends.

Although I feel like much of the country (especially the East Coast) is experiencing warmer-than-usual temperatures for this time of year, it’s still easy to become affected by shorter days – especially after the holiday season winds down.Although the lights are still twinkling right now, in just a few days, it’ll be January. The letdown can often be a pretty big bummer, leading to Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Even if you don’t have full-blown Seasonal Affective Disorder, it’s pretty common to experience some of these symptoms during the winter months:

- Increased feelings of lethargy
- Difficulty waking up in the mornings
- Difficulty concentrating and thinking creatively in comparison to the summer months
- Incorrectly blaming oneself for things that go wrong
- Difficulty performing tasks that normally seem to be easy/enjoyable

(Source)

It makes sense that the winter blues can affect your work performance. If you or your fellow association staffers are experiencing a bit of a winter slump, here are some ideas.

- Once every few hours, drop everything and do some push-ups. Exercise has been proven to reduce stress and improve your mood. (If you’re pressed for time and can’t get a 30-minute aerobic workout in, at least do some push-ups or crunches!)

- Eat an apple. An apple a day really can keep the doctor away! It’s natural to crave more carbohydrates during the winter months, and fruit is a good source of natural carbohydrates.

- If I’m having lots of difficulty focusing on what I need to get done, I like to use Online Stopwatch to make sure I work diligently for a set amount of time. I also turn off Tweetdeck notifications and hide my iPhone.

- Get your DIY on. Clean the closet that’s exploding with never-used linens. Re-paint your guest bedroom. Working on a project at home can give you a great sense of accomplishment.

- Read a novel. It’ll get your mind off the blah weather. I’m currently obsessed with “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy. As in, I didn’t want my flight to end yesterday because I just wanted to keep reading.

It’s crucial to take care of yourself during the winter months. No one wants to end up bedridden with the flu! It should go without saying, but the better your health, the more productive you’ll be at work and the happier you – and your colleagues and members – will be.

(Image source: Flickr)

Hi everyone, and happy Wednesday! I’m headed home to my parents’ house today, and will (hopefully) not have to endure the craziness of trying to catch a cab in rush hour, endless security lines and overall headaches caused my traveling this time of year.

I’ve done a lot of traveling recently, so here a few of my favorite tips.

1. Wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off, and keep the heavy jewelry and belt buckles to a minimum.

2. While I’m in the security line, I mentally calculate how many bins I will need. (Remember – the laptop gets its own!)

3. To save money, I bring my own food (usually fruit and instant oatmeal if it’s the morning) to the airport. (You can bring food through security – just not liquids, of course.)

4. If you’re checking a bag, always pack at least one change of clothes in your carry-on. It’s never a given that your bag will end up in the same city as you.

5. If your checked suitcase if basic black, tie a colorful scarf or ribbon around the handle to easily identify it on the carousel.

6. Check in online the day before and print your boarding pass to avoid having to deal with the lines at the airport.

7. I’m originally from Atlanta (home of the world’s busiest airport), so as a result, I always get to the airport at least 2 hours early. I’m paranoid. But I’d rather read or work while waiting for my flight than have to rush through security in shambles.

8. Don’t buy books or magazines at the airport. They will always be more expensive.

9. If you have a window seat, try to refrain from getting up multiple times. Your seatmates will appreciate it.

10. When the plane lands and the “fasten seatbelt” light is turned off, you don’t need to stand up immediately. Unless you’re in business class, you probably won’t be getting off the plane for 10 more minutes. (At least.)

Safe travels and happy holidays to all our readers!

What’s your biggest tip for traveling?

Hi, and happy Tuesday! I can’t believe we’re less than a week away from Christmas! The holiday season completely snuck up on me this year. (I feel like I say that every year, but this year it’s really true.)

Around this time every year, there are lots of posts either reflecting on the going year or looking ahead to the coming year. Here are a few presentations looking ahead and forecasting how social media will continue to evolve for nonprofits and small staff associations in 2012.

How has your organization’s use of social media evolved this year?

You may have heard the news already, but Facebook page admins in Asia woke up this morning to the news that their business pages can now send private messages to fans.

Although this hasn’t been rolled out across the entire site, this is a big step for businesses and organizations who may want to take communication with a fan off of the public wall. I know in my experience, we’ve run into several issues such as this.

One drawback is that the business page cannot initiate communication; fans must do it themselves. For brands and organizations with a large Facebook fanbase, this could be problematic if dozens (or hundreds) of fans start messaging the page at once.

So, what does this mean for small staff associations? Facebook is (of course) trying to integrates itself into all aspects of a business – theoretically this private messaging could replace email. Do I think it will replace email? No. But. This could help customer service on Facebook. There are lots of private things that cannot be discussed on a public Facebook wall, and I think this a step in the right direction for Facebook.

What do you think?