From http://alphabettr.com/

This is part one of an ongoing series entitled “Tech Tips.” We’ll be sharing valuable tips and information about the importance and benefits of technology, as well as what to look for when selecting a vendor.

Web-based technology can be daunting for associations, especially those with fewer than nine people on staff (aka “small-staff associations”) who may have less time and resources to devote to an AMS. Although it does take some time to learn how to use the software, there are several benefits to “cloud computing” — using the Web for data management. There is no software to install or hardware to keep up with, and you can access your information from any computer. Since your data is available “in the cloud,” you can authorize as many administrators as you like. To be sure, Microsoft Excel and Access are valuable pieces of software, but when you’re managing several hundred or thousand members, plus other things such as dues payment and event registration, those tools can become a bit outdated and cumbersome.

There are many, many options for Web-based association management software. Most providers include disaster relief and data back-up in their plans, so there’s very little need to worry about losing your organization’s information. Support is often included in your monthly or yearly fee. The vendor staff should be knowledgeable about the product and be able to provide tons of support — your organization won’t even necessarily have to employ an IT staff. Because your technology vendor has multiple association customers, the vendor staff will probably be aware of best technology practices for associations, and work those into its product.

Managing your data “in the cloud” can help make your organization more efficient. There may some initial investments — not just money, but also your time — but know that the proper training can make a world of difference once you begin to use the software in your day-to-day life. And no matter which AMS you choose, you’ll likely be able to create new revenue streams, such as sponsorship or job board revenue.

Update: Ignore this post.

Turns out I’ll be in Toronto for ASAE09 this weekend! At the last minute (aka last Friday), the executive decision was made that I’ll be going. I’m very excited to meet up “in real life” with the many people I’ve connected with via Twitter. I’ll be live-Tweeting from the expo and different sessions, and also blogging here nightly. Be on the lookout for tons of videos and photos! And after the Annual Meeting concludes, I’d like to be able to aggregate different people’s content into one huge post of links, as well.

Since I’ll be blogging from the annual meeting, we decided to launch this here Web site earlier than we had initially planned.

I’m especially psyched because it would have been kind of a drag to be following the #ASAE09 goodness and everyone’s blogs from afar. I don’t mind working on the weekend, of course, but actually being in Toronto where all the action is will make my job a lot easier.

We’ve put together a great list of recommendations of sessions for small-staff associations. I’m particular excited about these ones:

• Building and Maintaining Loyal Relationships: Sunday, Aug. 16, 3:15-4:30 p.m.
• 10 Steps For Using Social Media to Engage Volunteers: Sunday, Aug. 16, 3:15-4:30 p.m. (guess I’ll to choose between those first two!)
• Managing and Leading the Next Generation of Workers: Monday, Aug. 17, 3:15-4:30 p.m.
• Big Ideas for Small-Staff Association Executives: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 9-10:15 a.m.
• How to Overcome E-mail Overload: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 12:45-2 p.m.

And the word from ASAE & The Center is that everyone should wear white to the closing celebration, which is from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. I’m not sure what they’re planning, but it looks like I’ll have to go shopping — my wardrobe is predominantly black!

In the meantime, before to keep up with our Twitter stream for all the latest information about the Annual Meeting. Don’t forget to check in with ASAE & The Center’s stellar mobile hub, too. I’m psyched to be going, and want to meet as many people as possible.

It’s time for the weekly grab-bag of association and social media blogs. Here’s what I found especially interesting on the interweb this week.

I Upgraded to HootSuite 2.0 Because It Works by Chris Abraham at socialmedia.biz. My Twitter stream was abuzz with this message Thursday as HootSuite, a popular Web-based Twitter service, released a new update. HootSuite lets users track multiple accounts and mentions, and the new release has a powerful monitoring feature. In the interest of full disclosure, I upgraded MemberClicks‘ HootSuite account, but haven’t gotten around to playing with it yet. It’s on my weekend to-do list!

Transitioning from Young to Young Professional by Aaron Wolowiec for ASAE’s Acronym. Aaron’s post really resonated with me — I think the dilemma he describes of young professionals trying to be taken seriously is a common one. Some of his tips are common ones (e. g. find a mentor, develop a network), but they’re suggestions we’d all do well to remember. “Being persistent” is the key.

10 Insights Gained From Spending 7,280 Hours on Social Networking Web sites by Heather Mansfield for Nonprofits 2.0. Heather is the nonprofit community manager for change.org, so she’s spent a lot of time on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Her insights are extremely valuable and are backed up by her many years of experience.

Google rules by Jeff De Cagna for SmartBlog Insights. Jeff, the editor at large of SmartBlog Insights, asks associations to question whether their point of view lines up with Google’s core beliefs about how the company should run. Google’s best practices referenced: “Google doesn’t need to control everything,” “Google doesn’t need to be evil” and “Google doesn’t need to be evil.” Great stuff here.

ASAE’s mobile hub for the annual meeting and expo is freakin’ awesome. Direct your mobile phone’s browser to http://asae09.org/m for the mobile version. Basically it aggregates information about the conference from Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and other social networking sites. If you log in with your ASAE info, it connects to Twitter and will automatically add the #asae09 hashtag. Plus there’s a schedule of events and you can add stuff the “Contributions” tab to share with everyone.

Social Media Mavens: An Interview with Kodak’s Tom Hoehn by Mack Collier at The Viral Garden. Mack interviewed Kodak’s director of interactive marketing and convergence media about the company’s social media strategy and some of its best practices. There are some great thoughts here from a huge company’s “social media maven” – and many of them can be applied to smaller organizations.

Share your favorites blog posts or news articles in the comments, and have a great weekend!