Today, June 30, is “Social Media Day,” as declared by social media blog Mashable. Technically, it’s supposed to celebrate and acknowledge the fact that media has become (or is becoming) social.

You don’t have to attend a special “Social Media Day” event to celebrate. It could be a good time for your organization to evaluate where it is regarding social media. Maybe you barely use it. Maybe you’re an active user and evangelist. Maybe you don’t get what all the fuss is about. Whatever your feelings about social media, and whether or not you personally use it, I think it’s important to acknowledge that social media is changing the way people communicate.

Social media is all about connecting people. Associations are all about connecting people. It seems like the two would go hand in hand. Unfortunately, because social media allows people to connect for free (assuming they have an Internet connection), it’s often difficult for the two to coexist peacefully.

Whatever your organization’s take on social media, it’s hard to deny its growth. Sure, maybe the tools we use won’t last forever, but social media helps connect people, and so do associations. And creating meaningful relationships will never go out of style.

Image credit

Welcome to the end of the workweek! It was an exciting week for tech geeks everywhere, but the iPad wasn’t the only thing going on this week. There have been some awesome discussions going on in the association community, and I’m thrilled to highlight a few of my favorite posts.

1. Wes Trochlil has been a technology consultant for 10 years now, and I really enjoyed his post about changes he’s seen during that time. Technology certainly has come a long way since 1999, and I expect 2019 to hold even more surprises! What tech change do you think has most affected the association community?

2. Since she’s been crowdsourcing an “action list” for 2010, Peggy Hoffman also turned to author David Nour. Nour came up with a great list focused on building relationships. My favorite? When it comes to social networking, consistency is a lot more valuable than creativity.

3. This post at Erik’s Experts in Membership Marketing surprised me a little: Students and Young Professionals are Influenced by Direct Mail. I’m a big believer in using the right channels to contact people (and they can differ from person to person), and Erik Schonher summed up a 2008 study so well in this great post.

4. I really loved Cindy Butts’ post comparing association executives to student athletes. There are a lot of similarities to be had, and participating in sports can teach us all invaluable lessons for later in life. One of my favorite lessons Cindy highlights is to take pride in your school or team, and by extension, your association.

5. Mark Alcorn, an association lawyer and management consultant, has a fantastic new blog and this week’s post was superb: Top Ten Signs of a Dysfunctional Board. From power struggles and lack of respect to micromanagement and overly powerful executives, Mark tackles many board issues with a unique perspective and clear voice. Can’t wait to read his future posts!

From everyone at MemberClicks, have a wonderful weekend!

(Image via Flickr.)