Have you asked your members how they prefer to receive information?

Let’s be real. Whether you’re an active participant in social media or not, you’re probably still on information overload. People can get news and updates from more sources now than ever before. There are tons of outlets – it’s overwhelming!

Blogs, RSS, Twitter (including text alerts and all the smartphone apps), Facebook (online and via cell or smartphone), text messages, e-mail, phone call, direct mail, newspaper (online or in print), magazine (online or in print), television, YouTube … I’m exhausted just thinking about it! (And I’m sure I left many, many options off that list!)

I want to expand a little bit on my post last week about predictions for 2010. I said, Organizations will stop adopting social media just for the sake of it. Associations don’t have to be everywhere, all the time. It’s so crucial to realize what’s worth your time and what’s just going to waste time.

If your organization audits its communication strategy around this time of year, be sure to ask members how they like to receive information. If a significant portion chooses a certain option (such as Twitter), consider adding it to your organization’s strategy. If there’s no interest, don’t waste your time there. Maybe your association doesn’t even need to have a huge social Web presence. (I would argue that going forward, it will be necessary eventually, but there’s no need to rush it if there’s no demand at the moment.)

Asking your members what they want – it’s as simple as taking a poll – can be very educational for association staffers. Encouraging two-way communication is a great first step to engage members who have become unengaged. Offering information through different online avenues can be somewhat time-consuming, but isn’t it worth it if you can grab the attention of a niche group that previously wasn’t too interested in the organization?

Does your association have a unique method for distributing information to members?

(Image via Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com on Flickr)

For the life of me, I could not decide what to write about today. I know, I know … possible topics are endless, but after catching up on the weekend’s blog posts, tweets and finally watching the whole Kanye West/Taylor Swift debacle from last night’s VMAs, I felt a bit … spent. I decided to briefly catch up on news from New York Fashion Week for inspiration, and saw this result during a Google News search:

That headline screamed out at me. High on ideas, but low on business: could that apply to your association?

Too often, people write about how important it is to think outside the box. But sometimes having too few ideas isn’t the problem.

Maybe your association’s problem isn’t a lack of (buzzword alert!) innovation. Maybe you have tons and tons of amazing ideas, but are having trouble executing them. Maybe, for whatever reason — lack of manpower, lack of money or lack of board support — your association just can’t get things going.

To get as much support as possible, it’s crucial to explain why your idea will benefit the organization and how it will bring value to your members. Don’t get discouraged. I think a sometimes-overlooked and -underrated part of implementing an innovative idea is a clear strategy. Identify what tasks are necessary to achieve the goal. There may be three tasks, or there may be 30. Have a defined straetgy with a timeline designating certain tasks to certain people. Maybe you don’t complete each objectives within your specified timeline, but don’t get discouraged.

One of the most important things you can do is keep track of your progress and compare it to your strategy. If you get too far off-course, maybe it’s time to reevaluate and redefine your plan. There’s nothing wrong with a little revision here and there. As plans unfold, reality can set in. However you adjust the plan, though, don’t let your association be all ideas and no business.

Let’s face it: social media isn’t going anywhere. It’s not a passing trend, but it is an evolving one, and if your organization or group doesn’t have an online presence, it probably should. It’s important to keep your group visible and stay abreast of what’s going on in the industry.

But even if your group doesn’t have an official Twitter page or Facebook fan page yet, you can bet your members and people involved are at least somewhat active online! Unfortunately, they may not be presenting the organization in the best possible light. Sure, there are tons of filters on Facebook (Twitter, not so much), but not everyone uses them to the best advantage.

It’s important to keep a policy fluid — social media and communications are changing at a rapid pace, and a policy that’s too stringent can be suffocating for your members.

It’s not 2002 anymore, and the lines between our personal and professional lives are blurring. Sure, it’s still acceptable to fire someone for writing negatively about the company or work experience, but employers now are realizing that people are going to be on Facebook, Twitter and other networking sites, so their policies have to adapt to accept that.

On social networking sites, nothing is ever really private — a judge could easily issue a subpoena ordering the company to reveal protected information. It’s important to convey to your members or employees that they must be responsible for what they write on the Web. If they have a personal blog, they should include a disclaimer such as, “”The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent so-and-so-group’s positions, strategies or opinions.”

Have a unique and real voice behind your organization. People on Twitter and Facebook want to engage with real people, not a brand. Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are two excellent examples of corporations who have real faces behind their brands on Twitter. It’s all about cultivating relationships online — people see beyond a flashy brand name quickly and want to put a name to the logo.

Define how social media matters to your organization. What do you want to use it for? Marketing? Fundraising? Internal communication? Collaboration? Hopefully, you’ll be able to combine your social media efforts to include all of those, as well as any more uses your group finds beneficial.

Mashable has compiled a list of 10 Must-Haves For Your Social Media Policy, and each one is dead-on.

My rule of thumb? I never post anything if I wouldn’t want my mom to see or read it.