KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup

Etiquette and the Perfect Lunch Spot

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:41:00 +0000

There is a great bookstore off of Dupont Circle in DC called Kramerbooks & Afterwords. They have a special brunch on the weekends and a knowledgeable staff in their bookstore. When Monica Lewinsky's receipt from the store came to light during the most heated portion of the Clinton-intern scandal, Kramerbooks refused to share the details of her purchase. They are that solid in their commitment to their patrons.

I may be slightly exaggerating when I say Kramerbooks stands for the last bastion of respect for the intelligentsia in DC. But, I am in no way overstating it when I say, Kramerbooks has a great lunch menu and drink specials.

Because they do.

In fact, if their lunch menu was less inviting, I may not have ventured there today for my business meeting with a couple of colleagues. If their atmosphere were less inviting, I may not have entered into a fascinating dialogue with a few patrons about social media and etiquette.

Our conversation centered around the pervasive use of smart phones and the way people use them in social settings. Each person shared their own experiences with people answering phones or texting away during otherwise intimate moments with friends.

And the conversation got me to thinking...:

I hadn't taken my smart phone out during our conversation
Would it one day be acceptable to interrupt the current conversation for phone or text (except in emergency?)
Was it already acceptable and I didn't know it?
What does this mean for meeting attendees?
We really need an etiquette guide/baseline for meeting attendees and speakers
Oh yeah, I've been working on this very issue with a few association people...better get back to it!

A few weeks ago on the weekly #assnchat Twitter conversation (facilitated by Jeff De Cagna), a group of us discussed putting one of these etiquette guides together. The idea was to create something as a guideline for attendees and speakers to reference for social media use during a meeting.

My conversation with the patrons at Kramerbooks today reminded me that people were still looking for guidance with this kind of behaviour...and that we need to start working on this project again as a community.

Issues we will address:

acknowledging the meeting's social media policy
acknowledging the speaker's social media policy
public disclosure about using SM during a session
your rights, rules, and risks when using SM during a meeting
what to include in a meeting program about social media

If anyone is interested in working with a group of us on an association social media etiquette guide for meetings, please email me at klitalien@delcor.com.

If anyone is interested in learning more about Kramerbooks' drink specials, check out their online menu. :)

Social Media Show & Tell

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:41:00 +0000

Happy (New) Media Monday!
Association professionals are buzzing about their latest forays into social media and it is high time we gather together and share our stories, don’t you agree?

You are invited to call in to the “Social Media Show & Tell” this Wednesday at noon ET for this month’s CRP Virtual Lunch. Just have your latest example on hand and we will share our stories and answer questions for others on the call. If you would like to share your story, please email me before Wednesday and I will be sure to introduce you to the group!

Bring your coolest social media success or just listen to everyone else's for ideas! We will have examples in specific areas, such as:

- Social Media for Member Engagement

- Social Media for Events

- Social Media for Project Collaboration

- Social Media for Fundraising

The Twitter hashtag for the CRP calls is #CRPLunch.

Register at http://bit.ly/2Ap2EN.

Dial in number: 218-936-7979

Passcode: 189780

You can earn 1 CAE point by registering and participating in this event.

The Day After

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:13:00 +0000

My flight landed at the BWI airport around 11:20 last night and this morning I am debating whether to continue writing this very sentence or to jump back into bed for at least 20 more minutes of shut eye.

Friends, this could be a very short post.

After every big conference I attend, I like to sit and go through a digital brain dump, whereby I look at all my notes from the conference - all the business cards I've collected - and try to save it all in some kind of meaningful way that will help me or someone else in the future. Reason being, my mind starts letting go of the context for my notes very quickly after writing them.

Here is a random Top 10 List of things I learned during this recent trip to the OSA Frontiers in Optics Annual Meeting in San Jose, California:

1. Fly Virgin every time you can when flying to the West Coast. I was able to comfortably work away online with my very own outlet under my seat powering up my laptop and cell phone during the entire flight. The wifi worked great and my seat was super comfortable. The ability to work during the long flight from DC to California was fantastic! Plus, the food you can order at your seat is the best airplane food I've eaten so far.

2. Always make sure you have the appropriate adapter for the LCD projector when using a Mac laptop. I ended up locating mine in the bottom of my laptop bag, but I panicked for a little bit.

3. The official Twitter hashtag for a conference is a necessity for organizing large groups of people for social events (or any other events) on the fly. Make things easy for conference attendees by having large monitors displaying the hashtag feed in appealing way (using Twitterfall or Visible Tweets) so that even the Luddites in the crowd can be informed of the latest conversation about the conference.

4. Free drink tickets make you everybody's friend. :)

5. Attendees are expecting wifi to be available everywhere. They will miss it if you don't have it.

6. Protein bars and Starbucks Via instant coffee: Must-haves for the conference suitcase!

7. Use the Bump application if you have an iPhone. Anyone who has an iPhone can easily transfer contact information with another iPhone user just by using this free application. So much easier than trying to hold on to business cards all evening long. I wish they had this available across all smart phones and with an easy way to organize new contacts by tagging, but maybe in a couple years...

8. Conference organizers: Have a few free registrations that you give out to members who agree to blog about the conference daily. You will not be sorry. These bloggers will not only help archive the member-experience for your conference, but will also add to the overall buzz. At this conference, bloggers had identifying ribbons and the association promoted the blogs before and during the conference. This should be something you offer for every conference - the promotion pays for the registration.

9. Looking for a good giveaway idea? Multi USB ports. Thumb drives. Laser pointers. And yes, hand sanitizer. These things stick around and people love them.

10. Idea: Have a "photobooth" kiosk in which people can either add their comments about the conference and have it automatically tagged with your hashtag and added to the Twitter stream displayed on your Twitter monitors, and/or record a short 2 minute video with their thoughts about the conference that is posted to the conference's official broadcasting site. I haven't seen this done yet, but it would be amazing to have on site and is totally doable.

Xer-Rated: Grade A Fresh

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:32:00 +0000

A delicious new conversation has erupted due to Maddie Grant's Xer Meme. Matt Baehr of BlogClump fame tagged me and now I am here picking up what Maddie is putting down.

The gist of the conversation? "Have Xers Sold Out?"

I think I quit my first real job out of college because of that question. My younger sister (who was attending art school in Chicago by day and singing in an all-girl punk band called "Twat Vibe" at the time) accused me of selling out. In her eyes, I had given up on my idealistic dreams of being a poet/artist in exchange for wearing suits to my marketing job where I made a whopping $26K a year.

But guess what? Along with loving stationary and pens and pretty paper; I also really got a kick out of seeing my name on a business card for the first time. I loved the chance to "change something from the inside" and it made me feel like I'd achieved something special. I liked wearing suits. I liked having an office. I liked having a steady paycheck and access to logo items. Who couldn't use a dozen golf towels with my company's logo on it? Class-y.

But my sister's comments made me wince. Had I sold out? What if I had? Should I try to do something else? Was it too late? Had I become just another cog?

I quit my job. I don't think I claimed the "sell out" reason at the time, but I know it played a role. I was a rebel in high school and had always prized individuality and creativity above all else. After I quit my job, I decided to immerse myself in poetry again and started working on a plan to have a creativity workshop based on exploring the five senses (an idea I still really like). I went so far as to have the area art studio, which was supported by grants from the NEA, agree to let me host the classes there. But I doubted myself too much and backed away...and went back into the "corporate world" where I could at least be sure I had insurance.

Today I truly believe I am living a GenX-agreeable lifestyle. Yes, I have the regular job, but I also do creative things on the side (and get paid for them). Yes, I have a nice car and live in the 'burbs with my husband, child, and dog...but I also went rollerskating with my sister after I had my daughter and still listen to the Cure on rainy days. I still push the envelope, too. I still expect more from my workplace than a paycheck. And yes, I would still walk away from a workplace if I didn't enjoy it. Absolutely.

I bring creativity to my day-to-day job and push into new areas focusing on building relationships. I do a lot outside of my paid work to learn and broaden my horizons...Gen Xer's are all about access to knowledge and I am no different.

I think the biggest change for me has been in my beliefs. I believe in myself more and consequently believe in others more than I ever have. I am hyper-aware of the changes that have taken place recently for our society and the ability for all of us to communicate with each other with an amazing speed!

Matt's opinion matches my own. I haven't sacrificed my integrity or morals for a paycheck. I've been able to apply my spirit and desire to change things to my work - all of my work.

This was fun to think about - thanks to Matt (and Maddie) for passing this on to me! Now, I will tag a few more people on this for their thoughts:

Deirdre Reid
Shannon Otto
Elizabeth Weaver Engel

It's All About the Benefits: Discussing the Latest Developments and Trends in Membership Benefits

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:45:00 +0000

This Wednesday is another CRP* Virtual Lunch and we will be discussing association membership benefits and the trends for developing new, shiny perks for our members.

Erik Schonher, editor of MEMBERSHIP 2.5: REINVENTING VALUE (http://bit.ly/1shp8D), will facilitate on the call.

People can register for the free conference call at http://www.asaecenter.org/ProgramsEvents/EventDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=43460.

I love these Virtual Lunches...I always learn something new and I usually marvel at the ideas I come up with while listening. This time I'll be taking notes for an article later, but I'm expecting great things!

Here's the announcement that went out earlier:

Each month the Component Relations Section Council has a discussion on a topic of interest to its members. Share with your fellow CRPs your challenges and successes! This is an opportunity to bring new ideas to the table and get some feedback! Follow the discussion on Twitter at #CRPLunch.

This Month's Topic: It's All About the Benefits: Discussing the Latest Developments and Trends in Membership Benefits

Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Time: Noon - 1:00 pm EDT
Fee: Complimentary
Dial in number: 218-936-7979
Passcode: 189780

Please note: this is an Audio Only program.

KiKi L'Italien
Manager, Membership & Education
OSA
+1 202.416.1432
klital@osa.org

*CRP = Component Relations Professional

Engaging Your Chapters with Social Media: Resources

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:29:00 +0000

In my recent presentation "Engaging Your Chapters with Social Media" at the ASAE Annual Meeting (with co-presenter Peggy Hoffman), we mentioned several resources we found to be useful for listening and monitoring online conversations about your organization or industry. I decided to share several of these resources here. Please note that I haven't included information on paid online community sites as that topic lends itself to a blog post all its own (NFi, HigherLogic, Socious, ...etc...). If you have questions about these sites or if you know of some new sites that are even better, please comment here.

The two basic social media alerts you need to have now!

Google Alerts
Examples of things to monitor:

Mentions of your Society

Mentions of your competitor
Industry keywords

Google alerts
Google Alerts are emails automatically sent to you when there are new Google results for your search terms. You can also choose to have your alerts delivered via feed to the feedreader of your choice (e.g., Google Reader or add the feed to your iGoogle page). They currently offer alerts with results from News, Web, Blogs, Video and Groups.

SocialOomph.com (formerly known as "TweetLater")
Examples of things to monitor:

Mentions of your Society

Mentions of your competitor
Industry keywords

SocialOomph
SocialOomph can be used to set up alerts and track keywords in the public Twitter stream. SocialOomph monitors the Twitter tweet stream and periodically emails you a digest of the tweets that contain those keywords. You can also use this to track your @replies.

Another great thing you can get from SocialOomph is the Twitter aliases who are commenting on your topic area or Society.

For example, some of the people who post information you put out are not your members...

1. You can get new members this way

2. You can identify current very vocal members this way

3. You can also view these sources as outlets for your news...how many followers do they have?

Transparency is the expectation.

Some examples of free groupsites you can use to start member communities:

Groupsites.com (formerly known as "CollectiveX") http://www.groupsite.com/

Ning http://www.ning.com/

Drupal http://drupal.org/

Great sites for managing multiple Twitter accounts:

HootSuite: http://hootsuite.com/ **Note: I really enjoy HootSuite for its ability to track link clicks when using its link shortener which is built in and doesn't require visiting another site!

TweetDeck: http://tweetdeck.com/beta/ **Note: I like the way TweetDeck is formatted and its iPhone app works well for tracking various hashtags and groups!

Splitweet: http://splitweet.com/

Testing blog app from iPhone

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:53:00 +0000

...what else would I be doing on a Saturday night?

My Highlights from the ASAE Annual Meeting

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:06:00 +0000

I am a learning junkie. I like to jump into whatever subject is near to my heart and then learn as much as possible about it. That’s why going to something like the ASAE Annual Meeting, which is what I did last week, is especially exciting for me.

Along with learning more about some of my favorite topics, like membership development and community building using new media, I was also able to talk in person with members of the Association Twitterati, who are without a doubt some of the most innovative and fun-loving people I have ever met. Maddie Grant, Lindy Dreyer, Elizabeth Weaver Engel, Sandra Giarde, Jeff De Cagna, Jamie Notter, Jay Moonah, Ben Martin, Matt Baehr, Peggy Hoffman, Jeff Cobb, Deirdre Reid and numerous other association superstars met up at the meeting and generated a plethora of tweets and posts. We are all geeks about engagement and that made the conference a kind of nerdy heaven for me. I’m surprised we didn’t make up campfire songs. Oh wait…we kind of did at dinner one night. Nevermind.

Anyway, the miracle of the meeting will be if I can possibly keep by note or memory even a tenth of what I learned.

Here is my Top 10 List of the Absolute Coolest Highlights of the ASAE Annual Meeting:

Hanging with my ASAE homies
The Delcor/Syscom Party at the Fifth Grill
Talking about Netbooks and then about trends with Clay Shirky and about 15 other people
Charlene Li answering our small group’s questions – easy with only 10 people in the room
Listening to David Nour’s presentation on Relationship Economics
Good lunch food provided on the show floor…on bamboo plates no less!
Tweetups and the active Twitterstream for #asae09 (Also, the online hub! And the WiFi!)
Meeting some awesome vendors in the Expo Hall
My session with Peggy Hoffman, naturally!
The Online Engagement Lounge (thank you, ASAE!)

Here is my Top 5 List of Things That Could Have Been Better:

Ribbon bar available at registration area by council meetings for the volunteers on the first day…I didn’t actually get my ribbons until Day 3 of being there and I noticed several others missed out on theirs. It would have been more natural to pick them up right in the beginning.
Bamboo forks were kind of ridiculous. The idea was good, but fell short in execution.
Not such a long walk from one side of Convention Center to the other
A bag check by the front of the Convention Center for Tuesday
My scheduling abilities – I missed out on a couple of things I wish I could have attended…I did better than last year, but STILL missed out on a little even though I planned ahead of time. *sigh*

Moral of the story? I’m not sure. But I had a fabulous time in Toronto and will write some follow up commentary from the notes I took during the Nour and Shirky presentations..

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Adding Power to Member Communities with Social Media

View more presentations from Kiki L’italien.

When Do You Become the Great Benefactor?

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:26:00 +0000

This post is a bit of a departure from my usual association-related fare, but I am interested in how y'all might respond to the subject, so let me begin...

I went to a small college in Southwest Missouri called Missouri Southern State University. MSSU was not an Ivy League, but we grew plenty of moss in the pond out by the biology lab. In fact, in preparing to settle into this post I attempted to visit the website for facts about my alma mater and the site is still loading. Do I need to say more?

What made MSSU a diamond in the rough was something called the "International Mission" - a promise that the institution made to its students to help engage them with the world outside of Joplin, Missouri. And the promise wasn't empty - rather, many students took part in overseas study with partial to full funding in the form of travel grants.

I took part in the International Mission and along with my participation as editor/writer for The Chart campus newspaper, I consider it one of the shining examples of how a small university can provide a well-rounded experience to students.

...er, considered it I should say. Past tense. Because I discovered that with a new campus president and the economic downturn in 2008, several distingushing features of MSSU were disappearing and one of them was the International Mission.

What I couldn't understand and what infuriated me most was why the alumni hadn't been consulted before a public announcement about the end of the program. Certainly, an institution's "mission" was important enough to consider all the options and all the avenues for possible support. After many years of my explaining to my friends in DC (and worldwide) why I had not missed out by going to a small, little known college in southwest Missouri; how the International Mission, award-winning paper, and top-notch faculty had all offered me a unique and personalized experience; I was watching a huge foundation stone for the future of MSSU crumbling to dust without so much as a postcard asking for financial help from the alumni.

Blind donations? I understand why people wouldn't want to be bothered. But for something like a trademark mission? Some things are big enough to ask for the dollars.

Last week I received hope in the mail. A letter from MSSU asking their alumni who had experienced the International Mission for a donation to support the same kind of programs that we had experienced. I was ecstatic. Finally! A chance to help! I thought I'd send in $300 for this year...something I could do without that wouldn't be difficult to miss. But now I want to do more...I want to send in more than that. This is my chance to do something to change a situation for the better!

My question: How? How do I reach out and motivate people to contribute to the cause?

Anyone in fundraising have some good ideas?

Wanted: Member Communities in Need of a Social Media Make-Over!

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:02:00 +0000

We’re looking for one chapter who would like to create (or re-create) their social media presence for a FREE make-over at a special session at ASAE & The Center 2009 Annual Meeting in Toronto.

Every nonprofit is looking to create a presence on the web that boosts visibility, creates a strong fan base, builds community and translates to more members, more dollars and ultimately moving the mission forward.

For chapters though it’s a little challenging. There are generally fewer resources at hand. Plus a chapter should be building this presence in a way that supports national’s efforts.

That’s where this contest comes in. We’re going to show associations how it can be done with success and pizzazz!

Here’s the scoop: Some of you may know that master CRP* KiKi L’Italien (Optical Society of America) is also a much-sought after make-up artist to the stars (really!). So we’ve invited her to work her magic on a very lucky Chapter. With able assistant (and also master CRP) Peggy Hoffman CAE (Mariner Management, an AMC), KiKi will create a Social Media Face on the spot.

When: It all takes place on Tuesday, August 18 from 12:45 - 2:00 pm in the session “Adding Power to Member Communities with Social Media.” During the session, attendees will also see real life examples and gain a simple social media strategy outline for chapters.

How do you get involved? Nominate one of your chapters for a social media make-over. All you have to do is answer the following questions and email to Peggy Hoffman (phoffman@marinermanagement.com) by August 10, 2009. We’ll contact one lucky winner by August 15.

*That’s Component Relations Professional in Association-speak!

I Nominate ____________________________________ for a Social Media Make-over!

Your Name:
Your Association:
Best Way to Contact You:
Briefly describe who your members are:
National Website:
National Outposts:
LinkedIn:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Other:

Describe the national organization’s social media efforts thus far, noting any particular successes or challenges:
Will you or someone from your association be in Toronto?

Chapter Name:
Chapter Location:
Chapter Website:
Chapter Outposts:
LinkedIn:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Other:

Resources/options available from National (e.g., do you handle or host their website? Offer a members-only community?):
Describe the chapter’s social media efforts thus far, noting any particular successes or challenges:

Briefly, why did you nominate this chapter?

Pre-July 4th Smackdown on Social Media News

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:52:00 +0000

It's a sunny day outside while I sit here typing away from my home office. Things are good - the birds are chirping and I am tweeting away myself...adding my voice to the ever present online buzz.

It is time for reflection and realizing that I am not a great writer, I am going to do this post as a list - a list of thoughts I'm having at this time about social media and associations.

1. Confession: I still haven't found the "sweet spot" for explaining social media and how to use it to association colleagues.

I stumble between the "What is Twitter?" folks and the "Could we use this as a widget?" people when they are in the same audience...which is every time I speak about this stuff. I feel energized and at the same time I feel like a failure. It's like explaining the telephone to people before they had ever used it for business...you know how important and incredible the possibilities are, but it is hard to show people as a group how they can apply social media tools to their work in an association to make it exceptional.

I am embarrassed at this and feel like I should be better at navigating a room by now...better at explaining these tools. I am trying to think on this and I need to employ better communication methods in order to get my point across.

2. I'll still use the overused word "authentic" when talking about how associations need to aim for transparency.

I do agree that it should already be a given, an expectation, but I am not sure all associations are really there yet. There is definitely a divide, though it seems to be narrowing. The need for less marketing speak and more of a "human" voice is growing as we rely on more and more new methods to reach out to members. Promotional materials still need to exist. We just need to be sure the copy on our promotional material doesn't get copy and pasted into the wrong areas where honesty and tact is expected.

3. I'm still having fun. I'm still enjoying trying new applications and platforms...still reading up on social media all the time. But I can admit I am sometimes internally rolling my eyes when I hear someone explain for the billionth time what a hashtag is, or shared bookmarks, or tags, or the importance of using filters on Facebook.

I know these are legitimate questions that I have no qualms about explaining to someone...but to listen to someone else explain the same things to a group is hard. Is that elitist or rude?

4. Finally, my God, how much has my life been enhanced professionally by social media!?! I have friends I have never met face-to-face and to think what my job would be like without the benefit of social media's tools is crazy...

There. How's that for a pre-Independence Day post? I feel like I just wrote in my diary. If anyone at all reads this half-abandoned blog of mine, I hope you enjoyed this post and feel free to comment as you see fit.

Are you the Karate Kid of Networking or the Guru of Program Navigation?

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Have You Mastered the Art of Attending ASAE’s Annual Meeting?

Are you the Karate Kid of Networking or the Guru of Program Navigation? Maybe you are a newbie to the ASAE Annual Meeting and aren’t sure what to do to get the most value for your registration dollar…

“How to Make the Most of ASAE Annual” – featuring a panel of people with experience and tips for future attendees – is a free Virtual Lunch call scheduled Wednesday, July 22, 2009 from noon until 1 p.m. Eastern. (Everyone can register for the call here: http://ow.ly/gcnQ.

Among the possible topics for discussion:
• Where can I find out about unofficial social events while at the Annual Meeting?
• How do I meet other people who are in my line of work?
• How do I manage to bring back something tangible to show my boss?
• What am I supposed to do with the Exhibit Hall? (I am/am not in the market for purchasing anything…)

If you think of yourself as knowledgeable about the ASAE Annual Meeting and would like to participate as one of our guest panelists for the call, please email me at klital@osa.org. Ideal panelists will have examples they can share and a handful of tips for the upcoming meeting.

Note: This Virtual Lunch is part of the monthly CRP Virtual Lunches hosted by the Component Relations Section Council.

Why KiKi...Buzz2009

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Check out this SlideShare Presentation for Why I should attend Buzz2009:

Why KiKi...Buzz2009

View more presentations from Kiki L’italien.

My Plea to Attend Buzz2009

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:28:00 +0000

There are some meetings you hate to be a part of and there are some you wouldn't want to miss for the world. You can count Buzz2009 in the "wouldn't want to miss" category for me.

Buzz2009 is a conference for people interested in social media who are beyond the introductory "What is Twitter?" phase and fully enmeshed in the use of it from day-to-day.

| Get your Presentation Pack

Don't Miss Today's CRP Virtual Lunch Call: What Were They Thinking? The Risky Things Components Do

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:01:00 +0000

Don't forget: today's virtual lunch is at Noon!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please join us on Wednesday, June 24th for the next CRP Virtual Lunch:

What Were They Thinking? The Risky Things Components Do

Hear about and share some of the crazy and risky things chapter leaders and/or members have done.

We will focus on the risk involved (potential harm to person, component and mother ship), how to mitigate the risks and what to do.

Here is a sample of scenarios:

-tweeting during board meeting
-releasing information before the mother ship does -nasty blogs

Guest Facilitator: Leslie T. White
Croydon Consulting, LLC

Register here: http://tinyurl.com/lbku3l

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Time: Noon to 1pm Eastern

Cost: Simply your ideas to share and questions to ask -- plus the cost of a call to Minnesota.

Dial in number: 218-936-7979

Passcode: 189780

Chapters and the "T" Word

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:35:00 +0000

Twitter has been the topic of choice on a couple of ASAE Listservs this past month and while I know many of you are weary of the "T" word conversations, I am wrapping up an article for an ASAE newsletter and could use your help.

My article is about how Twitter can aid Chapter Relations Professionals and I thought I would ask my blog readers (as well as the ASAE Listserv readers) for your thoughts on this topic. How does Twitter serve you?

For those of you who have yet to find a use for Twitter, I have high hopes that my article will share some examples and some reasons why you should try it out.

Of course, there could be horror stories waiting for me out there and I could share that information, as well.

To be continued...

KiKi

KiKi L'Italien
2010 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036
T +1. 202.416.1432
F +1 .202.416.6130
klital@osa.org
Skype: kiki_litalien
Twitter: kikilitalien

Building Community with Publications Using Social Media

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Spring is here and I'm excitedly preparing to give a number of presentations in May. One such presentation is for the Society of National Association Publications. At this point, I feel the need to confess that I originally thought I was agreeing to speak to another group that goes by the acronym, SNAP...the Social Networking for Association Professionals group. In fact, I was kind of surprised to hear from someone I wasn't familiar with from the networking group since I am somewhat active with them. Now I know.

This experience reminds me to check facts often...even the facts I think I know. At any rate, if you are interested in attending one of the presentations I'll be giving, I'll be posting them to this blog and you can read about the Society of National Association Publications event below.

Cheers!

Friday, May 8, 2009
Come On, Get Social
American Bankers Association
1120 Connecticut Avenue, NW
7th Floor Board Room
Washington, DC
Lunch will be provided.
Register Today

If you could wave a magic wand and make your monthly (or weekly) publication into something your readers interacted with every day, why wouldn't you?

Well, you don't need magic--you just need to tap into the power of social media. With blogs, social networks, Twitter, and other technologies, you can connect with your readers more powerfully and more often. Our panelists will share the stories of how their magazines started using social media, what it takes in terms of resources, how their members have responded, and how you can do it too.

Content Leaders:
Christina Gordon, Director of Communications, National School Boards Association
KiKi L'Italien, Association Chapter-relations Manager, Optical Society of America

Moderator:
Kathleen Rakestraw, Director of Communications, American School Counselor Association
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Big Bang Machine To Be Even More "Big Bangable"

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:02:00 +0000

While the magnets at the real-life Large Hadron Collider may not reach extraterrestrials, scientists hope they will help lead to encounters with never-before-seen phenomena and answers to fundamental questions about the universe.

read more | digg story

May CRP Virtual Lunch: Help! I have a Problem!

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:46:00 +0000

Our next CRP (Chapter Relations Professional) Virtual Lunch will take place Wednesday, May 27th. We are looking to you to identify some challenges you may be experiencing and would like to bring to the virtual lunch for discussion.

Topics for discussion may include:
* Chapter/national relations
* Leadership training
* Leader conflict resolution
* Communications
* Chapter policies, procedures and operations

Now's the time to discuss your most challenging issues with the people who can help bring resolutions to the table, your fellow CRP professionals.

Please take a moment to think on some items you'd like to discuss and email either Kim, KiKi or Sharon. Ideally we will have about 4-5 discussion to send out in advance of the call.

Sharon Kneebone: sharonkneebone@apta.org
KiKi L'Italien: klital@osa.org
Kim Grimm: kgrimm@nacenet.org

To register: http://tinyurl.com/c5gkwm

Note: You can follow Virtual Lunch discussions at #CRPLunch or you can follow Sharon and KiKi on Twitter - @skneebone and @kikilitalien.

Chapters & National: Collaborate or Compete

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:57:00 +0000

I will be facilitating a call on Wednesday with a great group of people, including my Virtual Lunch partner in crime, Sharon Kneebone. Please join in on Wednesday, if you think you can make it! Here's the description:

Chapters & National: Collaborate or Compete

With resources tightening and no end in sight, we thought it would be good to look at collaboration versus competition between parent organizations and their components. Our email thread on parent-organization sponsored webinars might tie into this. I would also be looking for one or two other guests so we can talk about membership retention and recruitment, marketing and the elusive non-dues revenue.

Guest Panalists:

Scott Oser
President
Scott Oser Associates, Inc.

Alex Aderton
Director of Marketing
Associated Buiders and Contractors

Register here: http://tinyurl.com/d6un6f

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Time: Noon to 1pm Eastern

Cost: Simply your ideas to share and questions to ask -- plus the cost of a call to Minnesota.

Dial in number: 218-936-7979

Passcode: 189780

You can earn 1 CAE point by registering and participating in this event.

You can also follow participants on Twitter:

@scottoser, @skneebone, @kikilitalien

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:27:00 +0000

Driving to nj with the fam...listening to rob zombie, jay z, and radiohead. Easter eclectic!

Using HARO to Your Advantage as a Non-Profit

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:01:00 +0000

You gotta love someone who plays matchmaker...especially for the media.

I receive daily emails from Peter Shankman. You may not know of him yet, but he is the mastermind behind "Help a Reporter Out" (HARO), which matches reporters with potential contacts to interview for their stories.

Receiving the HARO emails is a good thing to do if you are looking for opportunities to become an expert or idea leader in a specific area. That said, I often fail to open the emails (they come several times a day) and so everyday I am passing by at least one good opportunity to match myself or someone else with a chance to promote a business/service/expertise to the public. However, today I opened up the daily (morning) email from Peter and voila! an opportunity for non-profits in Massachusetts! Why haven't I shared this with the rest of the association world?

Please add this to your "to do" list: Sign up for HARO reports.

Also, be sure to follow Peter on Twitter @skydiver.

Cheers!

KiKi

Mirror to the Mothership

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:38:00 +0000

Sometimes the chapters operating as extensions of an organization can seem very alien to it. The more independent the chapter, oftentimes the more strained the relationship can be with the parent organization.

Lisa Junker's recent article on Acronym ("Chapter websites and donors: Food for thought") provided some data backing up the importance of having a consistent and well-supported brand across all components of a Society. The fact that poor or even mismatched websites at the chapter-level can have a negative impact on donations to the parent organization shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. However, it is easy to look around and see how prevalent this problem is today.

After reading the Acronym article, I ask myself:

What would it take to bring consistency to our chapter websites?
What is the cost?
Whom should I talk to first?

This seems to be a fairly easy problem to address with all of the technology available to us today. Now let's see where I can slide it in for my budget. :)

Coming Soon to a Planet Near You

kikilitalien@yahoo.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:13:00 +0000

You may not have realized it, but the American Astronomical Society is celebrating the International Year of Astronomy this year, which includes the 400th anniversary of the use of Galileo’s telescope. Their website even includes a really cool little interactive map showing the different events going on around the world to celebrate this feat.

As part of this celebration, their website states that “there is a 100-hour, round-the-clock, round-the-globe event that includes live webcasts from research observatories, public observing events and other activities around the world.”

This massive event takes place from April 2-5 when “the Moon goes from first quarter to gibbous good phases for early evening observing. Saturn will be the other highlight of early evening observing events.”

What a great reason to have a party! Everyone can drink special martinis until their vision represents the unclear view of the celestial bodies we had BEFORE Galileo's telescope. Good enough reason for me!

DC events

BMore events

SoMD events

KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup

Etiquette and the Perfect Lunch Spot

Social Media Show & Tell

The Day After

Xer-Rated: Grade A Fresh

It's All About the Benefits: Discussing the Latest Developments and Trends in Membership Benefits

Engaging Your Chapters with Social Media: Resources

The two basic social media alerts you need to have now!

Some examples of free groupsites you can use to start member communities:

Great sites for managing multiple Twitter accounts:

Other helpful links:

Testing blog app from iPhone

My Highlights from the ASAE Annual Meeting

When Do You Become the Great Benefactor?

Wanted: Member Communities in Need of a Social Media Make-Over!

Pre-July 4th Smackdown on Social Media News

Are you the Karate Kid of Networking or the Guru of Program Navigation?

Why KiKi...Buzz2009

My Plea to Attend Buzz2009

Don't Miss Today's CRP Virtual Lunch Call: What Were They Thinking? The Risky Things Components Do

Chapters and the "T" Word

Building Community with Publications Using Social Media

Big Bang Machine To Be Even More "Big Bangable"

May CRP Virtual Lunch: Help! I have a Problem!

Chapters & National: Collaborate or Compete

Using HARO to Your Advantage as a Non-Profit

Mirror to the Mothership

Coming Soon to a Planet Near You