The Blogoclump

Read & discuss at Tony Rossell's blog.

Looks like a coalition of Christian groups are putting the pressure on Marriott International to keep its hotel TVs porn-free (article here). Since the chain doesn’t actually own or operate most of the hotels that fall under its brands, the company’s not really able to do a heck of a lot about it, I would […]

Read & discuss at Sue Pelletier's blog.

   It felt good to arrive.
Last night we attended my niece’s dinner theater production at her church.

We don’t belong to the church.
Had never been there before.

Five people had greeted us.

The first welcome came when we pulled onto the church property.
Further into the complex, more greeters told us where to park.
A nice man and his wife parked […]

Read & discuss at Cynthia D'Amour's blog.

This example is from the technology side, not the association side, but I think it illustrates the point beautifully.

Lijit is a search and stats tool that allows you to put up a little widget on your blog (see mine over there on the right) so your readers can search not only your blog, but also your social networks and other social spaces, and your friends’ sites too, for specific content.

Chris Brogan posted a message on twitter asking why his Lijit widget was suddenly showing ads. I remember this, because I went and had a look at mine at the time but didn’t see anything.

Anyway Lijit posted this summary on their blog, where they laid out what the query was, what their response was, and how they discovered the root of the issue (which was not what Chris thought, but was a potential source of confusion). I won’t repeat the specifics here, but they laid out the issues clearly, figured out where there might have been a lack of clarity in their communications about how the application was supposed to work, then explained how they were going to go about fixing the problem. They then stated that they were always in a ’state of learning” and thanked Chris for bringing this to their attention.

The result? A happy Chris:

” 1. Chris Brogan… Says:
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 pm

The best part of Lijit (beyond your interesting technology) is that you stepped up, listened, responded, and gave us insight into what comes next. I wasn’t upset about the ads. I didn’t like the functionality of doubling up the real estate on my page. Once I understand what it was, how it worked, etc, I calmed down, and with all your conversations, I felt even more educated.

Thanks for your attention and for your follow-through.“

What stands out for me here, beyond the clear description of the step-by-step process from compaint to resolution, is that the response by Lijit was personal, open and honest in tone. There was not one hint of a “company line”. While we don’t all need to be as personal as this stylistically, in the way we write when we are representing our associations, there is a lesson here, in that our audiences absolutely expect us to have a face and a voice. Stock answers, avoidance of a direct acknowledgment of the issues, any kind of brush-off, can now have hugely detrimental consequences.

I would say this is a really good example of how it should be done.

Nicely handled, Lijit!!

Read & discuss at Maddie Grant's blog.

Open Education has gained a valuable resource with the launch of Open Education News, a new group blog managed by David Wiley. I saw this one via Stephen Downes and thought I’d help get the word out. Open Education News’ aim is to monitor news related to open education around the globe. It is supported […]

Read & discuss at jtcobb's blog.

I’m very proud!

Read & discuss at jeffpi1@gmail.com (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)'s blog.

Here’s a study reporting Boomers heavily involved in word-of-mouth marketing but not utilizing social networking opportunities.

One reason may be that Boomers already have established social networks and aren’t looking for new ones.

It would be interesting to examine the difference between the personal and professional interactions of Boomers. They may not be looking for new friends (if they’re parents of young children, they don’t have time), but they are likely to be seeking new business contacts.

Read & discuss at AEM's blog.

And why it doesn’t happen.

Read & discuss at jeffpi1@gmail.com (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)'s blog.

From time to time I help prep someone for an interview: which could be for a job, college entrance, or volunteer position. And always get stuck on the “what’s your greatest weakness” question. Unfortunately it’s important to plan for that one as it likely will be asked.

Most common given are: “I’m a perfectionist”, “I’m a workaholic”;

Ones I like: “I’m sometimes too hard on myself when I make mistakes”, “Sometimes I care too much”, “I wish I had more patience for those who don’t work as hard as they could”;

Joke answers are risky (in my opinion) - for example, “chocolate”, “physics”, “kryptonite”; as is trying not to answer - “I’d rather focus on positives”;

Today on a flight I found 3 more good responses in the “Cubicle Coach” section of Marie Claire (Aug ‘08) magazine: “I over research”, “I can take on too many projects”, “I’m too eager to help my colleagues”.

Any good answers not noted?

Read & discuss at CindyAE's blog.

Social technologies won’t cure apathy.

Read & discuss at jeffpi1@gmail.com (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)'s blog.