The Holiday Season has begun

Black Friday, Cyber Monday. 3 AM store openings. It's all NUTS!

Customer Service Alive and Well

Customer service is alive and well, at least at Home Depot. I can say that because this morning I had to stop there to exchange something. The people I dealt with were: friendly, helpful, conversational, interested, focused, accommodating. It was hassle-free. And to top it off - they were open when I needed them - 7:00 am. If only other stores knew that some of us working folks like to get things done early. Anyway. I felt good when I left the store. Think about your association. How do your members feel after an event, an interaction or a conversation? Is customer service alive and well in your organization?

in a second, we can twitter, blog, etc. but it just took 15 minutes to put a battery in a blinking light for a name badge. Crazy. # msae.

Relationships, not technologies

Focus on relationships, not technologies. Know the available technologies and how they work, but don't be consumed by them. They are just a means to deepen the member relationships. (From Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, Charlene Li, co-author)

Go to twitter.com - msae to join the talk about ugly sweater contest. What's in your closet?

Spam

I had to update the settings on the blog, because this morning - 'anonymous' was able to post a stupid comment. This will require people leaving comments on the blog to complete a word verification step, which will help reduce comment spam.

Blog authors will not see word verification for comments. One bad apple....

Just connected social media networks at ping.fm. Interesting. Testing it.

Expectations and boards

Don't let expectations ruin your relationship with your boards. Make sure that the expectations are stated and understood.
Recruit well
Provide job descriptions
Get a commitment up front
Conduct orientation
Communicate frequently
Be flexible and willing to change directions
Be honest. Be open.
Be consistent.
Provide training.
Use Roberts Rules of Order.
Pick you fights (Decide which hill you will die on).
Every board is of course unique. Pay attention to the expectations, spoken and unspoken, to ensure your success in the future.