First read/listen to this post/discussion about the recent Dunkin Donuts "fail" when their Facebook page was spammed and nobody responded for 12 hours. I commented on the original blog post that this is Facebook's fault for not providing any kind of tool for admins to alert them when new comments or wall posts are posted, and I was glad to see others agree with me.
There seems to be an expectation that every brand engaging in social media has a dedicated community manager (if not a team of them). However, as Olivier Blanchard points out, this, sadly/scarily, is not the case at all. He points to a recent study by King Fish Media that reports while 72% of all companies surveyed claim to currently have a social media strategy, only 9% of those have full-time positions dedicated to managing social media responsibilities. Olivier points out the reality: "A full 6 out of 7 out of the companies with Social Media programs don’t fund a full time role for that program?"
Now overlay that with the Dunkin Donuts flap and why is anyone surprised? Our expectations--"our" being those of us involved in the social media space as well as consumers following brands on Facebook, Twitter, etc--assume that there are staff dedicated to managing the accounts we follow; in reality, this simply is not the case.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Why I Will Never, Ever Use Facebook Places
It's simple: because I hate how much of my life Facebook already owns and has control over. Facebook is now worth $33 BILLION--all because chumps like me are willing to share their lives with the world and Facebook gets to sell us out. Why the hell am I going to give them one more piece of myself to monetize for their own gain?
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. It makes it easy for me to see what's going on with friends, family, plus hundreds of people I don't know and/or don't care about on a daily basis--I'll grant it that. It's also a nice business tool (if you don't mind having to monitor your pages 24/7 and sleuth out changes on your own since Facebook doesn't communicate with nonprofit Page admins AT ALL). But I hate how little control we have over Facebook--privacy stuff, the way they constantly change the way information is displayed, the total dearth of features for Page admins, the fact that the "like" button interface sucks...I'll spare you the rest of that rant.
As for the whole checkin thing, I'm still on the fence about it: it's bad enough I spend time doing Foursquare, which so far has been of little or no use to me; there is no way in HELL I'm going to go to even more effort and trouble to check in using Facebook Places. I'll be interested to see if Places takes off or falls flat on its face.
How about you--have you tried Places yet? Or are you intentionally steering clear of it like I am?
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. It makes it easy for me to see what's going on with friends, family, plus hundreds of people I don't know and/or don't care about on a daily basis--I'll grant it that. It's also a nice business tool (if you don't mind having to monitor your pages 24/7 and sleuth out changes on your own since Facebook doesn't communicate with nonprofit Page admins AT ALL). But I hate how little control we have over Facebook--privacy stuff, the way they constantly change the way information is displayed, the total dearth of features for Page admins, the fact that the "like" button interface sucks...I'll spare you the rest of that rant.
As for the whole checkin thing, I'm still on the fence about it: it's bad enough I spend time doing Foursquare, which so far has been of little or no use to me; there is no way in HELL I'm going to go to even more effort and trouble to check in using Facebook Places. I'll be interested to see if Places takes off or falls flat on its face.
How about you--have you tried Places yet? Or are you intentionally steering clear of it like I am?
Friday, August 27, 2010
Use of Social Media by Older Adults Doubles
According to a newly-released study by Pew Internet Research, social media use among internet users ages 50 and older has nearly doubled in the past year: from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010. During the same period, use among those ages 65 and older grew 100%--from 13% to 26%. You can read the full report here.
What does this mean? If your organization has been resisting expanding its communication strategy to include social networks because only younger people use them, it's time to reconsider. The study noted that while email use among older adults still remains strong, many of them are beginning to "rely on social network platforms to help manage their daily communications." The study also mentions that 1 in 10 adults ages 50-64 use Twitter now, up significantly from last year.
What does this mean? If your organization has been resisting expanding its communication strategy to include social networks because only younger people use them, it's time to reconsider. The study noted that while email use among older adults still remains strong, many of them are beginning to "rely on social network platforms to help manage their daily communications." The study also mentions that 1 in 10 adults ages 50-64 use Twitter now, up significantly from last year.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Social Media Success is More Than Skin Deep
Augie Ray from Forrester wrote an awesome post about the difference between social media success and social media marketing success. He makes the great example of three retailers whose stores he recently visited, two of which were horribly staffed and maintained--yet those same two stores boast "successful" social media campaigns. Social media marketing-wise they're doing everything right: engaging fans, enabling social sharing features in their online stores, doing special promotions for fans, etc. I have no doubt their marketers are gloating about the million Facebook fans they have attracted, or the authentic way in which they are engaging customers. But who cares if the fitting rooms look like pigstys and the registers are inadequately staffed?
I see this a lot. Social media is the shiny thing and there's lots of acclaim for those who do it. I hear stories every day of social media doers who write their tickets to the big-time: book deals, big raises, big-name job hops. Yes, there are downsides to social media jobs--lots of them--but there are also many benefits, not the least of which is some measure of job security. In a crap economy and job market, if you have experience doing social media marketing or community management, you're definitely in a better position than many other job seekers. It is, after all, the year of the community manager, right?
The thing is that, while the recent trend of social media and community management jobs being super hot is great from the employee perspective, as far as it translating into making every company the next Zappos, forget it. Look at Comcast, at Pepco...and, in the spirit of ASAE's annual meeting that's wrapping up today, look at associations who are "embracing" social media. Just how deep does this commitment to putting the customer (or member) first and being transparent and open go?
In the cases of Pepco and Comcast, both are companies who are doing a great job with their social media stuff--especially Twitter. But does that mean the rest of the company scales with that commitment to the customer, to a great product and experience all the way through? And how about associations? ASAE is a good example. They've got their mobile apps, their online community platform, their blog (which rocks), great use of video, bases covered with incorporating social elements into their magazine, etc. They've got some super smart awesome employees who are truly committed to optimizing social media use. But then they have senior leaders who don't actually believe what they're selling at every event: that associations MUST embrace social media. Because they're not embracing it. Their culture is still about stuffy politics and committees; they still ignore the dozens of blog posts about stuff members wish they'd change or address; and they still operate like a old-guard association mired in hierarchy and "we've always done it this way."
Not to call out just ASAE--an organization which, despite the things I don't like I still have respect for; associations, for all their talk about how the importance of social media, are almost uniformly only scratching the surface when it comes to social media. As Augie Ray puts it "The difference is not found on Facebook or Twitter but in the ways companies are led." So an association is "embracing" social media and has the fans and followers to prove it; does that mean anything else about the organization's operations has changed? Are org charts being recallibrated to reflect the nature of open communication and transparency? Are silos disolving? Are outmoded ways of doing things being discontinued? In short, is this about embracing social media because it's one of the ways to make the organization, through and through, the best it can be for members, or is it so associations can check off the "we're using social media!" checkbox?
If it's the latter, do everyone a favor and just skip it.
I see this a lot. Social media is the shiny thing and there's lots of acclaim for those who do it. I hear stories every day of social media doers who write their tickets to the big-time: book deals, big raises, big-name job hops. Yes, there are downsides to social media jobs--lots of them--but there are also many benefits, not the least of which is some measure of job security. In a crap economy and job market, if you have experience doing social media marketing or community management, you're definitely in a better position than many other job seekers. It is, after all, the year of the community manager, right?
The thing is that, while the recent trend of social media and community management jobs being super hot is great from the employee perspective, as far as it translating into making every company the next Zappos, forget it. Look at Comcast, at Pepco...and, in the spirit of ASAE's annual meeting that's wrapping up today, look at associations who are "embracing" social media. Just how deep does this commitment to putting the customer (or member) first and being transparent and open go?
In the cases of Pepco and Comcast, both are companies who are doing a great job with their social media stuff--especially Twitter. But does that mean the rest of the company scales with that commitment to the customer, to a great product and experience all the way through? And how about associations? ASAE is a good example. They've got their mobile apps, their online community platform, their blog (which rocks), great use of video, bases covered with incorporating social elements into their magazine, etc. They've got some super smart awesome employees who are truly committed to optimizing social media use. But then they have senior leaders who don't actually believe what they're selling at every event: that associations MUST embrace social media. Because they're not embracing it. Their culture is still about stuffy politics and committees; they still ignore the dozens of blog posts about stuff members wish they'd change or address; and they still operate like a old-guard association mired in hierarchy and "we've always done it this way."
Not to call out just ASAE--an organization which, despite the things I don't like I still have respect for; associations, for all their talk about how the importance of social media, are almost uniformly only scratching the surface when it comes to social media. As Augie Ray puts it "The difference is not found on Facebook or Twitter but in the ways companies are led." So an association is "embracing" social media and has the fans and followers to prove it; does that mean anything else about the organization's operations has changed? Are org charts being recallibrated to reflect the nature of open communication and transparency? Are silos disolving? Are outmoded ways of doing things being discontinued? In short, is this about embracing social media because it's one of the ways to make the organization, through and through, the best it can be for members, or is it so associations can check off the "we're using social media!" checkbox?
If it's the latter, do everyone a favor and just skip it.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Top 5 Things That Make Me Wish I Were at #ASAE10
As I blogged about in my guest post on the SocialFish blog, I didn't go to ASAE's annual meeting, which is going on right now in LA, and I'm plenty bummed about it. All my (imaginary, per my kids, who think the people I "know" from Twitter are mere figaments of my imagination) friends are there, plus people I'd love to meet IRL (that's "in real life" for those of you who don't speak nerd). But alas, here I sit, in Maryland, not in LA.
Lucky for me, though, I almost feel like I'm there, thanks to Twitter and the many blog posts coming from LA.
Sadly, though, as much as social media rocks, there are some things it just can't do. These are top 5 "IRL" things that make me wish I were there:
Lucky for me, though, I almost feel like I'm there, thanks to Twitter and the many blog posts coming from LA.
Sadly, though, as much as social media rocks, there are some things it just can't do. These are top 5 "IRL" things that make me wish I were there:
- Technology Booth Crawl. I'm always looking for stuff to rationalize the fact that I use Foursquare on almost a daily basis, despite the almost total lack of any type of benefit. I think the technology booth crawl is an awesome idea and would have loved to have been there to see who was participating, what people were saying about it--and possibly win an actual prize.
- Flashmob. Even though I would have sooner died of embarrassment than participated, I would have loved to see my braver-than-me YAP friends do this dance live...as well as the faces of the majority of attendees who undoubtedly had no idea what was going on.
- Swag. I love swag and it physically pains me knowing that I'm missing out on free pens, cookies, post-its, and who knows what else. Last year my friends from the California Dental Association heard my plea for swag and sent me one of my faves: magnetic clips. They're still gracing my cubicle.
- Jeff Hurt. Jeff Hurt is like a legend to those of us in the DC-area association community. His blog is incredible; he is super smart and a great writer and doesn't shy away from calling a spade a spade.
- Kindle. I want to win a Kindle and I just know I would have won one if I'd been in LA.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Rant Time: Social Media ROI
It's been pretty quiet in here for a while now. That plus it's summer, it's Friday, and I'm enjoying the last few hours of quiet before my kids get home from being away for a week. What better time than now to indulge in one of my favorite pastimes: the blog rant.
Inspiring this week's rant is an event I went to this week: Buzz2010 featuring Olivier Blanchard speaking about Social Media ROI. The event and Olivier's presentation rocked. It was the first time I've seen someone put into association/not-for-profit (NFP) terms the whole business of social media ROI. My favorite points:
But here's the thing: most associations are not doing that. It's like we inspect things one time and once they've been deemed worthy, they're in for good. Social media-even when it's "in" like in my case where there's a full-time position dedicated to it, is under constant scrutiny. I get that--I get that new things are like that. But I have to say: it's getting old. It's getting old to have to deal with "should we really be spending time doing this when there are no clear benefits?" at every turn--it really is.
Sorry--that was more of a whine than a rant--I think I'm done now.
Do yourself a favor and check out Olivier's presentation--or if you're like me and it's hard to get much out of just slides, purchase the recording--it's only $59 for all 3 Buzz2010 sessions. I don't usually hawk stuff on here but honestly, each of the Buzz2010 sessions was great and contained so much information that even non-social media people would get a ton out of.
Inspiring this week's rant is an event I went to this week: Buzz2010 featuring Olivier Blanchard speaking about Social Media ROI. The event and Olivier's presentation rocked. It was the first time I've seen someone put into association/not-for-profit (NFP) terms the whole business of social media ROI. My favorite points:
- Associations and NFPs are not like most businesses. FINALLY someone addressing this in the context of ROI--Amen.
- Sales is not one of the metrics to look at for association/NFP social media--outcomes is. "Outcomes" include stuff like new members, increased frequency of donations and volunteerism, and added exposure. Double amen.
- ROI is 100% media agnostic--only measuring social or digital won't get you anywhere. You can't evaluate social media in a vacuum--you evaluate it as part of a whole communications strategy--which means you also evaluate the rest of the strategy.
But here's the thing: most associations are not doing that. It's like we inspect things one time and once they've been deemed worthy, they're in for good. Social media-even when it's "in" like in my case where there's a full-time position dedicated to it, is under constant scrutiny. I get that--I get that new things are like that. But I have to say: it's getting old. It's getting old to have to deal with "should we really be spending time doing this when there are no clear benefits?" at every turn--it really is.
Sorry--that was more of a whine than a rant--I think I'm done now.
Do yourself a favor and check out Olivier's presentation--or if you're like me and it's hard to get much out of just slides, purchase the recording--it's only $59 for all 3 Buzz2010 sessions. I don't usually hawk stuff on here but honestly, each of the Buzz2010 sessions was great and contained so much information that even non-social media people would get a ton out of.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Will Social Media Sites Replace Websites?
So an article in Advertising Age yesterday asked the question "Do we still need websites?" Facebook is killing your website. Coke is migrating its campaigns from branded sites to community platforms. Delta is selling tickets on Facebook. Who needs a website anymore, right?
OMG, WRONG. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Consider this quote from the AdAge article:
This statement is why the definitive answer to the question "Do we still need websites" is YES. Twitter is down constantly; Facebook can annihilate any Page, no matter how popular, with one mouse-click--and they do. Posterous has been slammed with DOS attacks this week, and my personal blog disappeared for several days when my domain name was declared to be "fraudulent" by eNom. No explanation, just--poof!--blog gone for several days. And back to Facebook--how about how it changes constantly--changes over which you have no control? Or doesn't work the way it's supposed to, such as with the "like" buttons and their notoriously sketchy performance? In theory Facebook is great; in practice, not so much.
And that doesn't even begin to touch stuff like UI, URLs, SEO optimization or any of that nerdy stuff.
Call me a control freak but no WAY would I put all my eggs in the basket of using a website that I have no control over as the main or only hub if I owned a business. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc are called "outposts" for a reason--because they're meant to be satellites to your brand's real asset: its website.
OMG, WRONG. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Consider this quote from the AdAge article:
"Websites are important because you own them."
This statement is why the definitive answer to the question "Do we still need websites" is YES. Twitter is down constantly; Facebook can annihilate any Page, no matter how popular, with one mouse-click--and they do. Posterous has been slammed with DOS attacks this week, and my personal blog disappeared for several days when my domain name was declared to be "fraudulent" by eNom. No explanation, just--poof!--blog gone for several days. And back to Facebook--how about how it changes constantly--changes over which you have no control? Or doesn't work the way it's supposed to, such as with the "like" buttons and their notoriously sketchy performance? In theory Facebook is great; in practice, not so much.
And that doesn't even begin to touch stuff like UI, URLs, SEO optimization or any of that nerdy stuff.
Call me a control freak but no WAY would I put all my eggs in the basket of using a website that I have no control over as the main or only hub if I owned a business. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc are called "outposts" for a reason--because they're meant to be satellites to your brand's real asset: its website.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
BitMoms & BitDefender Provide a Lesson on Different Way to Save Files
August signifies the winding down of summer and the fresh school year. This year as you shop for back to school items, check your family computer to ensure that your antivirus software is current and can safeguard your machine from potential viruses that can come from opening infected files at home and school.
These days, students have myriad ways they can create and save documents to be accessed in multiple locations but each has its benefits and risks. Here’s a quick run down of the top ways students save files along with the pros and cons of each.
USB flash drives
USB flash drives are removable and rewriteable portable storage devices that plug into a USB port. The come in a variety of different styles, range in their storage capacity, and are widely available.
Pros: The small size of USB drives makes them easy to attach to a backpack, keychain, or slip into a pocket. They also durable due to the lack of moving parts and tend to be quite reliable for accessing documents over an extended period of time. They are available in a wide range of sizes.
Cons: While the size and portability of USB drives is appealing, they are also easily misplaced. Not only does it cost money to replace them but data is often lost unless a regular backup is done to store documents on the home computer. USB drives have a fairly long life but can also die without warning rendering all data on the drive inaccessible. USB drives can also be infected with viruses living on the host computers they are plugged into and be a way to unknowingly install viruses on your home computer.
Emailing assignments
These days it seems like most kids, even in the upper elementary grades, have an email address. Email accounts are free thanks to Yahoo, Gmail, and many other internet service providers.
Pro: A student can work on an assignment at home and attach it to an email to themselves which can be opened at school if your school allows student use of email for class work. This serves as a free and easy way to ensure that documents are accessible for working on them at home, school, or wherever your child has an internet connection.
Cons: Your home computer may run a different version of software than your child’s school. Having different versions of software, such as Microsoft Office, can make it impossible to open documents at school if you have a newer version installed at home. To alleviate this problem, teach your child how to do a “save as” to save their document in a compatible file format that can be read at school. Incompatible file formats that make documents unreadable at school can be frustrating for children if they want to add last minute touches to their homework at school but can’t open their assignment. Also, there is a high risk of viruses attaching themselves to Microsoft Word documents thanks to macros that are written into the language of the program. To avoid this turn on Macro Virus Protection and make sure your antivirus software is current and always scanning in the background.
Google Docs
Google Docs is a way you can create documents, presentations, and spreadsheets online using your Gmail account.
Pro: The use of Google Docs is free, easy to navigate and use, and allows users to access their documents from any computer with an internet connection which makes it an efficient choice for students on the go. Google Docs enables users to share their work and collaborate on an assignment which is useful for group assignments. The autosave feature helps making sure that changes are frequently saved and working in Google Docs eliminates the problem of incompatible file formats. Since Google Docs is its own system, creating, editing, and saving documents while they are part of Google Docs is a safe way to avoid potential viruses and malware.
Con: Google Docs requires an internet connection in order to access documents. Some schools don’t allow the use of Google Docs. If you convert your Google Doc into another file format to email it to someone, there is the potential that a virus will sneak in the emailed document.
Regardless of your child’s preferred way to save and access documents both at home and school, knowing the risks that come with each method helps prevent potential problems that could jeopardize your student’s ability to get work turned in on time and harm your family computer. If you feel like your computer has been compromised, you can always run BitDefender’s free online scanner directly from your browser to immediately clean your system memory.
This article was provided as exclusive content by BitDefender because of my role as a BitMom Blog Network Member. No compensation was received for sharing this post however; BitMoms is providing me with a blog conference stipend and other materials to help me facilitate sharing topics of internet safety and security with my readers and through the BitMom Community.
About BitDefender®- BitDefender is the creator of one of the industry's fastest and most effective lines of internationally certified security software. Every day, BitDefender protects tens of millions of home and corporate users across the globe — giving them the peace of mind of knowing that their digital experiences will be secure. More information about BitDefender and its products are available on the company’s website.
These days, students have myriad ways they can create and save documents to be accessed in multiple locations but each has its benefits and risks. Here’s a quick run down of the top ways students save files along with the pros and cons of each.
USB flash drives
USB flash drives are removable and rewriteable portable storage devices that plug into a USB port. The come in a variety of different styles, range in their storage capacity, and are widely available.
Pros: The small size of USB drives makes them easy to attach to a backpack, keychain, or slip into a pocket. They also durable due to the lack of moving parts and tend to be quite reliable for accessing documents over an extended period of time. They are available in a wide range of sizes.
Cons: While the size and portability of USB drives is appealing, they are also easily misplaced. Not only does it cost money to replace them but data is often lost unless a regular backup is done to store documents on the home computer. USB drives have a fairly long life but can also die without warning rendering all data on the drive inaccessible. USB drives can also be infected with viruses living on the host computers they are plugged into and be a way to unknowingly install viruses on your home computer.
Emailing assignments
These days it seems like most kids, even in the upper elementary grades, have an email address. Email accounts are free thanks to Yahoo, Gmail, and many other internet service providers.
Pro: A student can work on an assignment at home and attach it to an email to themselves which can be opened at school if your school allows student use of email for class work. This serves as a free and easy way to ensure that documents are accessible for working on them at home, school, or wherever your child has an internet connection.
Cons: Your home computer may run a different version of software than your child’s school. Having different versions of software, such as Microsoft Office, can make it impossible to open documents at school if you have a newer version installed at home. To alleviate this problem, teach your child how to do a “save as” to save their document in a compatible file format that can be read at school. Incompatible file formats that make documents unreadable at school can be frustrating for children if they want to add last minute touches to their homework at school but can’t open their assignment. Also, there is a high risk of viruses attaching themselves to Microsoft Word documents thanks to macros that are written into the language of the program. To avoid this turn on Macro Virus Protection and make sure your antivirus software is current and always scanning in the background.
Google Docs
Google Docs is a way you can create documents, presentations, and spreadsheets online using your Gmail account.
Pro: The use of Google Docs is free, easy to navigate and use, and allows users to access their documents from any computer with an internet connection which makes it an efficient choice for students on the go. Google Docs enables users to share their work and collaborate on an assignment which is useful for group assignments. The autosave feature helps making sure that changes are frequently saved and working in Google Docs eliminates the problem of incompatible file formats. Since Google Docs is its own system, creating, editing, and saving documents while they are part of Google Docs is a safe way to avoid potential viruses and malware.
Con: Google Docs requires an internet connection in order to access documents. Some schools don’t allow the use of Google Docs. If you convert your Google Doc into another file format to email it to someone, there is the potential that a virus will sneak in the emailed document.
Regardless of your child’s preferred way to save and access documents both at home and school, knowing the risks that come with each method helps prevent potential problems that could jeopardize your student’s ability to get work turned in on time and harm your family computer. If you feel like your computer has been compromised, you can always run BitDefender’s free online scanner directly from your browser to immediately clean your system memory.
This article was provided as exclusive content by BitDefender because of my role as a BitMom Blog Network Member. No compensation was received for sharing this post however; BitMoms is providing me with a blog conference stipend and other materials to help me facilitate sharing topics of internet safety and security with my readers and through the BitMom Community.
About BitDefender®- BitDefender is the creator of one of the industry's fastest and most effective lines of internationally certified security software. Every day, BitDefender protects tens of millions of home and corporate users across the globe — giving them the peace of mind of knowing that their digital experiences will be secure. More information about BitDefender and its products are available on the company’s website.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Rant About Listservs That Don't Accept HTML
I was out of the office on vacation last week and made a concerted effort not to check email or do work while I was out. Nice while it lasts, but brutal coming back to over 2900 unread messages. (I do social media monitoring via Twitter and other searches, hence the huge number of messages.)
Even though I was totally slammed with going through this huge quantity of email I noticed a message from a listerv I subscribe to and took the time to write a response because it was something I felt I could help this person with. I hit send and braced myself for the onslaught of "out of office" replies I knew would pour into my already-full inbox. Nothing. Waited a few more minutes. Nothing. Checked my sent messages to make sure the message had actually gone out--it did.
Then I realized even though the message was sent out it was probably rejected because this particular listserv doesn't accept html. (ASAE I'm looking at you.) Now maybe I'm wrong and my message somehow got cut off at some other pass and it's not the listserv's fault. But I'm pretty sure it is. And I'm SO not happy about it. More than not happy, actually--sort of livid, to be honest.
WHY is ASAE still using listservs that don't accept html? That are horribly inaccessible via the web? That clog up my inbox with out of office replies every time I post something? Why did they spend dues money on a white label social network that sits there, basically dormant, while the crappy listserv flourishes? If the listservs are so active why did they pick a private social networking platform that doesn't support email integration?
This calendar year alone I've presented at various ASAE events on a number of occasions--always on social media. They're very big on hyping social media to members--so why are their own social offerings so crappy?
Even though I was totally slammed with going through this huge quantity of email I noticed a message from a listerv I subscribe to and took the time to write a response because it was something I felt I could help this person with. I hit send and braced myself for the onslaught of "out of office" replies I knew would pour into my already-full inbox. Nothing. Waited a few more minutes. Nothing. Checked my sent messages to make sure the message had actually gone out--it did.
Then I realized even though the message was sent out it was probably rejected because this particular listserv doesn't accept html. (ASAE I'm looking at you.) Now maybe I'm wrong and my message somehow got cut off at some other pass and it's not the listserv's fault. But I'm pretty sure it is. And I'm SO not happy about it. More than not happy, actually--sort of livid, to be honest.
WHY is ASAE still using listservs that don't accept html? That are horribly inaccessible via the web? That clog up my inbox with out of office replies every time I post something? Why did they spend dues money on a white label social network that sits there, basically dormant, while the crappy listserv flourishes? If the listservs are so active why did they pick a private social networking platform that doesn't support email integration?
This calendar year alone I've presented at various ASAE events on a number of occasions--always on social media. They're very big on hyping social media to members--so why are their own social offerings so crappy?
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