Good morning and happy Friday! I’m not sure how we’re halfway through July, though – doesn’t it seem like 2011 is just flying by? It’s just about time for ASAE’s Annual Meeting again! (Didn’t I just get over my jet lag from LA?!) Seriously, though, it’s been a great year so far here at MemberClicks and we’re excited to meet as many small staff association professionals as possible.

Obviously, it’s time for me to share some of my favorite posts from the association blogosphere to help kick of the weekend. Ready? Set? Go!

1. Valeria Maltoni’s The 5 E’s of Content Marketing is definitely worth a read for association professionals. My personal favorite E? Enthusiasm! I think it’s really obvious when someone’s just not that into what they’re writing about, and being enthusiastic in your writing absolutely makes a difference.

2. Erik Schonher posted some early results from the 2011 Membership Benchmarking Survey and good news! -membership is on the rise compared to 2009 and 2010! New member recruitment also seems to be on the rise, which, according to Erik, accounts for the increase in membership.

3. Elizabeth Engel has been posting insights and learnings from Clay Shirky’s “Here Comes Everybody” for quite awhile now, and this week’s post was examines the quote, “What are we going to do about the negative effects of freedom?”. Through technology, people now have the freedom to form all kinds of groups, which, obviously, can be tough for associations.

4. At the Acronym blog, Joe Rominiecki examines the life cycle of a board – namely, is a year too short? It’s difficult for some board members to get acclimated in that amount of time, and thus, your board could be less effective. What do you think? Do you lower your expectations of the board or train them more?

5. I have really been into Jeffrey Cufaude’s posts in recent months, and it’s likely showing with every Friday Top Five I write. This week, Jeffrey points out that today can be the perfect day to … share a big dream, ask a question to reframe a conversation, give encouraging feedback, clarify perspectives and more.

Good morning and happy Friday! I’m sure for most (if not all) of us in the U.S., it was a short workweek, which always means things are a bit crazy. But hopefully everything is winding down and you’ll be ready for the weekend soon. As usual, there were lots of great resources in the blogosphere for the association community, so here are five of my favorites:

1. Great advice from Keith Johnston: Create an editorial calendar for your conference or event blog. In addition to manning your conference or event blog 24/7, as Keith suggests, it’s crucial to map everything out so you don’t get stuck with a mean case of writer’s block (been there, had that it’s no fun). Keith even shares a great WordPress plugin (that I had no idea existed!) to help you plan your content.

2. Back this week with another great leadership limerick, Jeffrey Cufaude reminds us that traditions do matter in associations. We are constantly looking forward to the next big thing, but it’s important to remember where your association has been in the past and why its traditions are important.

3. We’re big fans of Seth Godin’s here at MemberClicks, and one of his posts this week really struck a chord with me: The overwhelming fear of being wrong. Often back in school, I wouldn’t raise my hand to answer a question because I was so afraid of being wrong. But, in both our work and personal lives, it’s important to not let the fear of failure from holding us back.

4. ASAE’s Acronym blog has started a series posing questions to Annual Meeting speakers, and this week, Michael Gardner, CAE and Lydia Middleton, CAE, weighed in on the building blocks of a small staff association’s staff. They have a great discussion about what’s more important: someone to handle financial services or someone to provide members with service.

5. Do you know what your staff members complain about? It’s important to know what your staffers, board members and members have gripes with. One thing to remember: you and your members are on the same team (although you may not always feel that way). Read more at the Hourglass Blog.

Good morning and happy Friday! What’s one thing you’re looking forward to this weekend? I’m looking forward to a 5-mile race and a friend’s birthday party. It should be a good one!

Of course, it would hardly feel like a Friday if I didn’t share a few of my favorite association blog posts from this past week. Ready? Set … Go!

1. I shared this post on Twitter this morning already, but I really liked Kerry Stackpole’s recent contribution to ASAE’s Acronym blog: How do you make sure failure only happens once? To me, it’s OK to fail or make a mistake – as long as you learn from it and don’t repeat the same mistake.

2. Do you recognize past leaders in your association at meetings? David M. Patt shares an example of one association who didn’t, and to him, it was a big mistake. Recognizing past leaders keeps them connected to the organization, which was probably a big part of their lives for quite awhile.

3. Becky Rasmussen at the Drake & Company blog shared five great lessons learned at last week’s Drake Invitational Forum for Association Leaders. My personal favorite? Don’t do something just because everyone else is. Just like bandwagon fans in sports, bandwagon associations are also making a mistake.

4. In a guest post at AE on the Verge, Marcia Bartol asks association professionals if working from home is right for them. She points out one big advantage, which is that there are no overheard costs associated with working in an office. That can be a huge plus for small staff associations, many of which share office space with other organizations.

5. How do you measure success? Wes Trochlil shares how not to measure it – by effort. Can you measure effort? Does mere effort accomplish goals? Or do you measure success by other, more cut-and-dry metrics?

Happy Friday! Who’s ready for the weekend? I’ve got lots of fun plans on my agenda, including a 10K! (OK, maybe not everyone considers that “fun.”) What are you up to this weekend?

Of course, it wouldn’t be Friday if I didn’t share a few (five, to be exact) of my favorite association blog posts from the past week. Which posts were you favorites?

1. Jamie Notter wrote an insightful post about inclusion and associations, and how including groups of all kinds into the fold can bring change. “Cultures that that know inclusion are ones that can handle paradoxes,” Jamie writes. How has your small staff association made an effort to include different groups, such as young professionals?

2. Eric Lanke highlights a post by Michael Schrage by questioning it a bit. Eric suggests associations ask themselves why members want to be associated with them. What’s your brand image? What does it say? And how can you change it if you don’t like it?

3. At the Midcourse Corrections blog, Jeff Hurt wrote a great post about the most important engagement at your meeting. Of course, he writes, engagement is quite the overused word, but there are two different kinds: psychological and behavioral. Which one is more important? Psychological. Read on to find out why.

4. David M. Patt shared a great example of an association successfully using Groupon to its advantage. The Chicago Area Runners Association offered a $20 discount on its $44 membership, which increased its membership by 1,314. Pretty cool, huh? Could your organization use a social buying tool for something similar?

5. At the SocialFish blog, John Haydon shared four different types of Facebook Deals and how nonprofits can utilize them. The deals include Individual, Loyalty, Charity and Friend, and each one is a little different with slightly different benefits. Is your small staff association looking into Facebook deals at all?

From everyone at MemberClicks, have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! I’m currently on a much-deserved (at least, I think it’s deserved) vacation, but I couldn’t leave you guys hanging for weekend material on this fine Friday. As always, feel free to share your own personal favorite links in the comments!

1. Wes Trochlil wrote about profound change rather than incremental change (similar to his post about taking bold risks). Although it can be difficult for small staff association professionals to focus on bigger changes when they’re caught up in the day-to-day activities, it’s crucial to think about things that will push your association further in a big way.

2. In what is sure to be a classic post, Jeff Hurt discussed the signs of healthy and unhealthy associations. “Unhealthy associations avoid change as long as possible,” he writes. While every association has a lifecycle, the healthy ones routinely perform “self-examinations” and evaluate what they can be doing better. Where does your association fall in the spectrum?

3. At the Engage 365 blog, Samuel Smith asked association professionals if they are multiplying the value of their meetings. How could you give your meeting attendees three or four times the value they’re used to at meetings and conferences? How could you measure it? There’s some good food for thought here.

4. Eric Lanke wrote a great post about really listening to your members when it comes to innovating. Although innovation essentially means creating a whole new set of rules that can be hard to imagine, it’s important to listen to your members so you can empower them within the organization.

5. What are your professional learning habits? Elizabeth Engel answered that question this week at her blog. Her answers? Read voraciously, TED Talks, participate and unplug. I think the final one is often the most important, especially given how constantly plugged-in so many of us are. What are your own professional learning habits?

From everyone at MemberClicks, have a great weekend!