Happy New Year’s Eve! Instead of reflecting on the past year, I thought I’d share a few predictions for associations in 2010. I could be way off base, but that’s OK! Feel free to share what your association is excited about going into 2010, too!

- Virtual attendance gains traction. Maggie McGary tweeted a link the other day about how the American Society for Parental and Enteral Nutrition is offering virtual attendance for its 2010 conference. I think this is a fantastic idea – today’s technology absolutely supports this kind of thing, and in a still-unstable economy, people may not want to travel as much.

- Crowdsourcing becomes the norm for associations. ASAE and The Center experimented with this for Associations Now, but I think the concept will grow for associations in 2010. Use it among your staff, or give your members a say in some of the association’s decisions.

- Organizations will stop adopting social media just for the sake of it. This is more of a wish than a prediction, but I hope it comes to fruition. Obviously “social media” was the trend of 2009. But what does it mean? To me, social media is just another level of communication with your members and staffers. Perhaps you can ask your members how they prefer to receive information (get your “crowdsourcing” on) and create different options. You don’t have to be everywhere, all the time, online.

- Young professionals become even more active. From ASAE and The Center’s Young Professionals resources and committee to YAPStars, Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers are making their presences known. These groups allow for great networking opportunities and professional development, and I love the enthusiasm YPs are displaying.

- Associations embrace mobile technology. Who isn’t attached to their phone these days? (Seriously though, if you aren’t, I envy you.) Maybe 2010 won’t bring an iPhone app for your association, but it’s definitely time to embrace the real-time access our smartphones provide. Twitter has accomplished this in a way, but 2010 can take it a step further.

Have a wonderful and happy (and safe!) New Year’s Eve. So long, 2009!

(Image via Optical illusion on Flickr.)

Merry Christmas to one and all (if you celebrate, that is). I hope everyone is enjoying their break and spending time with family and friends. Even though it was technically a holiday week, there was lots of good stuff going around the association community this week.

1. Oh my gosh. When I read this poem, I couldn’t believe how well-crafted it was. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: The Association Version by Joe Flowers is wonderful. I have to turn to rhymezone.com when I’m seeking a rhyming match, so I can’t imagine how long something like this would have taken me. This is so well done, and definitely a must-read if you haven’t already.

2. Shelly Alcorn contributed to Big Ideas month over as Association Subculture with her post about the actual environment of associations. I love each and every one of her posts, and this one was great because she turned a critical eye (in a good way) to how current associations can execute everyone’s big ideas. So glad you wrote this, Shelly!

3. I’m loving the conversation about non-profit vs. for-profit, especially Kevin Holland’s post from earlier this week. It’s true that there are many for-profit associations out there, and every situation and organization is different. Kevin writes, But for those of us who work for associations because we like making a bigger difference for the sectors we serve, I think the non-profit status still makes sense. Very true.

4. Over at SocialFish, Maddie Grant has been posting interviews with social media managers at various associations (and association management companies). The series is great, and there were two new ones this week — one with Kristi Donovan of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration and one Brian Riggs of Association Headquarters. Such valuable information here. (And look out for my own responses on the SocialFish blog sometime!)

5. Lisa Junker at the Acronym blog shared a round-up of holiday-themed posts. Just in time for the holiday, I wanted to pass the link along.

From everyone at MemberClicks, happy holidays to you and yours. For a little bit of holiday cheer, check out our Christmas video (it wouldn’t let me embed). Merry Christmas!

With the epic words of Clark Griswold as our guide, we hosted our holiday open house Thursday evening. There was food, fun and lots of people! In addition to the holidays, we were also celebrating the opening of MemberClicks‘ new home. Of course, my paparazzi tendencies with my new new camera were out in full force to capture the decorations, food and good times.

Pretty decorations!

Good eats

The set-up

Guests were greeted with pink champagne.

See more sights from the party…

In honor of Black Friday, I thought I’d share a few interesting holiday shopping-related statistics. If you braved the crowds this morning, I hope you got some great deals!

• 172 million shoppers visited stores and Web sites last year (which was an increase from 2007′s 147 million) (National Retail Federation)
• Spending reached an estimated $41 billion (NRF)
• That averages out to about $372.57 per shopper (which was an increase from 2007′s $347.55 per shopper) (NRF)
• More than 47 percent of retailers will use social media this holiday season (NRF)
• About 60 percent of retailers have updated or improved their Facebook pages and/or Twitter streams (NRF)

(Image via besighyawn at Flickr)

We hosted an in-office potluck yesterday and ate tons of delicious food! Here are some highlights:

Just some of the canned goods we’ve collected for the Atlanta Food Community Bank.

Developer Aaron Gunn getting his veggie dip ready.

Product Expert Joel Walton and Developer Ian Snead prepping their contributions.

President Thomas Howard setting up plates by the desserts.

Director of Product Experience Kevin Patrick was very enthusiastic about the ham.

The final spread (desserts not included!).

Developers Matt Boetger and Ian Snead getting the party started with Solution Adviser Hannae Berhanu and Go Team Member Sarah Bigorowski

Nom nom nom

Huck and Matt Boetger facing off.

Developer Glenard Loy and Lead Maximizer Duncan McCreery (maker of delicious potatoes) enjoying the meal.

The crowd chowing down (and Hannae and I are laughing right in the middle!).

The aftermath

Matt Boetger perusing the many, many dessert options.

Thomas and Duncan chilling out and enjoying the desserts.

From the entire MemberClicks family, happy Thanksgiving! We wish everyone who celebrates a fantastic holiday!