Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend.

I wanted to share a few great slideshows to encourage everyone to use tools – such as YouTube – to their greatest potential. I’ve also included a primer on Twitter for those who may not know the basics. It’s always good to have a refresher!

In some interesting social media news, Twitter has just launched its own photo and video search. Now, when you search a term at the top of the page, relevant photos and videos will appear on the right side along with related tweets. Additionally, Twitter users will soon be able to attach photos and video to their tweets without third party clients – even from Twitter’s own mobile apps.

What does this mean for associations?

Well, members will be able to more easily find photos from the association and other members, provided the image’s corresponding tweet has enough information. And these features are likely bad news bears for companies such as Twitpic, which hosts millions and millions of Twitter users’ photos.

Photos and videos are a huge part of Twitter’s success and allow users across the world to share experiences with one another. I wouldn’t be surprised if your own members have shared photos while at your annual conference or another association event.

Do you use Twitpic or another photo sharing service for your association’s social media efforts? Will you switch to using Twitter’s official photo and video uploader when it’s unveiled?

By now, you may (or may not) have heard about the rogue tweet that was sent out on the Red Cross’ official account. Someone with access accidentally posted a tweet meant for her personal account that was, shall we say, not Red Cross material.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a life-or-death situation, but the Red Cross could have handled this much, much worse. The tweet was live for about an hour, and then this was posted:

The original tweet?

The Red Cross has confirmed the rogue tweeter was not drunk, and they even blogged about the incident! What’s crazy is that the Red Cross actually reported an uptick in donations after Dogfish Head Brewery encouraged its fans to donate to the organization.

What if the Red Cross didn’t have a sense of humor? They could have reacted with ire; they even could have attempted to ignore the whole incident. Instead, they were honest with their followers and fans and as a result of their honesty and, yes, humor, they received tons of great PR. Tons of people tweeted to @RedCross and @dogfishbeer that they were planning on donating blood.

Take a moment to reflect on this and ask yourself how your organization would react if such an incident happened to you. This is a great example of social media done right - because nobody’s perfect and crisis management skills are critical.

I feel like the whole community-is-on-Twitter-you-must-be-on-Twitter conversation consumed much of 2009 and 2010. However you feel about Twitter, I think it’d be difficult to deny that there is a whole community of association professionals out there ready to swap and share information.

KiKi L’Italien re-posted the below video this morning, and it reminded me that I haven’t really discussed Association Chat much lately. Every Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, association professionals across Twitter join in a conversation by using the hashtag #assnchat. (Pronounce it how you will, although the official name of the chat is Association Chat.)

I think small staff professionals in particular could benefit from this community. You probably often get caught up in the day-to-day activities of association management, without stopping to think if things could be done a different way. It may be difficult to find a spare hour on Tuesdays to participate, but you can always read the transcripts later at What The Hashtag.

Have you participated in Association Chat? Do you have a Twitter account? Why or why not?

Customer service is changing.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but the way businesses and organizations alike handle customer service is rapidly changing due to the Internet.

If someone is mailed a wrong shipment of a product, they can vent on Twitter.

If someone experiences horrible in-person service, they can complain on the organization’s Facebook page.

If someone’s conference experience isn’t what they expected, they can blog about it.

And they do.

I’ve seen all of these situations happen firsthand, and I’ve seen how organizations react – they panic.

If your organization is small and localized, this phenomenon may not be as prevalent.

But the world is only getting more social.

If your current “power members” don’t blog or Facebook, know that many of your future “power members” probably will. Once stereotyped as out-of-work writers toiling in mom and dad’s basement, bloggers are now a vital part of the communications industry. People take them seriously. Other consumers value their input, reviews and opinions.

Has your association ever had to deal with a member (or former member, for that matter) bad-mouthing the organization online? How did you deal with it? Do you have measures in place to handle it?

One of the most important things to remember regarding customer service in social media is that a public response is often necessary. Even if you resolve the issue privately, it’s crucial to be open about the fact that you’re seeking a resolution. If there’s a complaint on Facebook, respond publicly and tactfully, then take the matter into a private arena. The same goes for Twitter.